When We Organize, We Win
This has been a terrifying year—a year in which our communities and our values have been under bitter and sustained attack. With the first year of the Trump administration not yet over, already we have witnessed an attempted ban on Muslims entering the country, a prolonged campaign to remove healthcare from millions, the repeal of DACA, the gutting of vital federal agencies such as the EPA, support for white supremacists, and now, as we write, a federal tax bill aimed at giving the richest 1% the largest cash handout in recent memory.
This year has proven that disdain for our values and hatred towards our communities, espoused by Trump and his acolytes, runs far deeper than many thought possible. We also understand more clearly that repressive forces see a huge opportunity over the coming three years to dramatically change the course of history, to fundamentally roll back decades of progressive reform, and to lead this country to an entirely different place—a truly terrifying place for communities of color, immigrants, and working-class communities.
We simply cannot, and will not, let this happen.
Yet despite these discouraging events, much about this year has been immensely inspiring and heartening. Time and time again, we have witnessed communities standing up for each other to resist and work together to build a society around our shared values. Black, brown, white, immigrant, middle class and working class, united by a common cause: to build a society based on love, respect, and mutual cooperation.
Just this Wednesday, nearly 300 protesters trained by CPD, were arrested for civil disobedience after standing up to members of Congress who voted yes on the GOP tax package. The bill will steer billions away from working families and into the pockets of the richest Americans, while ripping away healthcare from 13 million people over the next decade.
In May, over 2,000 activists from ten states joined CPD and partners at the Texas State House in response to local anti-immigration policies. This huge public display of opposition was cited by the Texas court as a significant factor in its decision to block these policies at that time.
In July, after six months of protest and actions that saw tens of thousands travel to Washington DC in wave upon wave of action, the bill to remove health care from millions was finally defeated in a vote of 49–51. CPD and our partners were on the front lines of this massive campaign.
After the shocking events in Charlottesville, VA in August, we organized rallies and vigils across the nation to confront white supremacy, honor those whose lives were lost, and send a clear message to the nation and beyond - this is not our America.
Also this year, Oregon and New York City passed fair scheduling legislation, marking the first state-level victory and largest city-level action on this cutting-edge policy. Many thousands of people from our partners and allies have worked tirelessly over recent years to achieve these historic gains for working families.
And so we saw again this year that when we come together, and when we organize well, we can win.
As we look ahead to the coming year, we know we are just getting started. This year’s hard and bitter fight will, without doubt, become more intense next year. We will need to be stronger and better organized than ever before to build a society based on our values.
We cannot do this without your help.
In solidarity,
