Dear friend,

If a second Trump Administration is anything like the first, our New York values will be tested daily. I had a front-row seat to this relationship at City Hall back in 2016 and I know the chaos that’s just been empowered.

New Yorkers have known and dealt with this man for five decades, and it’s clear to us that women, children, elders, union workers, immigrants, religious groups, the LGBTQ community, and many other marginalized neighbors will be significantly less safe with Donald Trump in the White House.

We remain defiant in the face of hatred and resolved to stand up to whatever is thrown our way from a White House, Senate and Supreme Court that have already telegraphed their plans to rip away the rights and freedoms that took generations of hard work to secure.

New Yorkers will have to do what we always do in the face of adversity, violence, and hate: rise up to meet the moment with courage and compassion. We face some defining choices.

Are we going to throw up our hands, blame the vulnerable for “destroying our city,” and feed bigots their talking points? Or will we defend our neighbors and prove the viability of a peaceful multicultural democracy as an antidote to chaos? Are we going to fall into another austerity trap and fight the poor? Or will we lift from the bottom and get serious about our high cost of living?

If New York is going to resist the allure of autocracy and be a beacon for the rest of the country, we must move past the clubby politics of incrementalism, reject entitlement to power, and refuse to limit conversations with constituents to fundraising emails and Election Day handshakes.

For too long, the wrong Democrats have expected voters to fight for them without returning the favor. These results are holding up a mirror to electoral truths. As a party, we have to rethink how we talk to Black, Latino, and Asian voters about the economic opportunities we seek, how we deal with conflict within our own big tent, and what role New York needs to play over the next four years.

As a mother, as a daughter of immigrants, I am feeling the pain of this election deeply. I know we’re tired, but I also know we have so much more to give.

My resolve is clear and I invite you to join me. We can’t give up now. We are New Yorkers. We don’t shy from a fight. We don’t cower to a backyard bully. When New Yorkers fight for each other, we win. Chin up.

In solidarity,

Jessica Ramos