Friend –

The election has finally come and gone, and we recognize how tired you must be. As people who care deeply about civil rights, civil liberties, and the people in our communities, this election season has been grueling.

We've had to watch as our friends, families, and neighbors become political targets simply because of who they are. The unrelenting attacks on trans lives, the constant scapegoating of immigrants, and the abject racism on full display, day in and day out, have been incredibly painful to witness.

However you're feeling in the aftermath of Election Night, those feelings are valid. We encourage you to take a breath and care for yourselves however necessary.

But no matter what happened on Election Night, we always knew the fight would continue. Justice and liberation are not won or lost in one election cycle, and while the threats we're facing are real, this is not the time to disengage.

In the coming months, Wisconsin's biennial budget process will begin, and so will the 2024-25 legislative session. In April, we'll have another State Supreme Court election that will seat a justice on the bench. We recall with great optimism that Wisconsinites elected a pro-civil rights and liberties judge to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April's high-stakes election despite tremendous obstacles and odds.

Yes, we'll have to defend against bad-faith efforts to harm the people we care about, but we'll also have new opportunities to push Wisconsin forward into a brighter future. Whatever the next few years have in store, we will be there, on the front lines, standing firm in defense of our rights and our state.

While we process this election and everything that led up to it, we have to recommit to the struggle for a better, more just world. We have to keep organizing, keep voting, and keep uplifting and caring for those most in need.

Together, we are powerful enough to change the course of Wisconsin's future and ensure rights for all. Join us in the fight and keep pushing for a brighter future. We know the nation's eyes are always on Wisconsin. Together, we can fight for our rights and drive our state and country forward.

Dr. Melinda Brennan
Pronouns: She, her, ella
Executive Director, ACLU of Wisconsin