Dear John,
As we look ahead to what promises to be a painful and chaotic time in our communities, I find myself grounding in a core truth about our TakeAction community: We hold the hard and the hopeful together.
You may have followed recent news about HR9495, the “non-profit killer bill,” that passed the House of Representatives. This bill and policies like it are undemocratic and designed to suppress organizing and civic engagement. At TakeAction we are preparing to keep on organizing no matter the headwinds we face. We need you in with us to do it.
If you’re ready to move into the new year with us holding the hard and hopeful together, please make a year-end contribution to TakeAction Minnesota TODAY.
I personally draw grounding from my own experience witnessing political suppression in Nicaragua over the last six years through the stories of family and friends who have lived through it. In case you missed it, the country exploded in political unrest in April of 2018, and since then the government has done a chillingly effective job at shutting down almost all political and community organizing. A key strategy? Closing more than 5,000 non-profit organizations.
They did this by leveraging “laws ostensibly meant to combat terrorism and money laundering instead used to arbitrarily cancel the legal status and seize the property of such groups.” Sound familiar?
With the House having recently passed a GOP-led bill allowing Donald Trump similar powers in the United States, nonprofits that build the infrastructure for community organizing face increasing threats to our existence..
That context makes your support even more important to keep as much power in organizing as possible. Undemocratic and corrupt elected officials who want to increase their control come for organizations like ours because we are places where people gather, where we get strength and conviction, and where we make plans to ensure our communities are safe and held.
At TakeAction, we’re clear-eyed about the undemocratic and unfounded attacks that may come. We have a plan to keep on organizing and to strengthen our organization, and we need you to help make it happen.
Become a sustaining member of TakeAction Minnesota TODAY, and be a part of keeping us going strong.
In solidarity,
Amanda Otero (she/her)
Co-Executive Director
