Ayanna Pressley lays out her case for what Democrats need to do to fight back against the Trump administration below. If you support this vision, please make a contribution to strengthen and sustain our movement.

Democrats need to be out in their communities right now — showing up for their constituents and presenting our case for a better path forward.

Not only is that good for democracy — it’s necessary. I hosted a town hall in Roxbury this past weekend. It was a packed house.

I heard from seniors concerned about Social Security being ripped away.

I heard from a mother whose daughter is a USAID worker who’s stuck abroad and can't come home.

I heard from an Early Childhood and Special Educator worried about how we'll serve our most vulnerable students given Trump's attacks on the Department of Education.

I heard from members of the LGBTQ+ community scared for their trans friends and neighbors. And I want to share with you what I shared with my constituents last week:

Donald Trump has made it clear that he never intended to improve our quality of life. It was always about one thing: power. Gaining power, wielding power, abusing power, and attacking our hard-won personal and economic freedoms.

Hell, Donald Trump is attacking everything but the one thing he said he would, and that's the high cost of groceries.

As your Congresswoman, I promise to continue to fight like hell. My district and our country depend on it. I may not have all the answers, but I will wake up every day and fight for you.

Democrats need to exhaust every lever and tool that is available to us when we have it.

In order to move forward, I keep going back to the blueprint laid out for us in the Civil Rights Movement.

And in every successful movement, you need three things:

The first is imagination. We need a North Star. People have often asked me questions like, why are you still talking about reparations? Why are you still talking about universal childcare? Why are you still talking about paid leave? Why are you still talking about Medicare for All?

It’s because at the end of the day, Democrats’ argument cannot be just, “we ain't them.”

While we are doing the work of blunting the harms of this hostile administration, in the midst of this hostile government takeover, we still need to advance an affirmative vision for the more equitable and just world we all believe is possible.

The second thing you need is strategy. We have to be innovative and nimble. Look, the rhetoric of this administration is hitting different. The policies are hitting different. So we have to move differently. We have to be disruptive of the status quo way of things that we've always done.

And the third, essential ingredient to a successful movement is stamina. I know that is challenging when you are fearful, when you are worried, when you are overwhelmed. But we need to get to know our neighbors, have tough conversations, and get involved in this work for the long-run.

Some people are going to pick up a microphone, some people are going to pick up a lawmaking pen. Some people are going to lead the revolution. Some people are going to pack a lunch for the people leading the revolution.

All you have to do is bring your unique gift to this moment.

And if you’re in the place to make a contribution to strengthen and sustain this movement, it would be a huge help right now. Republicans have massive communication ecosystems funded by billionaires. Our grassroots campaign is powered by the people.

If you've stored your info with ActBlue Express, we'll process your contribution instantly:

We are not going to get out of this just with 436 people that have a comma and a title after their name—we need you too. Thank you for doing your part to link arms and fight for our democracy.

Onward,

Ayanna