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This past week, as our nation celebrated its 249th birthday, many of us reflected on this truth: July 4th has never meant freedom for all of us. The holiday reminds us not only of America's aspirations toward freedom but also of the unfinished work required to make freedom–and belonging–real for everyone.
Independence Day represents a complex legacy—a declaration of liberty that granted freedom from monarchy and tyranny for white colonists while excluding enslaved Black people, Indigenous communities, and other vulnerable groups from the full promises of democracy for centuries to come.
Yet here we are—still fighting, still organizing, still believing in the possibility of a democracy that includes all of us.
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Today, as we witness systemic inequities–concentration of power and resources in the hands of the wealthy few, detention of people without due process, attack on birthright citizenship, dismantling of government agencies that serve our communities, and criminalization of lawmakers and judges for doing their jobs–we must ask:
Will we allow our country to slide backward toward authoritarianism, or will we stand together to defend and strengthen our multiracial democracy?
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SOURCE: Getty Images/Mario Tama
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The choice isn't between left and right—it's between democracy and authoritarianism, between shared prosperity and concentrated power, between a just, thriving future and a return to the past.
As Race Forward's President Glenn Harris recently stated: "We must not only resist the rollback of these freedoms [our ancestors successfully won], but we must continue to stand strong in solidarity to build a country that honors the dignity of all humanity."
The historic "No Kings" protests of June 14–with over 5 million participants across 2,000+ locations–represented a powerful statement against authoritarianism and a clear demand for democratic governance.
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The "Free America" gatherings that happened this weekend, the planned "Good Trouble Lives On" actions on July 17, the ongoing economic resistance, the resource-sharing, and the organizing happening within virtual and community spaces are not isolated events—they're part of the same fight for the democracy we deserve.
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SOURCE: Getty Images/Sergio Flores
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As our friend Deepa Iyer noted, social change happens when people find their roles in the ecosystem: as storytellers, guides, weavers, disrupters, healers, and more. To that end, we invite you to join us in the Learning Lab on July 9, meet us in November for Just Narratives for Multiracial Solidarity, support local/national organizing efforts, and continue to stay in the fight with us for a just, multiracial democracy.
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In the spirit of Juneteenth
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Juneteenth Reminds Us That the Fight for Freedom Is Far From Over
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Juneteenth isn’t just a day to celebrate. For Eric Ward, it’s a marker—a moment to remember what came right after emancipation. Because every time Black people in this country have pushed forward toward freedom and justice, something has stepped up to push back. That pushback is the unfinished business of American democracy, and it’s playing out right now.
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SOURCE: Getty Images/Go Nakamura
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Our executive vice president reminds us to celebrate our progress while remaining committed to defending democracy. Read his reflections in TIME.
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They Tried to Erase Us, We Told the Story Anyway
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Most people think of oral tradition simply as storytelling, but long before it became a federal holiday, oral history transformed Juneteenth into a movement-building strategy with insights for today. For over 150 years, Juneteenth was kept alive by Black families and communities—even as textbooks and federal calendars ignored it. Juneteenth became a cultural and political force not because the government officially recognized it, but because we told our story.
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SOURCE: Wikimedia Commons
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Race Forward’s president Glenn Harris offers these thoughts and more on Word in Black.
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Housing Justice Requires Comprehensive Planning
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Comprehensive plans are needed to guide growth in our communities that closes long-standing racial disparities in our housing and land use systems. By applying a racial equity lens, comprehensive planning can deliver solutions for improving quality of life outcomes for people of color.
Race Forward's latest policy brief offers case studies from local governments working collaboratively with communities to reimagine a just and equitable housing system that works for ALL of us.
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Narrative Strategies to Address Individualism for Health and Racial Justice
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Structural racism survives by telling us we’re not connected.
That’s the thread running through Different & The Same—a new essay series unpacking how American narratives of individualism can fuel inequality. Race Forward is partnering with five organizations to gather insights and develop strategies aimed at shifting mindsets on health equity and structural racism.
Read perspectives from Berkeley Media Studies Group, FrameWorks Institute, Harmony Labs, Narrative Initiative, and the Radical Communicators Network.
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TOMORROW: Scaling Up Racial Equity in a Time of Backlash
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Racial equity work is under attack, but this is no time to retreat. Join Race Forward for a special 4-hour Learning Lab designed to help organizational leaders and practitioners respond to backlash with clarity, courage, and strategy. Learn how to build resilience, counter disinformation, and advance measurable equity outcomes. Led by national leaders Glenn Harris and Julie Nelson, this interactive session provides the tools and resolve to not only withstand attacks but also to grow stronger in the face of them.
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#RaceAnd: Lessons Learned from Federal Public Administration — Thursday, July 31
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In today’s climate, advancing racial equity inside government may feel like a distant goal—but that wasn’t always the case. In the years following the 2020 uprisings, dozens of federal agencies launched bold initiatives to confront systemic racism and repair harm.
Join us for #RaceAnd: Lessons Learned from Federal Public Administration, a live, virtual conversation with former federal equity leaders who helped design and defend these efforts.
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This webinar will surface key insights from that period of possibility—how change was made, what was learned, and how those lessons are being applied now in local, state, and movement contexts.
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Decision-Making for Racial Equity — Tuesday, July 22
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Decision-Making for Racial Equity–part of our Racial Equity Learning Series–is our training that provides a framework for disrupting dominant forms of decision-making that can perpetuate racial bias. Using Race Forward’s Racial Equity Decision-Making Tool (DRE Tool), participants will learn how to build an organization-wide racial equity decision-making practice and culture that centers Black, Latinx, Asian American, Indigenous, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander staff and communities.
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NOTE: Completion of our Building Racial Equity training is required before registering for this course.
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Weavers Lab for Solidarity Narratives — Apply by Friday, August 8
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Race Forward is excited to announce the Weavers Lab for Solidarity Narratives, a year-long cohort experience designed to strengthen how we build narrative power to advance solidarity and racial justice. The learning lab will involve an iterative process for organizations to design and implement narrative strategies that build clarity, cohesion, and solidarity necessary for transformative change.
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For one year, we will engage a multiracial and multi-issue cohort of 8-12 organizations, each bringing at least two representatives, that are working to advance racial justice and solidarity through a narrative strategy. Cohort participants will receive training, coaching, and relationship-building opportunities with peers and experts in the narrative, racial justice, and solidarity space. Cohort members will also attend Race Forward’s signature conferences: Just Narratives for Multiracial Solidarity 2025 (November 12-15) and Facing Race 2026 (mid-November). The cohort will officially start in October 2025 and end November 2026.
Join us for an informational session Thursday, July 17. Learn more and apply by Friday, August 8!
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Just Narratives for Multiracial Solidarity
Join our first ever multi-day convening for narrative strategists, communicators, creatives, storytellers, racial justice advocates, and movement builders. Just Narratives for Multiracial Solidarity – the anchor event for Cultural Week of Action 2025 – represents Race Forward’s commitment to building both the narrative and cultural power needed to advance a just, multiracial democracy.
At Just Narratives, we'll:
• Align our narrative and cultural strategies to shift hearts, minds, and policies towards a more just and thriving future
• Strengthen cross-racial, cross-movement solidarity to withstand our opposition’s efforts to divide us
• Identify and advance impact storytelling for collaborative governance that our communities and movements need and deserve
• Share lessons learned using art, culture, and media to amplify narratives for racial justice
• Ignite the mass courage needed to make our racially just future undeniable
Limited tickets are available. Get yours today and join us in St. Louis November 13-15!
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Racial justice isn't history. Racial justice is happening every day.
Shop online at our new store and choose from an array of products like shirts, water canteens, hats, and sweaters. No matter the weather, we make history together!
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Subscribe to The Fire We Face Newsletter
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The Fire We Face is a newsletter for those committed to protecting democracy, racial equity, and public service in the face of systemic threats. As we monitor the Trump Administration’s embrace of Project 2025 and other anti-democratic, racist initiatives, The Fire We Face will document actions targeting federal agencies and civil servants striving to serve the public equitably. Through in-depth analysis, reflections, and tangible examples, this newsletter aims to empower readers with the knowledge to understand and navigate these challenges.
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Follow us on Bluesky!
Given the current political climate and our declining engagement on Twitter, we have made the decision to remain inactive on Twitter until further notice.
To keep the conversation going, we encourage you to join us on Bluesky. Be a part of an ever-growing network of racial justice advocates as we continue to share engaging content that moves the needle to a just, multiracial democracy.
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John, true democracy demands that we all participate — whether as advocates supporting those on the frontlines, weavers building connections across movements, or disrupters challenging unjust systems.
As we move beyond Independence Day, let's recommit ourselves to the ongoing struggle for a country where freedom and belonging are realities for everyone — not just promises on paper.
In solidarity,
Race Forward
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Services for Organizations
Race Forward is committed to transformational, sustainable change for racial justice. We provide services to help organizations develop and advance racially equitable policies and practices.
Our services are developed and delivered by a multiracial and multigenerational team of experts with extensive knowledge and experience in various areas, including policy and program development, leadership development and strategic coaching, community organizing, and racial equity.
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