John,

In the midst of a global health crisis and public uprising for racial justice, we’re celebrating July 4th differently this year.

Instead of celebrating independence, we’re celebrating interdependence. We’re celebrating the movement of people – Women’s Marchers and beyond – who are working together in the most patriotic act of all: fighting to make this country finally live up to our stated value that all people are created equal.

That equality means that we need to protect each other and protect Black lives. We need to defund the police and invest in our communities instead.

So, this July 4th weekend, we’re asking all of you to amplify our call to #DefundPolice.

Will you take two minutes to fill out this short #DefundPolice postcard and share it on your social media in honor of July 4th?

The history of July 4th cannot be ignored and can make this holiday a painful reminder of the continued legacy of racism and slavery. As abolitionist Fredrick Douglass said in 1852:

“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.”

As we reflect on America’s past and present, it’s important that we share a vision for American’s future where we don’t fund programs that kill Black people.

And we also must acknowledge that all progress toward “greatness” in America has come from movements of people who have taken to the streets because they knew that none of us are free until all of us are free. These movements – like the one we’re seeing on the streets today – have risen up in key moments to demand better and to defend our most vulnerable.

People power is how progress is made, it’s the fabric of our nation, and it’s what we choose to celebrate today. Together we must continue fighting as a movement for progress and justice.

As we’re seeing during this pandemic, our protection has always come from each other. From sewing masks, checking on our neighbors, caring for loved ones – Women’s Marchers are already demonstrating the power of interdependence. Caring for one another is core to so much of the best of our feminist traditions and it’s what will get us through these challenging times.

However you feel today, we hope you find some joy and hope knowing that you’re part of a mass movement fighting for change. That change starts with defunding the police, and you can take a small step by sharing your hopes for the future on a postcard.

In solidarity,

Women’s March Team