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John:
Last week, we excitedly announced We Will Not Be Muted, re:power’s public engagement campaign designed to mobilize the largest group of BIPOC leaders ever. We reached out to you - our friends, activists, and donors - and couldn’t wait to get your feedback and to partner and collaborate with you on this important initiative.
Imagine our surprise and, frankly, hurt, when the vitriol started rolling in:
“Black lives don’t matter because black lives don’t work.”
“I am very unhappy with how you and your group hijacked the Wellstone Foundation for your own narrow-scope purposes.”
And these are the nice comments!
We expect - and even welcome - criticism and tension in our work. But we didn’t think our ‘friends’, people who at one point in time supported our work, would be so blatantly hostile. We are left to wonder why once allies and champions now view us as too narrow in scope, irrelevant, or worse. Is it because we’re now Black-led, because we’re centering the leadership and perspectives of BIPOC leaders, or both? Your guess is as good as ours.
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Today is the 55th anniversary of the day the 1965 Voting Rights Act was signed into law. It is a perfect time for us to pause and reflect upon our work and why it matters so much in this moment, when racist rhetoric and blatant voter suppression tactics threaten our democracy.
re:power is offering a different narrative of who is a leader, who participates in politics, and what outcomes we are fighting for— and it’s all happening against the backdrop of our current social and political climate. Our communities — people of color, LGBTQ folks, women, the working class, immigrants and others — are the most at risk of being ignored, abused, and discarded by the very systems and institutions designed to support and protect us.
It is only by centering the voices and needs of leaders in these communities that we can build a future that includes and benefits us all. Every day we ask ourselves, where is the space for our leadership, our vision for this country, and the needs of our people to be developed? If we can’t find that space, we create it. Carving out an arena for BIPOC leadership to thrive is exactly why we created the We Will Not Be Muted campaign and it is the driving force behind everything we do at re:power.
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If you’re aligned with and passionate about this work, there are three ways you can get involved:
We are proud of the work we do. We will not be bullied, or made to feel less than. If our goals and path forward don’t mesh with your ideals, you are welcome to unsubscribe from our email list.
Change makes some people uncomfortable...we get it. We encourage you all to lean into that discomfort and then join us for the work ahead. And, if you’re so inclined, consider making a donation to support We Will Not Be Muted campaign.
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