Until justice is real

John,

I remember the night Donald Trump was elected President: It felt like a nightmare, and it was. We survived four years of nonstop attacks on our democracy and our humanity -- from the rise of violent white nationalism, increased harms to Black communities on- and offline, and threats of nuclear war, to an outright failure handling COVID-19, and the relief that American people desperately need. And we must acknowledge that too many of our loved ones did not survive. There was never a time that we weren’t fighting some action from the Trump administration and his enablers. But finally, after being impeached twice and a treasonous insurrection on the US Capitol contesting the final votes of the election, Donald Trump’s era of incompetence has finally come to an end. This is worthy of celebration! 

I am so proud of our millions of Color Of Change members like you, who mobilized thousands of Black voters, made phone calls, signed and created petitions, and donated to sustain the work we did to ensure this victory. As a movement, I feel like we can finally catch our breath. But the work continues. As we usher in a new president and our nation’s first Black, South Asian, and female vice president, we must ensure the Biden-Harris administration prioritizes the issues affecting the very people who put them in office.

Will you support our continued work fighting for justice for our people by becoming a recurring donor? 

When we said our fight for Black people would extend past the election cycle, we meant it! Last year we hired new policy staffers who will help translate the work of our campaigns team into change in Congress. We will continue the work to hold the powerful accountable while building important capacity to deal in the details of legislation impacting our community that the election made possible. This team has been working hard, sending proposals to the new administration, forging relationships with new cabinet members, and continuing to hold the feet of our elected officials to the fire. Right now, our people are in dire need of economic relief, major reforms in the tech industry and in the media, and drastic changes in the criminal justice system and voting and election reform. The policies Biden enacts in his first 100 days will be indicative of what he will prioritize in his administration. 

This summer, racial justice became a majoritarian issue with more and more Americans speaking out and standing up for change. The work now begins to translate this racial justice majority into a governing majority to ensure that our issues just don’t show up in speeches but in budgets and changed policies and practices. When many thought the best we could do in terms of activism was clapping outside of our windows for essential workers, it was racial justice that powered people to the polls, surged voter registration, mobilized employees at corporations to speak out, and push their companies to do more. Racial justice isn't just about fighting racism, which is necessary but is our most powerful force multiplier for change. It has the ability to help us build power across many issues.

Will you support our continued fight for the liberation of Black people by becoming a recurring donor?

In order to win the victories ahead, we will need the capacity and support to power those changes. From the power to win big change, to the power to take care of our people, to the power to remove the barriers that stand in the way of change. We are not here to dream about how a true democracy would produce racial justice. We are here to build a powerful Black-led multiracial movement for racial justice because that will produce a true democracy.

On Wednesday, in Joe Biden’s inauguration speech, he stated “a cry for racial justice...will no longer be deferred.” I believe we have the potential to win more over the next four years than we have in the last fifteen. I know this is a bold statement but it is a statement rooted in my belief in the power of our movement, the role of racial justice as the most powerful motivating force for change, and all the ways in which we are persuading and moving more people to fight for justice. We will not let up until our people are free. Support our continued fight for the liberation of Black people by becoming a recurring donor. 

We appreciate your support and are ready to work with you on the road ahead. 

Support our continued fight for the liberation of Black people by becoming a recurring donor.

Until Justice is real,

—Rashad and the rest of the Color Of Change team