Dear John,
With the marked rise in hate crimes, racism, transphobia, homophobia, islamophobia, antisemitism, xenophobia, and assaults on women and our bodies, this moment weighs heavy. It feels like the gains that we and the generations before us have made in the fight for our humanity are in danger. Not just elsewhere, but here. The hope of belonging feels like it's slipping away, but we can turn things around.
Our fight for an inclusive democracy at Alliance San Diego has never been more important. It's the fight to extend the vision in the Declaration of Independence — that we are endowed with the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — to all of us. And it's the fight to fulfill the promise to achieve that in the Fourteenth Amendment — that no state shall deprive any person equal protection of the laws — so that all of us can live free.
The Fourteenth Amendment (14A) is at the crux of every fight for liberation in this country. It was motivated by the abolition fight and is at the center of the fight for women's rights, immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and civil rights. Now 14A is under attack by those who subscribe to the inverse of equality, choosing instead a different fourteen, the 14-word slogan of the Great Replacement Theory: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White children."
In Buffalo this past weekend, a shooter opened fire in the heart of a Black community. Carved into his rifle was the number 14. His number 14 is the shorthand for the despicable theory that originated in the 1900s in Europe, fueled hate filled groups here and abroad for decades, and took hold with a vengeance right here in California in the 1990s, before being popularized by Trump and other members of the GOP.
It is the wrong 14.
If California once gave rise to the resurgence of hate, exclusion, and discrimination, it can now lead the way to compassion, inclusion, and equality. We at Alliance San Diego have an important role to play. We can leverage this moment to fuel a movement that makes real the promise of the Fourteenth Amendment. We can do this. Together.
I invite you to view the powerful "Amend: The Fight for America." The series walks through the fight to extend 14A to all of us and provides a solid foundation for understanding how our fights are interconnected. The through-line is 14A.
