John,

As a country and as a community, we have faced such tragedy these past few years; it has oftentimes felt like we haven't had time to get back up before being, once again, knocked down. Losing loved ones to Covid-19, the death of George Floyd two years ago today, the January 6 attack on our Capitol, the pending Supreme Court decision that will likely overturn our right to control our bodies and have privacy from the government, and now tragic killings in a New York grocery store and a school in Texas…It can feel overwhelming.

In my own household, we lost my grandmother and other loved ones to the pandemic. We've juggled childcare and work-from-home obligations with a son who has never had a group playdate or met most of our friends. At times it feels like the only thing we can do is grieve. That would be a normal, human response and no one could be faulted for feeling that way. It might also ease the pain if we allowed ourselves to become desensitized and tune out the world around us and simply focus on ourselves and our own personal day-to-day. As tempting and understandable as that might be, now is the time to come together, to organize, and to fight back.
 
There is a rise of white supremacy in our country and around the world that was emboldened by the presidency of The Former Guy. I felt it when my wife and I took our son to the zoo on Friday evening and a man walked out of the penguin house wearing a "Let's Go Brandon" t-shirt. We feel it in the unhealthy obsession with violent weapons, like the spare tire cover I saw this past Saturday that sported an “American” flag with assault rifles as the stripes and armor piercing bullets as the stars, outside of a Walmart in Washington, MO.
 
But, Democracy dies in silence. Future generations depend on us doing everything we can to take control of our fragile society and ensure that the pendulum of justice does not just swing back towards equality and peace, but that we break it off at the fulcrum so we never get this close to losing our freedom again.
 
We deserve better. In fact, the majority of America is on our side. Extremists hide behind arcane government protocols that hold us hostage to minority rule. Corrupt politicians divide us with hateful rhetoric and lies. That's what we're fighting against. It is a challenging fight, to say the least, but those who came before us fought hard battles, too, and their efforts must not have been in vain. To preserve their legacy, which has brought us so far, and for the future of our children—who deserve so much—we must come together, organize, and mobilize to vote extremists out of office and take our country back.
 
It's okay to be sad right now—I am. It's normal to be scared right now—we all are. But the one thing we cannot do is sit back and let extremists take this country from us, when it is rightfully ours. Please, find a way to get involved. Register young voters, write letters to the editor of your local paper, volunteer to text or phone bank, or drop off literature. Everyone has a valuable skillset. No Democratic candidate can win if we don't work together to empower a new generation of voters and activate those who are disengaged. But together, we will win.
 
Sign up to be a volunteer or, if you have an extra few dollars, make sure you give them to every candidate that you support, up and down the ballot. Because those of us doing the work need reinforcements...and YOU are those reinforcements. We can win this election. When we do, we will have the power to abolish the filibuster and finally create change to heal our country. It's a privilege to be working alongside you, and I appreciate any support you can provide as we unite for a better future.  
 
In Solidarity,

Spencer