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Friend—
It’s been a hard year. It’s been a hard three years. But in times
like these, we find out what we’re made of.
At the beginning of 2019, we knew that the threat of white
nationalism would only grow — and it did.
We knew that the Trump administration and its enablers in Congress
would continue to attack our communities — and they have.
But we also knew that support from people like you would make it
possible to fight back — and we have.
Bend the Arc has been at the forefront of the Jewish
resistance, uniting Jews across the country in solidarity against
Trumpism since 2015. You are what makes this movement strong.
Together, we’ve risen up against antisemitism, we’ve won progressive
victories, and we’ve shown our courage and resilience.
Donate
now to celebrate our wins in 2019 and show we’re ready for
2020.
A look back on what we did
together in 2019
This year, we saw a terrifying increase in antisemitic attacks and
rhetoric, mainstreamed by President Trump and his enablers in
Congress.
When Trump called American Jews disloyal in August, our leaders
sprang into action, launching a #DisloyalToTrump petition with
thousands of signatures, and lobbying their local members of Congress
to demand they condemn Trump’s antisemitism.
In October, we disrupted Trump’s speech in Pittsburgh, making it
clear that “Trump Endangers Jews.”
And we kept showing up for all communities under attack: we led
nationwide protests of ICE and CBP’s attacks on immigrants, rallied
with our Muslim family to protest every version of the Muslim Ban, and
coordinated solidarity actions in response to white nationalist
attacks in Christchurch, Poway, and El Paso.
In September, we organized a coalition including United We Dream
Action and DailyKos to deliver 32,000 signatures demanding the
Democratic presidential debates confront the growing threat of white
nationalism. In the following debates, candidates like Cory
Booker, Julián Castro, Kamala Harris, and Bernie Sanders directly
addressed white supremacist violence and their plans to keep our
communities safe and free.
In 2019, Bend the Arc’s field grew larger than ever before, with
new moral minyans from New Mexico to South Florida joining our field
of 18 cities across the country, and more than 1,300 people trained in
our campaigns and organizing.
And we had big victories, too. In New York, our leaders joined the
Green Light coalition and won driver’s licenses for all, regardless of
immigration status — meaning more than 750,000 undocumented New
Yorkers will be able to drive without fear.
And in California, Bend the Arc leaders were part of a statewide
effort to pass the California Act to Save Lives, which will explicitly
restrict police use of deadly force — a major victory for police
accountability and people whose loved ones have been stolen by police
violence.
In 2018, we played a key role in flipping the House. In 2019, we
brought your voice and your values to the new Congress.
In April, Rep. David Cicilline read our statement into the
record at a House Oversight Committee hearing on white
nationalism — and in May, Rep. Ayanna Pressley did the
same at a hearing on white supremacy.
Throughout the year, our leaders and staff worked hard to get their
members of Congress to hold ICE and CBP accountable and support
immigrant communities.
Here’s just one of dozens of examples. Our leaders on Long Island
worked hard to move their Representative, Tom Suozzi, to take a strong
position against funding for ICE and CBP. After meetings and calls and
town halls, Rep. Suozzi not only announced his support to #DefundHate
on the House floor — he credited Bend the Arc for
changing his mind.
With our partners at CREDO and Define American, we called out two
events for inviting former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to speak —
because someone who separated families and lied about it doesn’t
deserve a cushy embrace. Nielsen was forced to back
out of The Atlantic Festival, and prominent figures
dropped out of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, refusing
to share the stage with her.
And this fall, we joined dozens of Jewish groups, the progressive
movement, and hundreds of members of Congress in calling for Stephen
Miller’s removal from the White House for his white nationalist
rhetoric and policies.
This summer, we learned that the Trump administration was planning
to open a detention camp for migrant children at Fort Sill in Oklahoma
— a former internment site of indigenous peoples and Japanese
Americans.
In response, thousands of allies — indigenous, Japanese
American, immigrant, Black, and Jewish — came together for a massive,
powerful solidarity action at Fort Sill. Within the week,
Oklahoma officials announced that plans to use the facility were on
hold indefinitely.
We believe that we were made for this moment. And you prove that
every day. Your support, your activism, and your leadership in cities
across this country are the backbone of the Jewish resistance.
In 2019, we showed we were ready for anything. In 2020, we’re
committed to doing it again — but we need your help. The amount we
raise now will determine what we can achieve next year.
Make
a gift right now: every dollar you give before 2019 ends will help
grow the Jewish resistance.
Every dollar you give will directly support tens of thousands of
Jewish leaders, whether it’s fighting back against this
administration’s white nationalist agenda, winning local progressive
victories across the country, or beating back Trumpism at the ballot
box in 2020.
In solidarity and
strength,
The Bend the Arc team
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