Dear John,

For nearly 20 years, the Roosevelt Network has developed and supported undergraduate college students and early career professionals—in particular, those who hold identities that have historically been denied political power—to be the next generation of leaders in the progressive policy ecosystem. 

The Network sits as the entry point for Roosevelt’s people strategy. Ideas don’t gain power by themselves, and we need champions to take Rooseveltian ideas into the spheres where power is being contested and the discourse is being shaped. Our people are these champions.

This fall was a reminder of the power held by this country’s emerging generations: millennials and gen-z. Despite the frustrations and fear we hold for our democratic system, we had our second-highest midterm turnout in decades. This election saw the first member of gen-z elected to federal office and a clear pattern of voter behavior driven to defend progressive policy priorities.
  
From expansionary industrial policy to action on student debt cancellation, we are in a moment of opportunity that could solidify change at the scale last seen in the New Deal. We didn’t just happen to find ourselves here: bold ideas, fierce advocates, and a movement got us here, supported by champions inside of government working toward progressive governance. Roosevelt alumni are among them, serving in the Department of Labor, the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, to name a few. Organizations outside of government are critical too, and you can find Roosevelters serving as champions across the progressive movement ecosystem: places like CAP, the Economic Security Project, Data for Progress, Planned Parenthood, the ACLU—and we have at least 5 Roosevelt Network alumni working across Roosevelt itself. 
 
We have a lot to be proud of, and a lot more work ahead of us. Your support makes a difference as we continue to support building a true, multiracial democracy that serves all its people. I hope that you will join us and make a contribution to support the next generation of progressive leaders. 

Thank you for your support, in all of the ways that you give it.  

Onward,

Katie Kirchner
National Director, Roosevelt Network