Today we celebrate the start of a new page in the leadership of our nation. We also celebrate the historic election of the first woman, first Jamaican American, and first Indian American as vice president, as well as the leadership of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color whose work in communities led to historic levels of voter turnout across the nation.
And while we saw some wins that restore our hope, our work is far from done. We continue to work in systems that reinforce patterns of racism and oppression, privilege those with power, and threaten the lives and opportunities of immigrants, Black and brown communities, women, LGBTQ+ people, people living in poverty, and others.
Even as the power of these systems is clear, we know change also happens outside of policies and politicians – through popular narratives, through the power of people in movements, through organizations like yours and ours. We see power and possibilities across the sector, from the coalitions that mobilized to make voting accessible to communities of color resulting in record turnout, to organizations shifting the narrative about what community safety looks like, to mutual aid networks organizing to share strengths and meet needs.
Rest now, celebrate the wins that move us closer toward our vision of a world where all people have what they need to fully live into their potential, and get ready for the work ahead.
About the graphic: This illustration, “Our Vote Our Voices,” was created by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya and made available on Amplifier Art. View the full image here.
