The Power Within Us
2019 Annual Report
© Alex Matthews
The first few months of 2020 have given us a different perspective on our accomplishments in 2019. Even without a global pandemic, we knew that this year would be pivotal for our movement and that what we did would lay the groundwork for a defining moment in the arc of social change. Looking back, the organizing and power-building that you helped to make possible last year is more important than we ever imagined. It is the foundation for everything we hope to win this year—a vision that will only be possible with you alongside us.
What remains true—and continues to ground our understanding of the past and the way we’re leaning into the future—is that we are the power within us.
We have the power within us
to survive
Even before COVID-19 upended our lives, Community Change and Community Change Action were fighting alongside our partners to ensure everyone has the basic necessities of survival, regardless of race, class, gender, or immigration status. In the past year, we have worked to protect our community’s health care, shelter, food, water, child care, income, and families.
We have the power within us
to build movements
Throughout 2019, Community Change and Community Change Action strengthened the social justice movement, building power from the ground up, experimenting with new methods of organizing, and strengthening alliances of community-based groups, including the Immigration Reform Movement and the Black Freedom Collective.
We have the power within
all of us
In 2019, we prepared movement leaders, particularly women of color, to lead boldly. We amplified our communications fellows to speak truth and change the narrative of their lived experience. And we demanded that our communities stand up to be counted in the national census.
We have the power within us
to win elections
We cannot conceive a path to our vision of justice without an electorate that looks more like the country. Community Change Action and our partners are building one of the largest voter engagement operations in the country to meet voters in our community where they are, motivate them, and turn them out to vote.
We have the power within us
to thrive
The Unity + Freedom Presidential Forum was one way we put bold ideas in action. Co-hosted by Community Change Action, FIRM Action, and CHIRLA Action, the forum engaged and challenged presidential candidates to take a stand with our families and our communities.
A note from our presidents
“This moment calls on us to protest, to organize, to vote. And then repeat, over and over again, until we win change. Our communities have the courage and love to tackle the systems of oppression. Together, we can harness the power of our shared pain, build collective power, and reconstruct a country where our freedom is real.”
Dorian T. Warren & Lorella Praeli
Presidents of Community Change and Community Change Action
