The opportunity we created to begin again
The Trump administration is over. The man who cared only about himself, who mocked disabled people–like me–is out of power. The white nationalists he installed–the people responsible for weaponizing our immigration system to rip babies from their parents and deport essential workers who keep this country fed–no longer control our “homeland security.”
Voters did this. Organizers did this. Black women and Latinas were the backbone of both voting and organizing. Women like Nse Ufot in Georgia and Alex Gomez in Arizona and our own Grecia Lima, leading a brave and bold program of voter engagement.
It was not a peaceful transition of power. On January 6, we saw the 21st century version of “Southern Redemption” in real time. The joy and possibility that came with Georgia Senators-elect Warnock and Ossoff met the rage and violence of white supremacy unleashed upon the U.S. Capitol.
Yet our board member Crystal Hayling reminds us: “There’s another transfer of power that has begun — from the elites to the communities, and this deeper power shift must be fully realized to achieve a just transformation of our society.”
That transfer of power is far from over–and it’s far from inevitable. Power begets power. Over the next two years, we must show our communities that their civic participation does yield material benefits. And we must show our elected officials that they cannot disregard our demands or take our turnout for granted.
I am deeply hopeful about the opportunities before us in 2021. And it’s clear to me that Community Change has an essential role to play in winning for our communities.
That work has already begun. Last week, I joined the now President Biden, Vice President Harris, and members of their cabinet to-be to discuss a Latinx political agenda, including COVID-19 relief and immigration. We have both a moral and a political mandate to deliver on immigration early. The new administration’s announcements on immigration yesterday– executive actions to reverse some of Trump’s worst policies as well as bold legislation that creates a path to citizenship for 11 million–are important opening acts.
President Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan is also a welcome start to the just recovery that our families demand. From direct cash payments to eviction moratoriums to support for child care, this bill reflects the priorities–and power–of the Black, brown, and immigrant communities that put the Biden-Harris Administration in office.
Still, we need far more action to deliver not only relief but also transformation.
That will take more power, more organizing, and more accountability to the people directly impacted by the policies perpetuating injustice.
On January 6, we saw the naked face of white supremacy in the well of the Senate. That assault revealed the fragility of our institutions and their vulnerability when the entitlement of whiteness, masculinity, and ableism is threatened.
As we seek to repair the harm wrought by the 45th president–and the 400 years of white supremacy he embodies–I’m re-reading Eddie S. Glaude Jr.’s brilliant interpretation of James Baldwin, who challenges us: “Responsibility cannot be lost, it can only be abdicated. If one refuses abdication, one begins again.”
We are–each of us–responsible for what comes next. Thank you for standing with Community Change as our country begins again.
Lorella Praeli
President of Community Change Action
