“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Dear Friend:

Democracy is messy, complicated, and imperfect. This election has made that clear. Yet despite all of its complexity, democracy remains central to our vision of justice.

If, as Dr. King asserted, the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice, then it only happens because the voices of those who have suffered injustice are heard and heeded. 

This is the ray of hope that we see in this election cycle.

All across America – in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and here in Maine – Black, Brown, and Indigenous folks turned out and changed the trajectory of this election.

This is the power of community organizing: the work that our grantees have been doing, day-in and day-out, for years. Groups like Southern Maine Workers’ Center, Black P.O.W.E.R, Racial Equity and Justice, Maine-Wabanaki REACH, Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, Democracy Maine, Maine Youth Justice, Portland Outright, Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, Resources for Organizing and Social Change, and many more.

We are deeply grateful for the work of these organizations. But our gratitude is not enough.

We must continue to support and resource these communities, these organizations, and these leaders. Because we see in the results of this election that there are still mountains to climb and much work to do, as a nation and here in Maine. 

So, we take a deep breath today. We give thanks for the progress we have made and the people who have made it possible. And tomorrow, we keep pushing forward.

This is the path to our mutual liberation.

In strength and solidarity,

Phil