It is our duty. Recent months have brought us wave after wave of crisis: climate disasters, the deployment of the National Guard in multiple cities, ICE raids that escalate police violence and deport our community members, and state-sanctioned attacks on reproductive justice and Trans liberation. The most recent executive orders, including the terrorist designation of organizations fighting for human rights, make clear how far the state and the far right are willing to go. At the same time, we lift up the life and legacy of Assata Shakur, whose strength in the face of relentless state repression has been a beacon for generations. Assata was not only a symbol of resistance, but also a mother, an artist, and a whole human being who reminds us that liberation is about the fullness of our lives. We are Assata.
For left movement organizers already under attack, it can feel like a constant barrage meant to grind us down. These crises are not random or accidental. They are deliberate, part of an old far right playbook designed to leave us disoriented and afraid. But we know better.
To win. The long arc of Black, Indigenous, immigrant, Queer, and Trans resistance movements were born in storm seasons. We are descendants of organizers and communities who faced fascist repression, militarization, political violence, and criminalization before and who left us maps for survival and strategies for collective care. They taught us that the intensity and brazenness of this moment demand our sharpest strategy and deepest solidarity.
At Vision Change Win, we hold tight to the truth that community safety and liberation are not abstract ideals, but daily practices. They live in how we show up for each other, in the infrastructure we build together, and in the courage we cultivate against despair. That means creating grounded risk assessments and building collective safety plans that can hold us through the storms ahead. We must love each other and support each other.
Now is not the time to organize from reactionary fear. This moment calls for courage, clarity, and imagination, and for commitments deeper than fear. We must strengthen our infrastructure of protection and look out for each other. And while none of us can carry this moment alone, together we are more than capable of weathering and reshaping it. VCW is proud to rise up in solidarity with organizers on the front lines of immigrant rights, Trans liberation, Palestinian freedom, and Black liberation struggles, especially as they are so heavily targeted right now. Now is the time for bold, brave organizing. We have nothing to lose but our chains.
See below for resources, trainings, and updates that we hope will strengthen your safety, nourish your leadership, and remind you that you are not alone.
In solidarity and care,
Sala Cyril, Interim Executive Director