Dear Community:
As we reflect on the challenges that the next four years may bring, I want to acknowledge the fear and uncertainty many of us are feeling. We have witnessed the attacks and harmful policies implemented by the first Trump administration, and we believe President-elect Trump when he says he will be even more ruthless in his second term.
And while the future may feel heavy and uncertain, what gives me hope is our community.
Our resilience as people has always been our strength. We are built to endure and overcome. And while our work may be conducted under a more hostile federal government in the coming years, our mission as people and organizations remains unchanged: We must continue to organize, mobilize, and work to make Colorado more equitable and just for all members of our community.
In order to insulate our community from those looming hostilities, we need to continue to support the development of leaders within our community, encouraging them to run for local office to establish a pipeline for future leadership roles. We must hold all of our elected officials accountable for addressing the needs of our communities. And now, given the threat to civil rights everywhere, we must also demand legislation and executive actions from elected leaders in Colorado to safeguard our community from mass deportations and other predatory and discriminatory practices.
Let us commit to building bridges, not walls, and lead with love instead of hate. Although some may try to hold us back, remember the axiom: "They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds." Each attempt to stifle us only results in us sprouting anew.
Ultimately, we will prevail because justice is on our side. We will rise, and we will win, together.
In solidarity,
Alex Sánchez
President and CEO
Voces Unidas de las Montañas
Voces Unidas Action Fund