This week, we’ve had to face the cold reality that Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. The ACLU is famously nonpartisan. But that principled stance doesn’t make us blind or naive about what challenges officeholders present.
The fact is this: The ACLU of Pennsylvania is prepared for a second Trump administration, which is a clear and present danger to civil liberties, to communities we serve, and to democracy itself. At the ACLU of Pennsylvania, we will be ready for taking whatever action is necessary to grind the gears of Trump’s authoritarian regime at the state, county, and municipal level.
And we have the record to prove it. We did it during the first Trump administration. A week after his inauguration, ACLU-PA was at the Philadelphia International Airport, greeting and intervening on behalf of people entering the country from Muslim-majority countries that Trump had banned from entry. We challenged abusive ICE practices. And in the 2020 election, we led on challenging Trump’s attempt to disenfranchise voters and overturn the will of Pennsylvania’s voters.
My thoughts right now are with the people who are going to be hurt by this campaign cycle’s rhetoric and by this administration. Throughout the campaign, Trump and other Republicans clearly made immigrants, transgender people, and people of color a target of their dehumanizing rhetoric. Meanwhile, on immigration, Democrats pivoted harder to the criminalization of immigration and were almost (with a few notable exceptions) totally silent on the rights, dignity, and freedom of trans folks.
If you’re inspired to join us in this struggle, you can start by donating to the ACLU of Pennsylvania (a donation that is shared with national ACLU), joining our email list (by clicking the “subscribe” button at this link), and learning more about becoming a volunteer.
I also want to say something about all of the work that just happened here at the ACLU of Pennsylvania. I am so proud of the dedication, energy, and collaboration of the ACLU-PA staff, coalition partners, and volunteers in the lead up to the election. We treated each other with respect and dignity to collectively protect people's rights. We faithfully carried out an integrated advocacy campaign to let people vote with contributions from everyone in the office. It was literally years in the making!
We all contribute in different ways with different perspectives and skill sets. We all contribute with trust and respect for each other. If we measure our success by improving pro-voter case law, our national gold standard command centers where we monitor voter problems through the Election Protection hotline, our dedication to our strategic plan, and, most importantly, our dedication and commitment to each other, we won.
Although candidates who do not support ACLU values won elections this week, we are ready and prepared to defend our civil liberties in Pennsylvania and across the country.
In 1967 while dealing with his disappointment with the legal and political landscape, Dr. King penned "Where do we go from here: community or chaos?" He stated, "thus, America, with segregationist obstruction and majority indifference, silently nibbled away at a promise of true equality that had come before its time." Over the last decade, that silent nibble has sounded and felt like a jackhammer breaking our nation’s promise. Dr. King framed this dilemma of shaken trust in institutions and the necessity of faith in democracy as choosing community or chaos.
I choose community. The ACLU community. Since I joined as executive director, all I see are thoughtful people who care deeply about helping our country reach its potential. The love we have for each other's authentic selves allows us to share our gifts with the world. The love we have for our work enables us to overcome the challenging times ahead.
I believe that love will conquer hateful rhetoric and policies that have prevented far too many people from experiencing life as a free and equal member of our society.
I want to acknowledge how painful it is to witness division and hate rewarded. All feelings are legit right now. We process our feelings and emotions in our own ways.
Since day one at the ACLU-PA, I have been so humbled and impressed by the thoughtfulness, passion, and care for the work done on its behalf. Every board member, staff, card-carrying member, and volunteer that I have met has expressed a sense of pride and responsibility in a shared trust that the ACLU is there when you need us the most.
The ACLU-PA is able to be there when we are needed because of your support. I continue to be humbled to serve in leadership to confront the challenges of today while preserving the future of our ACLU-PA community over chaos.
