Dear friends,
As each of us grapples with the outcome of the election in our own way, I hope that you are taking the time today to reflect and to take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your neighbors, and embrace the grief, the anger and the fear. I also trust that you, like me, are thinking about the way forward.
We will all need some time to adjust and determine how to respond to a new normal–or at least a ratified new normal that is backed by enormous political power. But once we do, we will stay where we are and do what we have always done. We will get up, and brush ourselves off, and return to the fight.
We prepare ourselves for a regime that may be even more hostile to our vision of justice. We know that the communities and individuals we support also struggle against hostile regimes, and we have seen their unwavering commitment to their fight. As a member of the ERI family, you support communities that are constantly under threat of losing their lands, livelihoods, and even lives. The lawyers and community organizations you support frequently live under the shadow of oppressive governments, prepared to be targeted for the work they do – that’s the rule, rather than the exception. They are used to these setbacks on the long road to justice; we can learn from their resilience.
Some days the fight is easier, some days it is harder. These have been hard days. But the fight continues.
In solidarity,
Katie Redford
Co-Founder and Director
