I know that tomorrow, we will be facing a profoundly impactful moment together. I know that we are all holding so many complex emotions, hopes, and concerns, and I wanted to offer something to our Pride Foundation community.
What I want to be able to offer is hope – the kind of hope that goes beyond election outcomes and reminds us why we are in this work and this world together.
These past months and years have certainly tested my faith in hope for our collective future, which is difficult for this stubbornly hopeful, make-it-happen, natural optimist to admit.
But a few weeks ago, while immersed in the breathtaking wilderness of a remote part of Oregon, I read a book (recommended to me by our team member, Omni) called Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom that offered me the deep emotional grounding in my purpose and my community that is my foundation for hope.
In this beautiful, poetic set of love letters to sometimes unexpected recipients, Thom, a trans woman of color, charts her course from despair, back to faith in the power of transformational love, describing her offering of this book as “My act of prayer in a collapsing world…My bridge back to hope.” Since then, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what a bridge to hope might look like for our community in moments like this.
One bridge back to hope is the strength that comes from the real and deep connections we have with one another—and the incredible power we build through our connection and organizing as a community. The faith that no matter what happens, we will continue to find one another, show up for our community, and build whatever is needed together.
I’ve seen through my time at Pride Foundation how these kinds of bridges are sustained through the powerful community leaders, organizations, and movements who are shining examples of the significant and transformative power of what’s possible with hope and a clear vision for our future fueling all we do together.
These past few weeks and months, our team at Pride Foundation has been planning for the realities that might unfold following this election, and are prepared to respond with the support and resources our communities will need, whatever may come.
But we have also been continuing the work we do every day with our partners to help build the bridges we know our communities need:
- We spent the past six months hosting Tend events across all five states in our region, bringing our community together to revel in joy by showcasing local artists and performers, while reminding us that our strength is in our solidarity.
- Our scholarship application is now open and ready to continue to support LGBTQ+ leaders, no matter what may come, with both financial support, but also new offerings of wraparound support.
- Our community grants program has received applications from across the region and we are preparing to send out two- and three-year grants in the coming month to provide deep and sustaining support to the critical LGBTQ+ led and serving organizations across the Northwest.
- Our community advocacy, research, and education team is preparing webinars to share skills and knowledge across our community and to support the efforts of community organizers in the coming legislative sessions.
We know that our work toward our collective liberation does not solely hinge on what happens tomorrow—that work is not just about one election, or even a series of elections. It’s about all the years of work, organizing, and intersectional movement building that have led up to this moment, and all that will continue in the years to come, because ultimately, election wins are not the only outcome we are seeking on our path to liberation.
All these decades of building, commitment, and perseverance by so many people and groups offer us bridges not only to hope, but to the liberated futures we have been fighting for.
While there is much to do right now and in the future, I also want to offer a gentle reminder to make sure you are both taking care of yourself, and offering care to your community, to the extent that you are able. Care looks different for all of us, but we know that it is essential in sustaining us not just through tomorrow, but into the future. It is often the first thing we sacrifice in service of ‘the work’ – but it is foundational to all we do.
No matter what comes at us, I have profound faith that we will always draw strength from our community and knowing that we are in this with each other – tomorrow, and the next day, and the days after that.
With pride and solidarity,
Katie