Dear CBE Family,
As we confront the results of this year’s Presidential Election, we encourage our community to come together to combat misinformation with facts, to fight fear with compassion, and most importantly, to care for those who need it most in this moment. Like many of you, we are struggling with the harsh reality of what a second, more vindictive and emboldened Trump administration will mean for our communities and communities around the world. Also, we are troubled by the results of many of California’s state and local ballot measures and candidate races. As we acknowledge the feelings we are grappling with, we understand environmental justice communities face various issues rooted in colonization, capitalism, white supremacy, and racism.
The results of this election are no exception. We have seen throughout the election cycle heightened xenophobia and racism against Black, brown, and immigrant communities, as well as a complete disregard to human life as witnessed by the ongoing U.S. funded genocide on the people of Palestine, Gaza, and the wider regional war on Lebanon. For generations, our ancestors survived the worst of white supremacy, and we are still here.
We are resilient when we come together and trust in the fabric of our multigenerational, multilingual and multicultural movement that is building the visionary world we deserve, rooted in frontline communities.
From the Bay to LA, CBE & CBE Action brought new people into the movement and did important narrative work to disrupt the messaging that people are receiving on the “crime wave” and anti-tax messaging. Across the state, our 18 voter outreach organizers were able to speak to over 7,600 voters and we filled over 160 volunteer shifts; majority of them being students who were participating for their first time in Get Out The Vote efforts.
This election is a reminder that voting is just one tool in our toolbox. Engaging in electoral politics can bring about change but it is not the only way to advance justice. The outcomes of this election were not what we hoped for, but it is one that our movements are prepared for. Community led solutions and deep organizing will always be the just path toward achieving environmental, economic, racial, housing, and gender justice in communities where we organize—Richmond, East Oakland, Wilmington, and Southeast Los Angeles—so that they may rise above the impacts from this election.
Because of our progress and our built collective organizing power, Trump and his supporters are more determined than ever to turn us against one another and even threatening to punish California by taking away our freedoms.
Corporate billionaires, bigots and authoritarian bullies poured hundreds of millions into this election, attacking California’s progress and blocking solutions to our most pressing challenges. They used fear and racism to defeat our stance on various ballot measures – Yes on Prop 5, Yes on Prop 32, Yes on Prop 33, No on Prop 34, and No on Prop 36 — that would have improved the lives of all Californians.
Alongside the Million Voters Project, We Are California, and Power CA Action, we organized against Prop 36 to send a strong message on the impact that would be felt in Black, Brown, Indigenous and communities of color across the state should voters choose mass incarceration over funding for rehabilitation and intervention programs. Even though we were organized and educating voters, we see what happens when fear and billions of corporate dollars are used to influence democracy. And now they are already painting a narrative that blames our values of inclusion and caring for one another as the problem — not their greed or hunger for power.
This moment is a crossroad for how we show up for one another.
We have a choice. We can retreat into our silos or turn toward one another. We choose to rise together as a movement to address this crisis by leaning into the organized people-power we have built to guide us into action.
WE ARE CALIFORNIA is a new effort to unite our communities and movements from San Diego to the far North regions of our state and from our coasts to our inland regions. We call on our movements to remember who we are as Californians and to lean into our greatest strength: one another.
This is the moment to unite our power to build on our past victories, defend our communities and organize TOGETHER to advance our vision of a California where everyone without exception can thrive.
- On Saturday, November 16th, we’re gathering in communities across the state to organize our neighborhoods block-by-block and lead the charge toward real change. Visit www.WeAreCalifornia.org to sign up for updates and stay connected.
- On Saturday, November 23rd, gather with community for a virtual statewide membership meeting to unite in our commitment to advancing environmental justice. Sign up at bit.ly/swcbea
Most importantly, know that your vote matters, we thank you for voting! If you would like to make sure your vote was counted, track your ballot by following this link: https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/
Join us in sending a clear message: We Are California, and we are not backing down. In fact, “The people gonna rise like the water, we’re gonna shut this crisis down!”
We stand in unwavering solidarity with all of you,
Communities for a Better Environment