The Path Forward
As we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy today, we cannot ignore the inauguration of President Donald Trump. It is salt in the wound that his inauguration would fall on the day we honor our country's most revered—and willfully misunderstood—civil rights leader.
We who do this work hold two competing ideas in our minds: the hope that the arc of the moral universe really will, through our collective efforts, bend toward justice, and the reality that progress toward racial justice is always met with backlash. But no one election and no one elected official was ever going to mark the end of our struggle. And we were never going to be in a place where our collective effort would not be needed.
Dr. Bernice King, King’s youngest daughter, offers this perspective: “Dr. King is still speaking to us…We cannot retreat or recoil. We have to commit ourselves to continuing the mission of protecting freedom, justice and democracy in the spirit of my father.”
It won’t be easy—it never is, we know that better than anyone. Like you, I feel the dread. The pit in my stomach and the questions swirling in my head. What happens when ICE shows up at our schools? When civil rights laws are ignored or subverted? When public funds are diverted from the public good?
In this moment, we must dig deep to stay focused on what’s ahead and remember what we’re doing it for. In this moment, we are needed—and we need each other.
We must stay committed to our shared vision, even as hostility mounts and resources shrink. That means fighting fiercely to protect what we have and to make gains where possible while building toward the future that is beyond this political moment.
I am more clear-eyed than ever that the path forward begins and ends with multiracial solidarity, as difficult and messy as that path may be. At the same time, I understand the impulse to turn inward. Our Network holds space for both of these outlooks making it our obligation to have brave and uncomfortable conversations as we continue to build community and partner in this work.
A priority at EdLoC this year is convening the spaces for our members to have these conversations. As always, we will continue our work of bridging across race, community, perspective, sector, and other lines. I look forward to leaning in and showing up with all of you.
Simultaneously, EdLoC will remain focused on our advocacy at all levels for the policies that enable our young people and communities to earn more, build wealth, and be cared for, with increased attention on state and local efforts—especially the work EdLoC members are leading. Next month, you can expect the release of our updated Policy Agenda, created through collaboration with and feedback from our members to respond to anticipated hostility at the federal level.
Beyond policy and advocacy, EdLoC remains unmovable in our commitment to investing directly in leaders of color who are creating transformative and sustainable change through our annual Boulder Fund, applications for which close later this week. Our Network is full of the fresh ideas and relentless drive required to build toward the future we all envision, and we are so excited to see what this year’s cohort will bring to the table.
Ultimately, we must remember this: We will be tested and there will be setbacks. But there will still be victories big and small for our communities, many of which will be because of our hard work.
Do not retreat or recoil. It’s time to renew our commitment to each other—and to the young people whose futures we safeguard.
In Solidarity,
Sharhonda Bossier