Dear Colleagues,
The actions of the U.S. President in the past six weeks have disrupted, destroyed, and dislodged decades of global progress toward gender equity, launching cruel and careless attacks on immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and people of color.
These moves have emboldened authoritarian governments around the world. They are leveraging anti-gender ideology to frame gender equality as a threat to traditional values, using this narrative to gain support for initiatives limiting women’s participation in leadership and public life while silencing activists and organizations advocating for change.
However, in this dark hour, I am reminded of Mexican poet and author Rosario Castellanos, who wrote that to achieve lasting equality for women, activists had to work collectively with men, their families, and their work.
Her words remind me that while progress in today’s world feels ever more out of reach, the most powerful weapon against tyranny is our ability to transform our connections with each other. Oppression thrives in silence within our most cherished and tenured relationships.
That’s why we can, and will, win because no one can take away our power to care for our colleagues, our staff, the communities we serve, our family, and ourselves.
Thank you for all that you do. And if you haven’t already, now is a great time to join WFN’s global community and unite in defense of our human rights. Together, we can protect, resist, and win.
Onward.
Elizabeth Barajas-Román
Women’s Funding Network
President & CEO