“Hard work is good work. Hard work can be joyful work. And the fight for our country is always worth it.” 
Vice President Kamala Harris, November 6, 2024 

My dear family: Let me start by thanking each and every one of you who went out into your communities and the communities of others to get out the vote! It was hard work, but we did what we had to do and we did it well. 

That feeling of confidence and hope that I had on the morning of November 5 vanished when I woke up on Wednesday morning, November 6. I was heartbroken and angry when I read the election results that were pouring into my cell phone and learned that a man with 34 felony counts against him won the presidency of the United States of America. For those of us who dreamed of the first woman president, who care deeply for our democracy, who spent hours knocking on doors, phone banking, texting and writing postcards, it was devastating. 

It took me 48 hours to put my hand to writing this statement, but this I know, with all my heart, we are not going back! 

The promises of Project 2025 are about to become real. Their plan to use mass deportations to uproot our Immigrant communities is on the top of their agenda. They do not care about the effects of climate change and will do nothing to stop it. The wars in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine will rage on without the support of peace negotiations led by the U.S. government. They want to abolish the Department of Education and put an end to an independent labor movement. 

Despite their plans, my sisters and brothers, I know that all is not lost! Yeah, it’s going to be rough, but I was reminded that the Republicans held the presidency, the House and the Senate in 2017 and 2018, yet the Senate was still able to protect the Affordable Care Act, protect our undocumented neighbors, and the Democrats eventually took back the House. So I wiped away my tears, said my prayers and put on my “When Women Vote, Leaders Listen” t-shirt to write this letter. I’ve seen the voting reports and I’m not interested in pointing the finger of blame at our fellow citizens for the roots of racism and misogyny — the hatred, contempt, or prejudice against women or girls — that run deep in our country. Let’s be clear, we must never give up the battle to expose and destroy these roots of hatred, but we must do it with love and compassion in an ongoing effort to live out the preamble of our Constitution: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union . . .” SNAP! 

Sisters/siblings not afraid of power, please take time to rest and recuperate. We need each other to be well, to be woke and to be ready to do the work, with our allies, to save democracy because: “In our hands is placed a power greater than their hoarded gold. Greater than the might of armies magnified a thousandfold. We will bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old because the union makes us strong” and yes, we are still “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” It’s worth it, we’re worth it, you’re worth it.