Parsing Fact from Noise (1/15/23)

The holidays are behind us, the intensity of the midterms has subsided, and after a short break and the page flip to a new calendar year we find ourselves renewed, focused, and engaged. We have matured in our activism and know we must pace ourselves. We have learned it is most productive to parse the facts from the noise. While we do this work 365 days a year and are aware of every special election and legislative battle, we maintain our own individual ebb and flow of ferocity and fervor in this fight. MFD’s special sauce is the community we have built and the understanding and reliance on each other. Our collective voice and action are what make us strong and effective.

January is the time of year when often we reflect on the previous year’s successes and chart a new path forward. If you have joined MFD recently or have been with us since the beginning, we all share in our achievements and collective effort. Community isn’t defined by the length of time as a member, but rather by a feeling of fellowship with others, who share common attitudes, interests, and goals. We have written over 400,000 postcards and hosted over 500 candidates, grassroots organizations, authors, and speakers. We have text and phone banked, marched, protested, called our representatives, and made our voices heard. We have learned the importance of state legislatures and their impact on people’s daily lives, and have committed deeply to that work. Over four giving circle cycles as a community we raised over $400,000 to support AZ, PA, and VA with donations from $5 to $5,000. We have shown that a group of people with shared values can come together to make change.

We have lots of work to do but have learned how to weather a storm and know that as problems arise we’re prepared to solve them because we are resolute in our shared purpose. Stay in this fight with us. Commit to bringing a friend to join our community. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Thank you for being on this journey with us. We are stronger together!