Dear TSNE Community,
This Tuesday is Election Day. While every election is important, this year, this election feels like THE most important election in my lifetime. In this election, the stakes are higher than many of us have ever experienced. Â
Last week, I took my first road trip through the South. I love road trips and think this is the best way to see the vast and different geographies of this country that is my home. As I expected, the scenery was spectacular (fall in the mountains of West Virginia rivals New England!). People were warm and welcoming, and the food was tasty and abundant. Â
Yet, what struck me most was the time that I spent in Montgomery, Alabama at the Equal Justice Initiative’s new Legacy Museum and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Museum of the American Revolution. Though one museum depicts the abominable history of slavery and the other depicts the fight for independence, they both fundamentally chronicle the oppression of a people and the struggle for freedom, rights, and equality. Â
The common theme tying these museums together is the fundamental human right to live freely, with a life of opportunity and dignity. Â
This brings our current choice in this election into stark relief: will we choose to erode the legacy of freedom, equity, and opportunity that so many before us fought and sacrificed for? Freedoms like the right for women to choose what happens to their own bodies, the right to have your vote be counted, the right to love and wed who we want, the right to decide our gender expression, the right to voice our opinion and share our stories? Or will we choose to retain and continue fighting for our hard-won Constitutional rights and liberties – rights that were fought for by ancestors who suffered under tyranny, oppression, slavery, racism, sexism, ableism, and countless other injustices?
We encourage everyone to take time tomorrow to make your voice heard. Vote for the hard-earned rights that are most important to you. And regardless of the results of the election, TSNE will remain committed to advancing social justice and equity. Â We are not afraid to do the work it will take to build a better and more just and equitable world. Â
In Partnership,
Elaine Ng
President and CEO
TSNE