“Hope is a discipline. It’s less about 'how you feel,’ and more about the practice of making a decision every day, that you’re still gonna put one foot in front of the other, that you’re still going to get up in the morning… It’s work to be hopeful. It’s not like a fuzzy feeling… you have to actually put in energy, time, and you have to be clear-eyed, and you have to hold fast to having a vision. It’s a hard thing to maintain. But it matters to have it, to believe that it’s possible, to change the world…”
— Mariame Kaba (a full interview with Kaba is available to watch here.)
At the ACLU of Oregon, one of the hardest parts of our work is to constantly see the injustices faced by Oregonians, in too many forms and too many ways, across our state.
When the injustices in our world are compounded by a fascist White House — whose strategy for power and control is to intentionally inflict chaos, cruelty, and fear — it can feel especially hopeless.
On the days when our world feels too heavy, I read the wisdom of Mariame Kaba. Then, I think about all the people who are putting one foot in front of the other — who are doing the everyday work of justice and hope. Today, the following Oregonians remind me about what hope looks like in action:
The board, staff, and volunteers at PIRC Oregon — and immigration attorneys and professionals and rapid response volunteers across our state — who are defending our immigrant and refugee neighbors, day in and day out. As well, the folks who are organizing bike rides,
dances, and other fundraisers to support the important work of PIRC and other on-the-ground organizations, like
La Resistencia.
The volunteers for the
Equal Rights for All campaign who are talking to their loved ones and neighbors and have, so far, helped collect more than 30,000 signatures to get this ballot measure on the November 2026 ballot.
The Oregonians who continue to speak out against racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of discrimination, harassment, and hate — who refuse to accept a normalization of these types of speech and conduct in our communities. I am thinking of the parents of young athletes who worked for months to get their club to appropriately address homophobic and antisemitic views and conduct. I am also thinking about the parents in Portland who acted to address their experience with racism at their child’s school.
The everyday people across our state who have been attending town halls and other meetings with elected leaders and asking them to act from courage and values when pressured, threatened, or intimidated by the Trump White House. For example, recently several dozen people testified at a Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting and asked them to affirm the County’s commitment to protecting Oregonians from federal attacks and abuse.
Our ACLU of Oregon policy team, who worked long days and nights during the 2025 legislative session to successfully pass the Freedom to Read bill and stop harmful bills expanding Oregon’s domestic terrorism law and the warrantless use of drones by law enforcement. Read about our policy work in our 2025 Legislative Session Report.
These are just some examples of what democracy — and justice, equity, and care — look like in action. It is each of us rolling up our sleeves and doing our part in our communities. Oregon is what we make it. Let us believe in democracy and all that is good by doing the everyday work to make it happen.
If you are interested in supporting the ACLU of Oregon’s work as we do the everyday work of justice, please learn more at our “Get Involved” page.
