Staying Alert, Not Changing Course - A Message from the Libra Board
To our beloved Libra Community,
As Libra’s Board Co-Presidents, we wanted to reach out to you, our incredible community, to share some of what we’ve been up to and express our solidarity with you and your important work.
Like many of you, we are watching closely as our folks take to the frontlines in Los Angeles to protest the latest cruelties of this administration. We stand in solidarity with all movement allies, and particularly the immigrant communities who are viciously under attack. A true democracy is predicated on the tradition of protest and the ability to exercise one’s First Amendment rights.
At such a critical time, we are in the midst of a leadership transition. Supriya Lopez Pillai stepped into the role of Libra Foundation’s President in September of last year, but we wanted to officially welcome her. While we’ve been working with Supriya these past many months, her vision and the leadership of the Libra staff continue to fuel us for the crucial moment we are currently in and for the road ahead. She brings empathy, commitment to collective movement, relationships in the field, and an uncanny intuitiveness. As a bridge-builder, a road-mapper, and a natural organizer, we are able to navigate the various transitions we face– at Libra, as a movement and as a country. Together– board and staff– affirm that we know who we are, and we are proud to support your work. We are not going anywhere.
We have been reeling from the ongoing threats to our work and the communities we support. As we investigate these times, we find ourselves leaning into the wisdom of Norma Wong, who we were honored to have visit us at the Libra House this spring. She reminded us of the importance of staying rooted in inquiry and in action, and that there is an intersection at which crisis and opportunity meet. But to be available to the opportunity in crises, we need to stay flexible, alert, and organized. We are staying alert, but we are not changing our direction. We know that none of us are free until all of us are free. We know that the work we do to support and raise the voices of those who have been systematically sidelined is liberatory work and we are proud to be in community with you on that journey.
As a practical matter, we have had to prioritize and implement security measures for ourselves, and in doing so, have been working on how best to support you in your security, messaging, and legal needs as well. We are particularly interested in hearing about your experiences, any resources you may have found helpful, and how funders can offer additional support. Further, we are looking for the opportunities in this crisis, too. What are the things we are being asked to defend that weren’t even our frames to begin with? What does true equity and belonging look like that “DEI” never quite even imagined? Can we give ourselves permission to dream into our 50 year plan? Our 100 year plan? What is the just world on the other side of this transition?
We will do our best to partner with you in supporting each other through this challenging time through smart planning, but also through collective care and the centering of joy. Though all of our children are out of the house and out in the world, as the end of school year rolls around we can’t help but shift into summer vibes. It is time to be with your family, go to the beach, drink cold lemonade and BBQ in the park. We hope you can make space this summer for restorative practices. We cannot let them take away our joy, for it will be the ballast that enables us to continue this fight for justice.
In solidarity,
Regan and Susan Pritzker
On behalf of the Libra Board