Words can be overrated in moments like this. Sometimes, sitting with the quiet is all that is called for and all that feels doable. But we at Maine Initiatives want to offer the following words of encouragement. Our work – what we do and why we do it – is rooted in deep and powerful principles. In a moment like this, it is important (and hopefully useful) to return to these touchstones. We are not alone. We are organizers. Our work is to bring people together around shared and sacred values – justice, equity, community, love – and position them to step into their power, individually and together. Let us lean deeply into community: today and in the days to come. We can and will sustain each other. That is what organizers do. This is who we are. We are not powerless. Collectively, we have power and resources – knowledge, wisdom, relationships, money, etc. –  to do so much good in the community. Our work can and must mobilize and leverage those resources and bring them to bear for the work that needs to happen. This is within our power and control. We mustn’t cede our power to despair. We have hope. If you are like us, you believe that each one of us, individually and together, can make a positive difference in the world. You are right. It won’t be easy. And it may not even be us who gets to celebrate success. That is not the promise. The promise is that we get to be part of a long and beautiful chain extending backwards and forwards of people who believe in the possibility of a better world and commit ourselves to the work of making it a reality. May that be enough today.  We have purpose. Our work advancing racial justice just got more difficult, to be sure. But it also became more critical. We are very likely to be confronted with greater challenges and opposition moving forward. But, it is a gift to be able to do work that matters in the moments when it is most needed. When you are ready, that gift will be waiting for you here. With love and solidarity, The Maine Initiatives Management TeamShima Kabirigi, Julian Rowand, and Phil Walsh

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