The antidote to fear is grassroots organizing.
In the weeks since the disastrous results of the 2024 election were announced, I’ve had the opportunity to sit down and strategize with grassroots leaders across movements for climate, environmental justice, and indigenous liberation, among others.
In space after space, something beautiful is happening: instead of isolating or playing the blame game, people in our movements are turning toward each other. In the face of violence and repression, what is heartening to me is how we keep coming back to our values and our connections with one another.
In the coming years, all of us will need to deepen our connections and practice solidarity to build strong, resilient movements that can defeat the far right and keep our communities safe. At APEN, building solidarity and connection across people and movements is at the core of our work.
APEN members at our Leaders Advance last month. Photo by Joyce Xi.
One place I’ve found strength and hope these last few weeks is in the herstories and resilience of our communities — from my own family to our APEN members.
When the future seems dark, I remember our Asian immigrant and refugee ancestors. I think of my own family — from my parents, who experienced and eventually fled the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines to my cousins, who live there today under a new and brutally repressive regime yet keep showing up for their families and communities even when it puts their own lives at risk.
I think of our members who fled war, repression, and refugee camps to build a new life in California, only to face racism, pollution and displacement here. Who found each other in this new country and helped each other find housing, buy groceries and get their kids to school. Who have shown up again and again—from testifying at city council to running community meetings and marching in the street—to fight for a world where all of us have what we need to thrive.
It’s no secret that the threats we face are growing. Far-right politicians have weaponized fear, isolation, and misinformation to turn people against each other. Now, they are preparing to dismantle our few remaining environmental and climate protections while threatening deportation on a scale that would tear apart immigrant and refugee communities like ours.
But here’s the thing: our members know the antidote to fear. The antidote to fear is grassroots organizing.
Organizing is simply the practice of building power through connection across difference. Organizing is about having intentional conversations with your neighbor or coworker, even if you don’t agree with them about everything – because you know that through connection, you can find shared values and begin to work toward a shared vision for the future. Our organizers help members with housing applications, know their cousins’ names and their favorite boba spots, and check in to make sure our members are safe when there is a flaring incident or heat wave.
As law-and-order rhetoric flooded the media in Oakland this year, our organizers responded by listening to and building deep relationships with working-class elders in Chinatown who felt unsafe in their neighborhood. We listened to what makes people feel safe, developed trust, and built support for real, community-led solutions – which we’re excited to share more about in the coming weeks.
We know that grassroots organizing works – because we’ve seen it happen. This year, our members and other communities living near the Chevron refinery in Richmond won a historic $550 million settlement from Chevron – building on decades of grassroots organizing in the community and becoming a model for refinery communities across the country.
APEN members at our Leaders Advance last month. Photo by Joyce Xi.
The years ahead will be tough, but this is how we will get through them: by investing in grassroots organizing and building solidarity for the long haul.
To do that, we need your support. Your donation will help us hire organizers, pay for food and supplies at member meetings, and bring our members to Sacramento.
In the words of our Richmond member Richelle, who spoke at APEN’s 30th anniversary celebration this year:
Since joining APEN, I find myself feeling consistently supported and valued by other APEN leaders and have felt called to step into my own leadership, to use my voice and unique skill sets to create ripples towards a healthier future for Richmond.
Christine Cordero is one of APEN’s two Co-Directors. Raised by a Filipino immigrant family in the working class town of Pittsburg (no “h”), CA, Christine acts from the deep belief that we are stronger together and can go farther together than we ever could alone.
