The corporate billionaires thought they could break us. The political bullies believed they could silence us. The bigots hoped they could divide us.
They were wrong.
Just days after Donald Trump’s victory sent shockwaves through our communities, something extraordinary happened across California. From the sunbaked streets of Fresno to the foggy shores of Oakland, from the bustling neighborhoods of Los Angeles to the suburban blocks of Orange County, over 1,500 Californians rose up with one voice to declare: We are California, and we will not be divided.
On November 16, we launched a movement representing our state’s true spirit. Teachers stood with construction workers. Farmworkers joined hands with nurses. Students united with small business owners. In eight cities across California, we demonstrated what makes our state unique – our unwavering belief that when we stand together, we can build a future where everyone has the freedom to thrive.
Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta reminded us of our power when she addressed the gatherings: “We are the beacon of hope for the rest of the nation. They can cut all the flowers, but they can’t hold back the Spring. We are California and we are the Spring.”
Her words resonated deeply because we know the challenges ahead. Trump and his allies of corporate billionaires, bigots, and authoritarian bullies are already threatening mass deportations of our immigrant neighbors and promising to slash federal funding for healthcare, disaster relief, and vital services that California families depend on. They’ve poured millions into blocking crucial solutions to our biggest challenges – from raising wages for hard-working people to protecting renters and building more affordable housing. They use fear and division to pit neighbor against neighbor, attempting to distract us from their real agenda: concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few.
But California has faced these threats, and we’ve emerged stronger by standing together. As newly elected Congresswoman Lateefah Simon told attendees from Washington D.C., “We are weary, but we are not weak. We will work hard with love and dignity because justice is ours.”
That’s why we’re building We Are California – not just as a defense against Trump’s attacks but as a bold vision for what’s possible when we unite across our differences. In the months ahead, We Are CA will organize in every corner of the state and stand together as one to protect our communities. We know Black, Immigrant, Indigenous, LGBTQ, and working-class people will face increased threats of violence and attempts to take away our freedom. We will build the people power we need to advance democracy in service of the California we all deserve. We’re creating a future where everyone belongs, where families can afford to stay in their communities, where our children breathe clean air and drink clean water, and where every person has the opportunity to build a better life.
The energy at our launch events showed that Californians are ready for this fight. As Kevin Cosney from the California Black Power Network declared, “We won’t let our communities be turned against one another and scapegoated to benefit corporate billionaires. We are uniting to fight for a Golden State where all people have the freedom to thrive.”
This is just the beginning. In the coming months, we’ll be building rapid response networks to protect vulnerable communities, demanding our state leaders take bold action to defend democracy and organizing neighborhood by neighborhood to ensure we have each other’s backs in the difficult days ahead. We’ll be calling on Governor Newsom, Attorney General Bonta, and our state legislators to stand with everyday Californians against the corporate interests and federal policies that seek to divide us.
Join us. Because in California, we don’t just resist – we lead the way forward. Together, we can build a California that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few. Because we are California – and when we stand united, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.
We Are California in the news:
We are California and we are not backing down.