Last year, we removed white nationalists from the White House.
We haven’t stopped there. Help power our movement forward in 2022 and beyond.

2021 was…a lot. We lived through an insurrection, an inauguration, and reunions with family and friends — all while navigating the grief and loss of this pandemic. We joined together to defend our democracy and demand our leaders deliver shared opportunity for all of us.

Remember what this time of year felt like in 2017? That year, we felt a constant assault on the safety of Jewish community, our immigrant family, and all other communities targeted by white nationalism and Trumpism, with few levers of power to stop the harm.

Here’s the truth though: Trumpism, antisemitism, and racism are still very real threats. And Bend the Arc is still on the frontlines, protecting our communities, our democracy, and our future.

Donate $18, or as generous a gift as you can, to help take on the biggest threats facing our democracy in the year ahead — from the campaign trail, to the halls of power, to communities around the country.

As we head into 2022, let’s remember how far we’ve come:

In 2017, white nationalists — emboldened by having Trump in the White House — organized the Unite the Right protest in Charlottesville and chanted “Jews will not replace us” before committing deadly violence. In the days that followed, Trump famously referred to white nationalists and neo-Nazis as “very fine people”.

Here’s where we are now: Even before Biden’s inauguration, Bend the Arc and our Muslim partners came together to urge the incoming Biden Administration to prioritize tackling white nationalism, while also preserving civil liberties:

“We ask President-elect Biden, the Attorney General, the FBI Director, and U.S. Attorneys to use the power of their public offices to fight the white nationalist movement with even more energy and force than President Trump expended to mainstream it.” ¹

And we’ve been following up, with regular meetings at the Justice Department to ensure that these threats are taken with the seriousness they deserve.

But we didn’t stop there. Following horrific violence against Asian women in Atlanta in March, Bend the Arc organized a letter of solidarity with our AAPI family, including AAPI Jews, that was signed by thousands of Jews and allies.

Our work is changing the narrative. This October when we commemorated the third anniversary of the shooting at the Tree of Life - Or L’Simcha, New Light, and Dor Hadash congregations, our nation’s leaders, from President Biden and Vice President Harris to dozens of members of Congress, shared powerful messages of solidarity, condemning antisemitism and white supremacy and calling for a country where we all belong.

As long as white nationalism remains a threat, we’ll continue to rise up alongside all targeted communities — until all of us are truly safe and free.

When I think back to how powerless and hopeless things felt in 2017, and the power and possibility we have now — even as we know the challenges ahead of us — I’m so grateful.

Our movement of Jews and allies is building a country where all of us can truly thrive, and we can’t do this work without you. Donate $18 or more today to help make our vision real.

With gratitude,

Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Washington Director
Bend the Arc

Sources:
1. Bend the Arc, Jewish, Muslim, Arab American groups make joint recommendations to combat violent white nationalists