It's time to soar
On Inauguration Day - a little inspiration from Michael Brune:As you know, Donald Trump was just sworn in as President. There’s no other way to say it: This is a frightening, painful moment in history. We have a lot of reasons to be angry, scared, or sad.But, we also have a lot of reasons to be hopeful.Unwittingly, Trump is already building a wall, and he’s the one who's paying for it. It’s a wall of resistance the likes of which he, his supporters, and his political allies have never seen before. Before he even took the oath of office, he attacked people of color, Muslims, immigrants, women, the disabled, and military and civil rights heroes.That’s why he now -- officially -- is the least-popular president to take office in modern history. That’s also why thousands upon thousands of Americans are taking to the streets to resist his denial, division, and hate. We took to the streets last weekend in support of immigrants and refugees all over the country. We will take to the streets tomorrow at Women’s Marches. We’ll take to the streets on the 100th day of this administration in the People’s Climate March. And we’re not just marching -- when Trump attacks the people and the places we love, we will fight him in the courts, in the states, in Congress, and in the marketplace.To be clear, the Sierra Club isn’t only about resistance. This organization is about so much more than simply fighting against ideas and actions we detest. We are unwavering in our determination to bring into being a positive, equitable and inclusive society. And the bridges and bonds between ourselves and our allies in the resistance to Trump have given us an incredible opportunity. We have the chance to build the movement and the power necessary to achieve our vision. We will be relentless in innovating, training, and organizing to make the most of this opportunity.The next few weeks and months will be difficult. They may even feel impossible. We will suffer defeats and see some of our work undone. But as California Governor Jerry Brown said in a speech last month, sometimes a person needs a heart attack to stop smoking. We're going to emerge stronger from each of these fights, becoming a more powerful and more equitable organization that's part of a bigger movement that is more focused on justice.In the meantime, please take care of yourselves and each other. We need all of you to get where we all need to go. We need you to be your best self and to take your pain and anger and turn it into power. And remember, as President Obama said recently, "The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don't wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”Thank you for everything you do.Michael Brune