For all who care about the ideals of the Constitution, and a just and tolerant society, Donald Trump as President is a stunning rebuke.
America has entered unmapped territory. At the Brennan Center for Justice, we see our charge as more vital than ever before. To stand up for constitutional values, to draw a line and resist abuse. To ensure that all have an equal voice in our democracy. To oppose bigotry in all its forms. And to press forward with solutions and arguments, rooted in core values, and offer answers in the face of anger.
How will the Brennan Center wage this fight? It’s early. We can’t know all the ways these debates will unfold. Here are some of the ways we’ll stand up for all the people:
- Start with our democracy. The right to vote could come under new assault. Donald Trump won office loudly and falsely claiming widespread voter fraud. So we will stand up against harsh voting laws, a fight central to our national ideals. Dismay over campaign finance corruption motivated many voters from both parties. Now we’ve got to show what it will really take to “drain the swamp.” From partisan gerrymandering to the absurd Electoral College, we will point out how the broken system distorts the voice of the people.
- We will press forward in the drive to reform America’s broken criminal justice system, one of the greatest moral failures and racial injustices of our time, working with law enforcement, Republicans, and Democrats to show how we can bolster public safety while reducing prison populations.
- In the face of ugly xenophobia, our Liberty and National Security program will expose the costs of Islamophobia that violates our most basic values. A commitment to religious freedom makes us safer.
All around us old alignments are scrambled and old arrangements are fracturing. That’s the very moment when fresh thinking and new ideas can take flight. The Brennan Center will continue to craft the next generation of reforms to revitalize our broken system so that America works for everyone.
As you know, the Brennan Center was named in honor of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. He once said, “The Constitution will endure as a vital charter of human liberty as long as there are those with the courage to defend it, the vision to interpret it, and the fidelity to live by it.”
Courage, vision, and fidelity. We’ve never needed those values more than today.
I hope you will stand by our side as we defend the Constitution and core American ideals with courage, vision, and fidelity. Please make a contribution to the Brennan Center for Justice today.
Thank you for your partnership. We are very grateful.