We're Very Grateful for Your Support... Now Let's Build a Movement

Last weekend, I was flooded by email and text messages from people contacting me both for legal help for their families stranded at airports and from people contacting me to find out how they can help. Being Iranian-American and working at the ACLU, the incoming messages came from both those worlds that are integral to my life.

As we roll up our sleeves for the work ahead, I want to thank the countless people who have stepped forward to support the ACLU. I also want to suggest other ways you can help to make this movement even stronger.

Your support has come in many forms: those of you joining or renewing your memberships, sending in donations, signing up to volunteer, and so much more. The support also comes in the form of emails, social media posts, phone calls and some classic hand-written notes that give us so much inspiration. I am grateful to each and every one of you, from our newest supporters to our long-time stalwarts.

>> Get tickets to see Abdi Soltani: The Long March for Justice (Sunday, Feb. 19 in San Francisco)

There are a few things I love about the ACLU and how we put your contributions to work. First, we share all gifts between your home state and the national ACLU. That way, our members can make a difference in their respective communities and nationwide. Second, the ACLU has staff in every state fighting for civil liberties at the local, state, and national level - and the national ACLU provides financial support in those states where there's simply not enough local resources to sustain the state office. And third, we work across a number of issues that affect our constitutional rights, as well as the intersection of those issues. All of these are important ways the ACLU serves as a bulwark for our constitutional rights throughout the United States.

But there's something else I love about working at the ACLU - and that is the ability to work with some truly inspiring change-makers in our partner organizations. Often, these are groups led by the very communities impacted by the worst civil liberties violations: the formerly incarcerated or their families; undocumented immigrants; Muslims, Sikhs and other religious minorities; low-income women and women of color; transgender folks; people with disabilities, and, so many other communities working to defend all of our rights. These groups create spaces for communities to come together, provide the immediate support people need, develop powerful leaders, and organize to effect systemic change. Working alongside many of these leaders, I see how important their work is, how few resources many of these groups have, and how additional support would make their work even stronger.

We also work with many other legal organizations, including those who provide direct legal services to literally thousands of our neighbors to meet their individual needs. Some help families facing deportation, others help families facing eviction. Many also bring litigation and engage in policy advocacy in partnership with communities most impacted.  In the region that I work in, I get to see the impact of these legal service partners located right here in the Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, the Salinas Valley, and rural Northern California.

People often ask me: "I already give to the ACLU, who else should I donate to?" My first response is to say thank you for your support of the ACLU - and please stick with us. I also give this general advice: please support additional groups who build the voice and power of the most impacted communities, as well as other legal service providers. These groups are at the front lines of defending civil liberties and civil rights – and they include community-based, statewide and national organizations. They also need and deserve your financial, volunteer and moral support.

After the election and then the inauguration, the workload of the ACLU and our partners has skyrocketed. This past weekend, the Executive Order banning refugees and Muslims from seven countries was Exhibit A (I think we are far past Exhibit "A", but I think you get my point). Because of your support, we were able to work quickly to file some of the first challenges to the Executive Order with many of our partners.

The ACLU needs every donation we receive. We need to double our membership - again. We will put your support to good use. But we also need our partners to thrive. So please continue to support the ACLU – and please consider supporting other groups if you haven't already done so, and stick with them.

In order to defend our fundamental rights in the face of the threats we face, we need nothing short of a movement.  We have to use every tool at our disposal. A movement includes marches on streets and protests at airports. A movement includes mobilizing the resources to ensure that every person who needs it has access to counsel. A movement also needs to ensure that the voices of those most directly at risk are heard loud and clear in alliance with all of us. Thank you for doing your part to support this movement.

Abdi Soltani is the executive director of the ACLU of Northern California.