Trump takes office again on January 20. For those of us working to advance gender equality and intersecting issues, where do we collectively go from here? What do we need to focus on?
The outcome of this U.S. presidential election is a sobering reminder that expanding human rights is the fight of our lifetime. What’s needed to win that fight has not changed: grassroots leadership, globally-informed national collaboration and shared analysis, and the resources to get the job done.
For more than 40 years, WFN and the women’s funds we support have played a key role in advancing gender equity across the world by ensuring deep investment in the frontline every day, every year, until victory. Now is the time to fund them for the long-term work ahead. Knowing what a second Trump administration may hold, we need philanthropy’s greater-than-ever investment in gender and racial equity ecosystem leaders. Their light builds powerful local strategy that will show us the way out of darkness.
The project of democracy isn’t about a single election. It isn’t about a single demographic or country. It’s about all of us. It’s about not giving up.
How do we make progress during this time? Are there new strategies we should be adopting in terms of organizing and coalition building?
We’re focused on three key areas: advocacy, policy, and moving new money in new ways to groups at the local level who are affecting change. (Research shows that women’s funds move money six times faster than traditional philanthropic channels, and we get it to where it’s needed most since we often fund at the margins, reaching nascent, small, or underfunded-but-critical organizations on the ground that are led by women.)
We also have to double down on policies that matter, and that starts with accountability for politicians, forcing them to address issues important to women. Now is not the time to walk away or throw up our hands. In fact, we need to do the opposite. We need to stay in the fight, calling and meeting with elected officials—even and especially those we disagree with —to make sure our ideas are heard.
This September, we’ll be hosting a Global Policy Action Day with a senate briefing on exactly the issues that we know will drive greater change for some of this country’s most pressing issues. Our first-ever Feminist Philanthropy Hill Day in the fall of 2022 brought more than 150 gender justice funders and advocates to Capitol Hill to make sure our issues were heard by our representatives. It’s this type of work that we can’t slow down.
What is your call to action?
History has shown us that democracy is intertwined with gender equality. When there’s a rise in authoritarianism, women and girls pay the steepest price. We’re witnessing it now with the alarming tide of democratic backsliding that’s been pulling the U.S. toward autocracy since the 2016 election: unprecedented increases in gerrymandering, leaders trying to overturn fair election results, rollbacks in abortion rights and LGBTQ+ protections, the rise of misinformation on social media, and new laws determined to disenfranchise voters of color. But funding to philanthropic organizations who are developing solutions is drying up.
Now more than ever, every single one of us should consider ourselves feminist philanthropists—whether we give $5 or $5000—to support initiatives that recognize race and gender and empower women, safeguard democratic values, and promote equity. At WFN we’ve seen firsthand the impact local efforts can achieve to protect democracy as a whole. But that can only continue if they remain well resourced.
We have to galvanize the philanthropic community to invest in efforts that safeguard the rights of all of us.
The U.S. once again failed to elect our first woman president. What will it take to get a woman president and more women into political leadership?
Vice President Kamala Harris’s U.S. presidential nomination was exciting and joyful because it held significant symbolic and practical meaning for women and nonbinary people everywhere. In October, I had the honor of being part of a delegation to Mexico to witness the inauguration of Mexico’s first woman president. It was electric to hear chants of “Presidenta! Presidenta!” erupt from thousands of people at the Zócalo. I had of course hoped the U.S. would have the same moment of celebrating our first woman president a month later.
However, even if Harris would’ve won, we know one person cannot create change alone. Just as the election of President Barack Obama didn’t shepherd the U.S. into some mythical “post-racial America,” neither would the election of VP Kamala Harris have delivered us into a “post-gender America.” It wouldn’t have meant we’d suddenly solved all our gender equity problems, that we could finally put the issue of women’s rights to bed once and for all, a box checked off our justice to-do list.
Instead, we must remember that democracy is a garden that our descendants will be tending, toiling, and harvesting anew. A victory for democracy means protecting and expanding voter rights and access, supporting grassroots efforts led by disenfranchised groups, and investing in progressive women candidates at the local and state level as well as federal. Feminist philanthropists must work together to ensure freedoms are protected or demanded from those in power at every level, no matter their gender.
The Senate victories of Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware, which marks the first time in our country’s history that more than one Black woman will be serving in the Senate, are inspiring—voters do find women of color electable to some of the country’s highest seats of power. The path to getting more women into political leadership is complex, and there isn't an easy answer. That said, several women's funds across the country are working tirelessly at the local level to encourage and train the next generation of women leaders. It starts there, with providing women with the funding and training to run for office.
What gives you hope? For those feeling disheartened by this setback or overwhelmed by the work ahead, what words of encouragement would you offer?
I have been thinking about the idea from queer Chicana poet Gloria E. Anzaldúa’s theoretical framework of conocimiento, the processes associated with life-changing events. These events break us open, shred our knowing, and fracture our clarity. Only then—in between the cracks—is there an opportunity for the reimagined to take root and transform us. I hope one day we will look back at 2024 as one of these moments that broke us open, and 2025 and beyond as the beginning of us reimagining what equality could be.
Despite the presidential outcome, there were some inspiring wins on Election Day thanks in part to the work of women’s foundations. These are what I’m thinking of and celebrating:
I’m staying hopeful by remembering that when women come together and are well-resourced, we can continue to advance a world where everyone can thrive. It’s happening—we can’t allow Trump’s election to allow us to lose sight of the gains we have made. We have much further to go, but our wins can help us build replicable models that truly create change.
Are there any other thoughts you would like to share?
Two things I want to mention that are top of mind for our community:
Bracing for funding cuts. In the funder community, we’re bracing for the potential devastating impact of federal tax and budget cuts on women, children, older adults, and people with disabilities. A stated priority of the Trump administration and Congress is to enact massive tax cuts that would disproportionately benefit wealthy individuals and corporations. Proposals to pay for these tax cuts include substantial budget cuts and structural changes to Medicaid, Head Start, food and housing assistance, and other vital programs. These budget cuts would also shift large costs onto states, further undermining family health and income security. The impacts would reverse gains made by women and children, and hinder future federal public investments in equitable child care and paid family leave. We’re convening conversations between women’s foundations around the country and other funders to talk about how philanthropy can engage at this moment to raise the voices of the families whose lives and livelihoods are at stake. Interested funders can join our strategy conversation on Feb. 5th here.
Bracing for impact for mixed-status families. For President Trump’s second term, he’s signaled he may use the U.S. military to enforce mass deportations. The potential for human rights violations with actions such as this is alarming, especially for a cross-section of Latinas who have mixed-status families, are DACA recipients, or are migrants in the U.S.
That’s why it's imperative that we address the significant cross-border gap in the predominant philanthropic approach. While the philanthropy sector recognizes that issues like climate change transcend national borders, it has historically struggled to grasp other globally interconnected issues, such as gender inequality, limited access to abortion, and the rise of authoritarianism. This trend is particularly evident regarding Latines in the U.S., the largest underrepresented group, but faces a lack of research and resources for partnerships with movement organizations in Latin America. In fact, the top 10 global development funders granted just 0.8% to Latine-focused organizations based in the U.S.
That’s why we’re trying to foster deeper connections between U.S. feminists and feminists in different Latin American regions, creating a robust network of allies for sustained cooperation and mutual support in future campaigns and initiatives.
Portions of this interview appeared at ForbesWomen and Women’s Media Center.