Where Do We Go From Here?

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?

This is the start of an extreme and chaotic agenda to undermine our freedoms and future, target Black and brown people, the LGBTQIA community, immigrants and many protections against discrimination that we have worked so very hard to protect. Trump’s rhetoric and chaos are intentionally designed to overwhelm and convince us that the ending of our story as a nation is a fait accompli. It is not.

Here’s what we must do going forward:

• Recognize that winning is possible. This outcome is not farfetched as we watch Trump begin to execute the extreme Project 2025 plan that he disavowed last year. Members of Congress who refuse to stand up to him will have to face the ire of voters. And the legal challenges to his actions have already begun and will only grow.
• Defend communities that are in harm’s way. Many of Trump’s plans are not only unpopular, they run afoul of the law. Where we have laws and rules on our side, we will use them to slow down this agenda.
• Tell the story of the harm. We must make sure the public understands the steps that Trump has taken and the devastating repercussions they have on peoples’ lives.
• Mobilize. Reach out to your friends, family and neighbors and encourage them to tap back in. We will need every person possible to help hold the line.

This is a moment that calls for active engagement. Take a deep breath and ask: What kind of country do we want to live in? And then fight for it.

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?

The country has witnessed a woman serving as vice president, House Speaker, governors and Supreme Court Justices, among other key office holders. We will eventually see a woman become president. It would be shortsighted to view Kamala Harris’s loss in the 2024 election as a lesson that a woman cannot win the presidency. The herculean task handed to Harris was straight out of the movies. She had less than 110 days to execute a complex national campaign.

Of course, I am aware of the subtle and obvious ways that racism and sexism play out in politics at all levels. But even in the face of those headwinds, I believe people will become more open to supporting a woman president as they see more women serving ably in leadership seats. We must support the important work of organizations supporting women candidates. And when any woman running for office faces racist and sexist attacks, we must hold the media and all institutions accountable.

Portions of this interview appeared at ForbesWomen and Women’s Media Center.

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