State of Our Power: 100 Days In, We See the Threat—and the Light
It’s been just over 100 days into this new administration—and already, the impact is undeniable.
Masked agents are arresting people off the streets. Protesters and immigrants are being detained or deported without access to lawyers or constitutional protections. The headlines are chaotic, but the harm is precise. Civil rights are being stripped. Budgets for public education and health care slashed. Tariffs have driven up the cost of groceries. Rents are rising. Housing is out of reach for many. And the safety nets we’ve relied on are shrinking before our eyes.
In the middle of all this, Black and Brown women are being targeted—not just in policy, but in principle. Our leadership is under attack. Our labor is being erased. Our wins are being undermined.
But let’s be clear: we matter.
Not because we’re perfect, or productive, or always positioned to fight.
We matter because we have always carried forward a legacy—one built in kitchens, courtrooms, classrooms, clinics, and organizing halls.
Our existence, our vision, and our leadership are not up for debate.
And though this is not an easy time—and though many of us are still emerging from a kind of trauma-induced freeze—we are beginning to see clearly. Across the country, people are waking up to just how profoundly our lives have changed. The stakes aren’t abstract anymore. They’re in our neighborhoods, our families, our paychecks, and our futures.
This moment isn’t calling for easy answers. It’s calling for courage, discernment, and grounded clarity.
We don’t all have the same role. Some of us are speaking out. Some are defending rights in courtrooms. Some are caring for others while quietly holding it all together. But all of it—all of it—is part of the same story: the legacy we’re building for the next generations.
In the months ahead, She the People will share stories in our State of Our Power series that reflect where we are and who we are:
Women of color who are choosing truth in a time of distortion
Communities forming mutual aid, support, and solidarity
Leaders daring to name what’s happening—and refusing to disappear
Because even as protections fall away, even as fear rises, we are not powerless.
We don’t need to build perfection. We need to build memory, meaning, and a future our grandchildren can stand on.
So take heart. Take care. Speak up.
Our legacy is alive in every act of courage, protection, creativity, and connection.
The danger is real. But so is our power.
—
Aimee Allison
Founder, She the People