Living Through a Moment Defined by Contradiction

April CEO Update

Escalating threats of war, genocide, and state violence continue to shape daily life across the globe. And yet, despite the hubris, we bear witness to moments like NASA’s Artemis mission—an effort grounded in curiosity, scientific collaboration, and a vision of shared human possibility. This 10-day mission brought our world and nation together, reminding us of what collective investment can make possible when directed toward exploration, knowledge, and a sense of wonder, rather than domination and control.

Today, we hold both realities at once and keep moving forward in the in between.

Politically, we’re witnessing signs of how the tide can and will shift, however uneven they may seem. The end of Viktor Orbán’s hold on power in Hungary signals a rupture in a once-consolidated authoritarian project in Europe.

At home, state-level shake-ups are breaking up playbook efforts to erode democracy and consolidate control of resources and people. While these moments don’t resolve the broader crisis, they remind us that authoritarianism is not inevitable. It can be contested through our will to organize towards humanity and solidarity. As a member of the Block & Build Funder Coalition (BBFC), a coalition of more than 500 individuals representing 225 philanthropic organizations, we stand in solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and reject the authoritarian efforts to upend its long legacy of dismantling white supremacy and fighting for justice.

Next week will be the fourth year since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. The expected slate of Supreme Court decisions ahead could further restrict access to care, reshape federal authority, and redefine the boundaries of rights and protections. These moments often arrive with a sense of inevitability. But what our grantee partners have proven daily is that nothing about this is inevitable.

From abortion access to birth justice to trans justice, the full scope of gender liberation is core to the work of defending democracy. Because without the ability to decide what happens to our bodies, families, and futures, meaningful participation in democracy is impossible. These movements are not isolated efforts, but a part of a broader landscape of resistance and world-building. We understand now more than ever how collective investment can change our worlds and how we view them, bringing us a step closer to liberation. In this new world, legal advocacy, organizing, and narrative strategy converge to defend rights and expand what is possible.

In the face of everything we are up against, it can be easy to feel untethered. What continues to ground me is how, even now, we are capable of building toward something expansive. The same world that produces extraction and violence is also capable of producing collaboration, discovery, and care. The question is where we choose to invest and who we choose to follow.

That is the work ahead of us now. And it is already underway. I take solace in the checks we are writing this month, and I can’t wait to tell you about our movement partners next month.