Our Rights Are at Stake. We Will Not Be Silenced.

View the PDF version of this open letter here.

Our Rights Are at Stake. We Will Not Be Silenced.
An Open Letter from Civil Rights Groups to the American People

In America, our government cannot do whatever it wants. And we, the people, have a right to ask for what we need, defend ourselves from abuse, and speak our minds.  

We have a free press, the right to protest, an independent legal system, and organizations for people, not profits, to hold our government accountable. These protections exist so we can all have a say in our lives and live them freely.

But today, the administration of President Donald Trump is acting as if the government can do whatever it wants, even if it violates our rights and takes away our freedoms.

The Trump administration is intentionally attacking any business; law firm; college, university, or school; and organization or government watchdog that disagrees with its policies or challenges its abuses and corruption. And it is scaring into silence legitimate, lawful demands and legal challenges, which are fundamental to our civil rights and our democracy.

Throughout our history, Americans have resisted power grabs that threaten our rights and freedoms. Today, we must resist again — together.

We are civil rights organizations representing millions of Americans, and we are sounding the alarm: The Trump administration and its allies are going after a laundry list of “opponents” — and in doing so, all Americans may face real threats to their rights and freedoms. The Trump administration is:

• Arresting and threatening people who criticize the government. This means our right to speak freely about government actions can now be silenced.

• Attacking the ability of our courts — from lawyers to judges — to protect people from abuses of power, including the detaining of people without due process. This means our right to a lawyer and fair treatment in court is threatened.  

• Censoring and attacking journalists for sharing facts. This means our right to get facts and the truth is being undermined.

• Attempting to make it harder for citizens to vote and undermining confidence in our elections. This means our right to participate in free and fair elections is diminished, decreasing our voice and representation in our American system of governance.

• Allowing agencies and non-government actors to illegally obtain and share personal data. This means our privacy protections are being eroded.  

• Firing the people who protect and enforce civil rights. This means our ability to get help when rights are violated is at risk.

• Eliminating the inspectors general who make sure the government serves the people. This means there are fewer or even no checks on corruption, unlawful practices, and misuse of taxpayer dollars.

• Illegally breaking union contracts and eliminating vital jobs in service of everyday people, including nurses, firefighters, air traffic controllers, and more. This means that both our safety and our ability to work with dignity are being denied.

• Defunding scientific and medical research and environmental safeguards. This means the health of our families could be jeopardized.

• Censoring arts and attacking cultural institutions. This means our right to freedom of expression is being suppressed.

• Erasing our celebrations of, and commitment to, all of our diversity, cultures, and histories. This means our kids can be bullied, our future leaders can be denied learning accurate history, and our employers can mistreat us without consequences.

We Will Not Surrender America’s Rights 

What we’re seeing now is just the beginning. These attacks will not stop unless we are united.  

It will not be up to the courts, governments, media, or politicians to save us. The only thing that can save the American people is the American people. Our organizations refuse to be silenced or intimidated — and neither should you. We write this letter to invite all willing people to join us.  

What You Can Do 

Together, we can defend our rights and freedoms by taking action. Take the pledge to:

• Speak up when you see rights under attack in your community 

• Attend at least one protest or community meeting before summer 

• Contact your member of Congress when legislation threatens basic rights 

• Support at least one organization working to protect our democracy 

• Share information about these threats with at least five people you know

You can determine whether America remains a country where power is checked, where our needs are met, where our rights are protected, and where the government serves us, rather than silences us.

Join us in saying: We will not be silenced.

Signed,

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights 

Advocates for Trans Equality 
AFL-CIO 
African American Policy Forum 
AFSCME 
AFT 
All Voting is Local 
American Association of People with Disabilities 
American Association of University Women (AAUW) 
American Atheists 
American Civil Liberties Union 
American Constitution Society 
American Humanist Association 
Americans for Financial Reform 
Americans for Tax Fairness 
Americans United for Separation of Church and State 
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund 
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC 
Asian Law Caucus 
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance-AFL-CIO (APALA) 
Autistic Self Advocacy Network 
AVAN Immigrant Services 
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law 
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action 
Borderlands Resource Initiative 
Campaign Legal Center 
Center for Gender & Refugee Studies 
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) 
Center for Reproductive Rights 
Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues 
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) 
Coalition on Human Needs 
Common Cause 
Community Change 
Community Justice Project (Florida) 
Defending Rights & Dissent 
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 
Democracy Forward Foundation 
Demos 
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund 
Emancipate NC 
Emgage Action 
End Citizens United 
Equal Justice Society 
Equal Justice USA 
Equality California 
Families for Freedom 
Feminist Majority Foundation 
First Friends of New Jersey & New York 
GLSEN 
Human Rights Campaign 
Human Rights First 
Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) 
Immigrant Defense Project 
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) 
Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy (ISLA) 
Impact Fund 
Interfaith Alliance 
Japanese American Citizens League 
Jewish Community Action 
Jewish Council for Public Affairs 
Jews for a Secular Democracy 
Justice in Aging 
Juvenile Law Center 
Kirva 
Lambda Legal 
LatinoJustice PRLDEF 
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law 
League of Conservation Voters 
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) 
League of Women Voters of the United States 
Legal Action Center 
Legal Defense Fund 
Louisiana Advocates for Immigrants in Detention 
Matthew Shepard Foundation 
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger 
Movement Advancement Project 
MPower Change Action Fund 
NAACP 
National Association of Social Workers 
National Bar Association 
National Center for Lesbian Rights 
National Center for Youth Law 
National Coalition for the Homeless 
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation 
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) 
National Education Association 
National Employment Law Project 
National Employment Lawyers Association 
National Hispanic Media Coalition 
National Immigration Law Center 
National Immigration Project 
National Institute for Workers’ Rights 
National Organization for Women 
National Partnership for New Americans 
National Partnership for Women and Families 
National Women’s Law Center 
NBJC 
New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice 
New York Immigration Coalition 
Partnership for Civil Justice Fund 
PEN America 
Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition 
People For the American Way 
PFLAG National 
Pride At Work, AFL-CIO 
Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK) 
Public Advocates Inc. 
Public Citizen 
Public Justice 
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism 
Reproductive Freedom For All 
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights 
SEIU 
Silver State Equality-Nevada 
Sojourners 
South Dakota Voices for Peace 
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) 
State Democracy Defenders Fund 
Texas Civil Rights Project 
The Advocates for Human Rights 
The Futures Institute 
The Sikh Coalition 
The Southern Poverty Law Center 
The Workers Circle 
Transformations CDC 
T’ruah 
United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry 
UNITED SIKHS 
Veterans for American Ideals 
Voices for Progress 
Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs 
Western States Center 
Women Lawyers On Guard Action Network, Inc.