a recurring column from ECPCA’s President & CEO, Shimica Gaskins

March 31, 2025

At the start of this year, I knew we had to brace for some turbulent times ahead. We expected the new administration in Washington to take aim at the safety net, and they have with unprecedented zeal. We knew that already vulnerable families, including people of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ people would have it particularly tough, and that’s been an understatement. In addition, tens of thousands of California families—mine among them—have been displaced by wildfires and face the task of rebuilding. So while we were prepared to dig in, it would have been hard to imagine just a few months ago the scope and scale of what we face.

In times like these, when everything feels overwhelming—and instilling that sense of powerlessness is actually a strategy being used against us—I return to the core values that have always guided our work. We must resist being immobilized by fear and instead choose the radical love of organizing in community. We have always won when we link arms and move forward together. Nothing matters more than centering community members and recognizing the real impact of public programs on people’s lives.

I’ve been blessed over these past weeks to experience that kind of love and support in my own life. People all over California and the country have come together to support our beloved community of Altadena after the fires. Each act of generosity is a reminder of the tremendous power we have when we support one another.

I’m also reminded that division and destruction aren’t what our country actually wants. Most of us don’t want to see poverty increase or for our neighbors to struggle. While a powerful few may revel in the discord, the vast majority of us yearn for a future where all families are secure, respected, nourished, valued, and free. That’s why it’s our job as advocates to speak the truth and share the stories of how funding freezes, cuts, and abductions devastate families.

It’s easy to take for granted the agencies and institutions that toil in the background making sure government programs function. But when choices are made to unravel that infrastructure, real people feel it. Just as leaders can choose to abandon government as a tool to improve people’s lives, so too can they invest in government to make things better. 

That’s the call to action we’re making to our leaders in Sacramento. Last month, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee held an anti-poverty hearing that was a powerful example of communities that are refusing to leave one another behind. They discussed a range of our IMAGINE priorities including guaranteed income, reimagining CalWORKs, food insecurity, and immigration services. California can and must continue its leadership, demonstrating that we can transcend survival mode, and instead create and sustain conditions where families thrive.

The oft repeated maxim that this is a marathon, not a sprint remains true. We build this future one step at a time, even as we face setbacks and frustrations. For me, I continued to be buoyed by the love and connection I feel in community as we march onward together.