Solidarity is Our Superpower
June 23, 2025
Image description: An illustration of diverse hands linked together. The words “SOLIDARITY IS OUR SUPERPOWER” are written in red. NEP logo in bottom right.
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”
Alice Walker
We stand united for the protection, justice, and freedom of Brown, Black, African, and Middle Eastern immigrant communities currently under siege. As peaceful protests are activated all over the country we are reminded of a guiding principle at the National Equity Project: our futures are inextricably linked. The widespread response from school leaders and educators, employers, neighbors and community members declaring that we will not stand idly by as young people and families are targeted and torn apart reflects this deeply human understanding: what impacts one community, impacts us all.
In June, we honor both Pride and Juneteenth. These intersecting celebrations remind us that liberation is not a one-time achievement but a continuous commitment to justice and equity for everyone. We can hold space for gratitude and joy while acknowledging our work in the ongoing struggle for freedom. Just as the news of emancipation took years to reach enslaved people in Texas, the work of ensuring freedom and dignity for all continues today—from protecting the rights of immigrant families to affirming the identities of LGBTQ+ youth and educators.
The same courage, determination, and strategy that our ancestors employed to resist and dismantle the institution of slavery and advocate for civil and human rights is fueling a wave of principled and human-centered leadership today. We see school leaders creating sanctuary spaces for immigrant students and families; educators standing with LGBTQ+ youth; lawyers fighting for civil rights protections; health professionals sounding the alarm about the tolls of this widespread trauma; and families refusing to let fear dictate their children's futures.
Solidarity heals our divisions and makes us brave. The threads that connect Juneteenth's celebration of freedom, Pride’s affirmation of personal liberation and dignity, and today's defense of immigrant students and families are tightly woven and the message in this historical tapestry beckons: this is the work of our generation - to create a world where every person belongs.
There is no us and them when it comes to the wellbeing of our children and families. Ensuring the wellbeing and success of every young person is not just a moral imperative but an investment in our shared future. When educators affirm that every child has a right to learn without fear, we uphold education as both a universal right and a collective good. This is democracy in action. Democracy is not passive—it asks us to stand together, to recognize the humanity in one another, and take action in big and small ways.
We must continue to build educational communities that honor the dignity of all students and families, that celebrate the rich diversity of our nation in all its forms, and that prepare young people to lead toward a more just and equitable world.
“The Smithsonian has done what America must continue to do — confront the contradictions in our founding, illuminate the fault lines in our systems, and still hold space for grace, for grit, for growth, and for true greatness. Because the truth is, there is no honor in history that flatters itself, there is no integrity in memory that only remembers some, and there’s no future in forgetting.
We will not comply with forgetting, we will not make myths in place of memory, we will not trade the truth for contortions and comfort. Instead we will gather, we will remember, we will teach, we will share, we will tell it all.
Let us hold that line, and let us remind those who try to ‘restore’ a narrow, divisive view of the past, that the future belongs to the whole of us and even when the current swell is upon us, the bridge will hold because truth deserves passage.”
- Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay receives the Smithsonian Great Americans Medal
May 2025