Hello, Friends -

We hope you had a chance to rest, recuperate, and re-energize for the week ahead.  We've heard from many of you that last week’s nation-wide flurry of policy action—or in some cases inaction—has greatly impacted the diverse and important social and environmental justice work for community transformation throughout the Gulf South. The Gulf Coast Fund acknowledges and supports the crucial work many of you are engaging in across the region on a broad range of issues for equity, justice, health, and sustainability. We share victories, challenges, and hope.

When the US Supreme Court gutted our nation's Voting Rights Act with a case originating from Alabama, you immediately rose up, vowing to push back against the ruling, which threatens to restrict voting rights for many of the Gulf regions' egregiously under-served and under-represented communities. We know your difficult work going forward will determine how severely this blow will affect our region.

When Texas State Senator Wendy Davis, surrounded by grassroots supporters, prevented the state of Texas from enacting some of the nation's most restrictive abortion legislation, you were there. Many of you are in Austin again, hoping to thwart Governor Perry’s additional attempts at pushing through legislation that would obstruct women in his state from accessing abortion and other reproductive services.

When President Obama unveiled his somewhat-on-the-mark Climate Change Plan, you praised his plan, but swiftly pointed out that carbon emissions in our region are already through the roof, and even if the Keystone XL pipeline is never built, tar sand oil is still being pushed to our coast. We know several of you were instrumental in bringing climate change into the national spotlight and pinpointing the Gulf Coast as the epicenter of land loss, rising sea levels and displacement.

When the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) met it's long overdue demise, offering same-sex couples equal access to Federal benefits and hope for a more equitable future, you stepped up and spoke out on the continuing challenge of bringing that equity to a region where not one state recognizes same-sex marriage. Your work will be instrumental in determining how the defeat of DOMA affects residents along the coast.

And although the Supreme Court refused to hear the case brought against the Army Corp of Engineers for allowing MR-GO to flood our communities, you were there — and we know you'll continue to be there — amplifying the voices of our neighbors whose calls for help individually (and sometimes even collectively) often go unheard

Many of you did last week what you do every week — you advocated for your communities and fought for fairness and equality in places where injustice and inequality is often the norm. Despite the overwhelming media coverage of the President’s carbon reduction plan and the Supreme Court announcements, your undivided attention was also given to important issues like the still-unresolved immigration reform debate, the overcrowded and inhumane criminal justice system, discriminatory housing policies and practices, and the ongoing workings of the RESTORE Act to name a few.

And you performed miracles while under-staffed, under appreciated and overworked.

So today we celebrate you — each and every one of you.  You empower historically disenfranchised communities, you fight for holistic recovery and restoration, you advocate for greater democracy, justice, and improved governance.  You restore wetlands and coastlines, advocate for state-of-the-art urban planning, push for sustainable green rebuilding, regional energy-efficient transportation and alternative energy.  You address systemic injustices in the housing market, you fight for worker’s rights, education reform, and greater health access. You advocate for human rights and dignity for all. On behalf of your communities you fight for social services, health, and education.  You continue to build networks, partnerships and collaborations across the Gulf Coast and beyond.

In short, you are our inspiration - we continue to be honored and privileged to work with you!

Sincerely,

GCF Managing Advisors