2025 Midyear Update

By Liz Jansen, Executive Director

But, like, for real. What the actual f*ck?

Raise your hand if life has felt like a series of expletives. This administration has been a giant smash and grab, with the leaders of this country causing a massive amount of chaos in the hopes that we’re all too distracted, tired, and depressed to keep them from pillaging this country. This over-simplified summary doesn’t even begin to address the day-to-day destruction and casual calamities that are a growing part of our collective experiences. It’s literally impossible to comprehend, let alone, process all of the horrible things that are happening here and abroad.

And yet …

We still find reasons to show up. We still find reasons to care. We still find reasons to give a shit; because we know that using what we have to do what we can means helping a family make rent, making sure folks don’t have to choose between food and period products, keeping ICE out of our neighborhoods. It means building the relationships we’ll need to get through these challenging times. It means creating hope and finding joy.

2026 marks ten years of Women Unite! and ten years of Tr*mp. We launched in response to this goon’s election, as a way to support organizations and communities bearing the brunt of this bully’s fragile ego. I’m notgonna lie, our upcoming anniversary feels demoralizing. It’s hard to keep doing this work when everything is worse. It’s hard to move forward when we’re getting dragged backwards. It’s all very, very hard.

And yet …

I’m also reminded of what we’ve done over the past ten years. The money we’ve raised, the services we’ve provided, and—most importantly—the community we’ve built. I know I throw this word around a lot, but that’s because it fits. I look at our clients and partners and see that, beyond growing their capacity, we’ve rolled up our sleeves and gotten to work alongside them. I think about our events that have connected folks from across the city around meaningful causes and shared visions for how our world should be. I think about the mutual respect, care, and interdependence that’s developed over the past (almost) ten years–a fuller understanding of what it means to rise and fall together, a deeper appreciation of the good we’ve managed to create despite all of the bad.

As you read through our 2025 mid-year update, I hope you take a beat and ground yourself in all of the beautiful, healing work that is happening, that has always happened, that will always happen.

Thanks for sticking with us this far.