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Fear Will Not Define Us
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," said Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. At that time, the world was growing increasingly volatile. Just two months earlier, Adolf Hitler had become Chancellor of Germany, setting the Holocaust in motion. At home, the United States was still reeling from the Great Depression. Roosevelt sought to inspire Americans to rise above their despair and avoid being paralyzed by fear.
Today, nearly a century later, fear once again grips our nation. We find ourselves in a similarly fraught emotional space following last week’s election of Donald Trump. However, this time, fear isn’t just a state of mind—it’s palpable. That fear takes the form of individuals like RFK, Matt Gaetz, Elise Stefanik, Tom Homan, Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem, Tulsi Gabbard, Lee Zeldin, Elon Musk, and Mike Huckabee.
These Trump loyalists are as dangerous and unqualified as Trump himself. Their involvement in government poses perilous risks. Trump has already begun turning his rhetoric into action, working swiftly to implement his massive plans to dismantle the structures and democratic norms that leaders like FDR—along with Republicans and Democrats alike—built and protected over decades.
So what do we do?
We must set aside our fear—the kind FDR described that “paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Since the election, new members have joined JAC, adding their voices to our powerful, nationwide community and reaffirming their belief in the importance of our work.
One JAC member, deeply involved in the recent election, admitted in an email that on Wednesday, she felt drained and uncertain about whether she could do this again. By Thursday, however, she was already strategizing, looking ahead to Republican Senate seats vulnerable to a Democratic flip in 2026. Her closing words: “When you’re ready, I’m ready.”
Another member shared: “Despite Tuesday’s hard loss, I feel even more motivated to make the future better for our children.”
Yet another wrote: “I thank you and JAC for everything you do and for the successes we witnessed on Tuesday. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of this ongoing fight for democracy and freedom.”
JAC helped to send seven new women members to Congress and flipped six seats from red to blue. There will now be two Jewish women in the Senate, Jacky Rosen (NV) and Elissa Slotkin (MI), and two Black women, Angela Alsobrooks (MD) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE). They will be joined by many other JAC friends who are ready to continue pushing forward to protect our values and rights.
Losing elections doesn’t mean we’ve lost our voice. Now is the time to raise it louder and stronger than ever before. They need to hear us.
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