As 2024 comes to a close, we’ve been reflecting on what ordinary rural people can accomplish when we organize together. We shared some of the key victories made possible by Human Dignity Groups organizing for democracy and justice across rural Oregon in our annual report.
Keep an eye on your mailbox for your annual report this week. Not sure if we have your correct mailing address? Let us know and we’ll send an annual report right away!
Dear ROPnet,
Over 30 years ago, the Rural Organizing Project was formed in response to Ballot Measure 9, a far-right attack on democracy and the civil liberties of 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Our founder, Marcy Westerling, traveled the state with leaders from the No on 9 campaign and the movement against domestic violence, setting up the first Human Dignity Groups. Soon after, over 40 groups convened the first annual Rural Caucus and Strategy Session and created ROP to support and connect them across county lines. Now more than ever, ROP relies on your support to play this crucial role.
What could have been temporary committees to fight a single ballot measure instead established themselves as multi-issue groups that could pivot and meet the moment. The original Human Dignity Groups knew that to face whatever was coming, we needed to build movement infrastructure: communities that are resourced, connected, and organized. In the three decades since our founding, the ROP network has continued to grow and build our strength. Today, members of our 91 Human Dignity Groups in all 35 rural counties in Oregon make up an interconnected web who are constantly building bridges in their communities and organizing for safety, health, and joy for all. Together, we are strategic, bold, and responsive to every county’s needs in our state.
We have our organizing ancestors and elders, like Marcy and the first Human Dignity Group leaders, to thank for the power we now hold. We also know this political moment will require more of ROP than ever before. We need to hire two more ROP staff organizers to continue supporting our immense network of volunteer leaders by offering skill-building and organizing tools, breaking isolation, and identifying shared strategies to meet this moment as rural Oregonians. We ask you to join us by donating to ROP. Your generous gift will directly support the work we are called on to do in this Trump era. We are preparing to protect our neighbors, defend democratic institutions, and build alternative solutions that meet the needs of our communities with love and care. 30 years from now, we hope to be the movement elders our organizing descendants deserve.
Two days after the November election, we hosted the biggest statewide call in ROP’s history. 140 human dignity champions from every region of the state joined the conversation about where we go from here. We are welcoming newly politicized rural Oregonians into our movement and strengthening bonds between existing leaders. Between now and inauguration day we are revisiting lessons learned from Trump’s first presidency and reaching out to partners across the state, region, and globe to build a shared understanding of what it means to live and organize under an increasingly authoritarian leader.
We know that whatever happens, we will need to be together for the long haul.
Please consider donating to ROP today.
The support you give ROP is one measure of our belief in each other. Can you enter the New Year with a resolution to offer what you can of your time and money? Can you set aside an amount that feels meaningful to you to bolster our work for rural justice? We are so glad to be doing this work alongside you.
We are and will continue to be each other’s solutions to what lies ahead.
Sincerely,
Abelio, Cara, Emma, Hannah, Kerri, Martha, Sam, and Sidra
PS Check out our digital annual report here!
