Another World is Possible, We Can Create Her Together
My March thought piece pulls from my opening remarks at BISC’s 2026 Road Ahead conference.
Earlier this month, BISC held our annual Road Ahead conference in Cleveland, Ohio. It was a giant leap for our organization — taking the conference on the road after 17 years in Las Vegas. It warmed my heart to have nearly 500 attendees take that leap with us.
It was a reminder to me that the space BISC has created at our conference is something people want to be part of and find valuable.
Given how difficult this year has been, it was important to the team to create a space where people could celebrate, feel joy, and maybe, for a moment in all the chaos, feel at ease. We also knew that we had to cultivate an environment that fosters learning and collaboration.
Because let’s be honest, 2026 has been brutal.
Finding the balance between being real about these turbulent times while also finding hope and inspiration isn’t easy. In my opening speech at Road Ahead, I shared with people that I struggled with writing remarks this year.
Because, like everyone else, I am feeling the weight of the times we are in — especially as a leader. Leaders are expected to encourage, to motivate, to inspire — but what happens when the well that you draw upon is running dry? As I shared with attendees, I struggled to find words not just to encapsulate what people are already thinking, hearing, or feeling, but I also had to ask myself: What do I have to offer people?
So I did what I often do: be honest and vulnerable.
Because yes, these times are shitty. They are heartbreaking. They are infuriating.
The theme of this year’s conference, “Toward a New Horizon: From Fascism to Freedom,” was intentional. BISC knew it was important to acknowledge the dark and dangerous times we are in. We had to say the scary part out loud — that we are not in a good place as a country. That authoritarianism in the United States isn’t just looming ahead of us; it’s already here, and it’s accelerating.
I’ve been re-reading Sun Tzu’s Art of War over the last year, and the BISC team knows that I consider myself a wartime leader. I don’t use that term lightly, especially given what is happening in the Middle East.
I often feel Athena’s spear on my neck. She isn’t just the goddess of war — she uses strategy, wisdom, and innovation to maneuver and protect. We must urgently face the fascist forces head on and tap into our own Athena energy to evolve our thinking, tactics, and strategy – to sharpen our skills.
This theme was also an invitation to move us from defense to offense. In 2026, we are on defense because of our success at the ballot box. For a decade, we have been improving the material conditions of people’s lives through increasing wages and benefits, protecting reproductive freedom, creating fair maps, and more. It is because of our success which is in opposition to those in governing power, that we have been met with efforts to thwart our progress.
We have challenged entrenched power, and it has pushed back. When you are on defense, it is hard to see beyond the fight that’s right in front of you.
But we must find the time to dream, to imagine what freedom actually looks like, and to let that vision take center stage. That way, we can not only inspire hope, but we can create the conditions for a world filled with possibilities.
Yes, these times are very dark, and it is incredibly hard to find the light. I know you are tired. I know you are wondering, am I doing enough? When will this ever end?
But Sun Tzu reminds us: “Disorder came from order, fear came from courage, weakness came from strength.” We have to understand this duality and understand that within us lies the antidote to move us all toward a new horizon.
While BISC understands the current conditions we find ourselves in, we also remain guided by our North Star vision.
A future where communities can flourish — where dignity, safety, belonging, and joy are foundational to everyday life. Where power is shared, justice is real, and all people — especially those most impacted — have the power to shape the policies that govern their lives.
In these times, that horizon we are all striving towards feels incredibly far away. It feels impossible. I also struggle sometimes to believe we can get to freedomside. But like they always do, my ancestors reached out to me with guidance in my moments of struggle.
The Friday before Road Ahead, my daughter, who is graduating from high school this year, performed in her senior showcase. That Saturday morning, I was reflecting on my daughter’s performance and felt overwhelmed with pride and joy for her incredible achievement.
She is the bravest person I know. She uses her art not only to heal from her own trauma, but also to tell powerful stories that help those who watch her find their own magic. So while driving in my car with tears in my eyes, I heard my ancestors say, “Look at what you have built.”
Look at this girl you raised, who in a couple of months will be going to her dream college – who no doubt has incredible talent on her own, but who you guided along the way. And you didn’t do it alone, because you have a beloved community by your side, who have cared and poured love into both of you.
At that moment, my ancestors reminded me of a quote from Arundhati Roy that I keep at my desk: “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.”
You know she is on her way because you have a beloved community who, like you, wants to build a world worthy of your daughter.
A few weeks ago, I lost a beloved neighbor on my old block in DC, Aaron Jones, who we lovingly called The Mayor of Todd Place. Together, we created an annual block party to bring neighbors together that continues to this day. Living on that block and Aaron showed me the world we deserve is not only possible — she is on her way, and she is rooted in community, care, and love.
So yes, that world is possible, and she is on her way.
I hear her in the whistles in Minneapolis, warning neighbors ICE is near. I hear her in the pots and pans people in DC clang at night in protest of the federal occupation of our beloved city.
I see her as students organize school walkouts. I see her in my parent group chats organizing mutual aid.
I hear her in the testimony people give at state capitols to fighting for the People’s Tool. I see her in our partners, who — even in an incredibly defensive year — are finding ways to make ballot measures love letters to our people. I hear her in how our reproductive and LGBTQIA+ rights partners are finding solidarity across movements. I see her in the people we trained over the last year throughout BISC’s three regional trainings.
I see her in the gay hockey players from Heated Rivalry who have captured our hearts, reminding us how worthy queer love is. I felt, heard, and saw her during Benito Bowl when the whole world witnessed: “Que rico es ser Latino!”
And at the conference, I said this to the audience:
I hear her in the laughter of this room.
I see her in your smiles.
I feel her in your hugs.
If you close your eyes, I am sure you can recall a moment or memory when you saw her coming too.
Another world IS possible and that scares our opposition, who have fought so hard to silence her. But every time we come together, we do what the late Reverend Jesse Jackson demanded of us: “Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. On tomorrow night and beyond, keep hope alive.”
Yes, the world is dark right now, but the light always finds a way.
Together we can find hope, courage, and strength. Together, we can push toward a thriving horizon and build a world worthy of my daughter — a world worthy of all of us.
I leave you with the words of bell hooks, who inspired my call to action to make ballot measures love letters to our people:
“What we cannot imagine cannot come into being. A good definition marks our starting point and lets us know where we want to end up.”
Another world is possible. We have to speak her into existence. Through ballot measures, we can use our imagination to make her come alive. And we must come together to create a plan to make it possible.