Our relationship to power is complicated.

As women of color, throughout our childhoods, careers and in most environments, power has been used to oppress us, control us, and dictate how we can be in different spaces. Again and again, we were told and shown: power is not for you — a belief that was showcased again in this most recent U.S. election.

…And yet, true leadership is not about power and control. It is a balance between vision and journey, rooted in expansiveness, evolution, and always in service to uniting, uplifting and caring for the collective.

Today, we come together to feel deeply and honor what is real within each of us. We feel the sadness, unease, and profound frustration, alongside the weight of knowing that our girls and gender-expansive youth, especially those of color, may face futures that don’t yet reflect the justice and hope they deserve. Though today’s news is sad, it is no surprise. Our deepest humanity—at its best and its worst—has been laid bare.

There will be much to say and much to do, but right now is the time to grieve, rest, and reflect. We ask nothing more of our communities than this, for within this pause lies the path to healing and strength.