I wish I were writing to you in very different circumstances.

These are dark times. Violent, racist, misogynistic and xenophobic rhetoric has taken hold. We’re faced with the prospect of mass deportations, an increased assault on civil liberties and equal rights, catastrophic environmental degradation, seemingly endless war-mongering abroad and ramped up repression at home, including the loss of bodily autonomy and full human rights for women, the LGBTQIA+ community and so many other vulnerable populations.

I know many of you share my pain and anger, but we cannot give in to despair. Right now, women are dying in hospital parking lots while doctors stand by helplessly, terrified that treating them could lead to murder charges. Anti-police brutality activists are being intimidated and jailed while grand juries refuse to indict killer cops. Reporters, politicians, and activists fear the return of enemy lists and politically motivated prosecution or worse. Immigrants demanding the right to live, work and learn in safety are facing detention and deportation and absurd accusations which make them even less safe in their communities. Families with trans and gender nonconforming children are fleeing their homes to protect their children and keep their families together.

We fear it will get worse. Children whose parents have been attacked for progressive organizing, as well as activist youth, will need our help now more than ever. As those who resist are facing tremendous peril, now is the time to show your solidarity by making a special, year-end donation to the Rosenberg Fund for Children to help these vulnerable young people survive.

We made more than $450,000 in grants this year, topping that previously unfathomable amount for the second year in a row. That brings the total awarded in our history to well over $9 million, with almost $1 million of that awarded in just the last two years! For almost 35 years, the RFC has stood with and for the children of resistance. We know this support will be vital in the days to come and we are committed to being there for these kids.

But we need all our supporters to dig deep now. More children are at risk and activist families are counting on us.

I wish I could share all the stories of the children and young people our community helped this year, but I only have the space to tell you about a few:

• Eleven year-old Ibrahim has watched his mom, an Arab-American female journalist, walk straight into the heart of Proud Boy events and neo-Nazi rallies to expose their activity and combat their hate. She has been violently attacked at these events and was charged and jailed for using pepper spray to try to defend herself. Nevertheless, she remains on the frontlines to document fascist activity. In these turbulent times, an RFC grant will help keep Ibrahim engaged in the activities he loves, like basketball and chess club.

• Fifteen year-old Ren and 13 year-old Axis have watched their parents dedicate their lives to standing up for gender nonconforming youth across the country. The children’s books their parents wrote about the existence of transgender kids have been banned across the country, and their family has received threats, hate and false accusations. As the family stands together against a rising tide of transphobia, Ren and Axis will be able to participate in pottery classes, fencing, sports and tutoring thanks to grants from the RFC.

When we come together as a community to support activist families and youth activists, we’re carrying on a long tradition of resistance that is very personal for me. I admit I’m having a hard time processing the reality that the year which finally saw the release of an NSA memo written days after my grandmother’s arrest stating that she “knew about her husbands work, but that due to ill health she did not engage in the work herself” is ending with the reelection of the man whose mentor helped engineer her murder. And I know so many of you are feeling lost, angry, scared and so many other painful emotions along with me.

If I can draw any solace from my family history, it’s that my father and uncle survived in part because donations from strangers allowed them to receive counseling, attend progressive camps and schools and participate in healing arts programs. I know we’re ready to give that same safe harbor to children of activists facing attacks in the Donald Trump era. My father and uncle grew up to be loving, functioning and progressive adults in spite of the trauma inflicted on their family. And they fought for more than half a century to force the government to release files and show the truth of what happened to their family. We must be as stalwart and committed to the long, hard work ahead as they were.

My grandparents lost their lives because of the hysteria of the 1950s. Today, RFC beneficiary families are just as much at risk. We know that repression thrives in isolation, while resistance flourishes in community. By giving to the RFC, you can stand in solidarity with these brave activists and signal that they can continue their important work while we help protect their children.

You know we will use your precious funds carefully. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. I pledge that 90% of the funds you donate in response to this report will be awarded in current or future grants.

Please show your support with a meaningful year-end donation to the RFC. Your help has never been more critical.

Jennifer Meeropol, Executive Director