I was raised in the Christian faith tradition, which has guided and influenced my commitment to being of service and to systemic change for the last several decades. As I’ve been sitting with and metabolizing all that is stirring in our country and my own resulting overwhelm, I have come back to a very clear call that I think is probably familiar to most of us: “Love your neighbor as yourself. These is no other commandment greater than this.”
According to some digging I’ve done, this command was radical in its inclusivity, extending beyond family and friends to include all members of the community. It also speaks to our core commitment at RRCF to lift the wellbeing and sense of safety, dignity, and belonging for all those who make their home here in South King County and beyond.
RRCF and the region we serve is made up of people and groups with differences across class, race, nationality, gender identity, and more. Many of our neighbors – trans people, immigrants, refugees – are being intentionally targeted through actions undertaken by leadership in Washington DC. Non-profits in our region are also under threat because of cuts to critical federal funding.
I reached out to our non-profit partners to ask them what they are experiencing and what they need right now. Here are some of their responses:
[Immigrant] families live in constant fear of separation, despite being hardworking members of our community. The rhetoric that frames undocumented immigrants as criminals fuels public hostility and emboldens discriminatory practices, making it harder for us to serve these families with dignity and trust. The emotional toll of these policies …is creating stress and uncertainty that affect their daily lives.
Many federal grants that once helped sustain youth programs, mental health services, and educational initiatives are being redirected or defunded in favor of policies that prioritize law enforcement and border security over community investment.
We have fewer resources to provide mentorship, workshops, and cultural programming that our youth rely on. And ultimately, it means that Black and Brown youth—who are already disproportionately affected by systemic barriers—could be left even further behind.
Cuts to essential federal programs and the prioritization of corporate interests over community investments have hindered access to capital and resources necessary for entrepreneurship and workforce development.
We’re trying to work on diversifying funding [in case of federal funding loss]. Our staff has anticipated stress and worry.
Parents are keeping their children indoors and afraid to send them to school and students fear they will come home from school and their parents won’t be there.
The burden that many of our neighbors are feeling are on top of the challenges that continue to exist in our region, such as food insecurity (South King County has the highest food insecurity rate in King County), housing affordability, and mental health.
How can we all help? Some words of advice from our nonprofit leaders include:
- Financially support organizations like our CARE Together Fund partners and others in South King County
- Volunteer
- Patron local small businesses
- Show up for community events (either through businesses, non-profits, libraries, etc.)
- Utilize this resource from the Othering and Belonging Institute to continue to do your equity work within the law
- Share what you are seeing and learning with friends and family
- Thank those who are doing a good job supporting our community
- Be in community, find joy somewhere and share it
- Utilize tools like the 5 Calls app to let your voice be heard
If you want to keep up with how federal decisions are affecting local nonprofits, the National Council on Nonprofits is a great resource.
As we move together in this uncertain time and consider what it means to love our neighbors, I am inspired by the words of Bishop Mariann Budde:
There is a spirit of love and goodness in this land that flows through all of us, now is the time for all of us to stand together to take courage and learn from each other on how to be brave.
Hold on to the things that are good
We are never alone, when one of us falters there are others
We stand strong for those who can’t.
Together we can be brave.
We truly are stronger together. Thank you for standing with us.