Two Futures
Friends -
I don’t normally share personal updates, but this is a big one that I wanted to share with my Progressive Party family.
On Tuesday, my first child was born - a beautiful baby boy who we are naming Silas. My partner Annie and I couldn't be more excited.
Becoming a parent changes your perspective on things a bit. You start to think more about the future and the kind of world you hope to leave behind. You begin to wonder if you are doing enough to ensure a livable future for your child and the planet.
To be honest, I’m quite worried about the future. A recent report from a United Nations Climate Panel found that we have less than 10 years to reduce carbon emissions by half, or face climate catastrophe. The war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate to levels we have not seen since WWII. Income inequality is at the highest level in our nation’s history, at a time when many people cannot afford to purchase daily necessities. Skyrocketing housing prices mean that my child may never be able to afford to live in the town he was born in. Meanwhile, our democratic institutions are under attack like never before, and hate groups are on the rise.
There is a lot to be worried about, and it is entirely possible that by the time my son is graduating high school he will live in a much more dangerous world with fewer freedoms and less economic security.
And yet I have hope for the future.
I have hope because of all of you. I have hope because I have seen the power our movement holds to transform our society for the better, and because I know that all of you are in this fight with me for the long haul.
I have hope because I know that together we will do all we can to ensure a livable planet for our children, to raise the minimum wage to a living one, to guarantee housing as a human right, to expand our democratic rights, and to ensure that all people can live their lives free from bigotry and hate.
We have big plans to grow our Party in 2023 that I hope you will support. We have set an ambitious goal of boosting our budget from 90k to 125k this year. Doing that will allow us to have the resources needed to build our organizing capacity around the state. Can you chip in today to support our goal? A savvy fundraiser would ask you to donate in celebration of the newest addition to the Progressive Party family, but I’ll just ask you to give in support of our movement.
One thing is certain. The status quo cannot hold, and we are facing two possible futures. The future I choose to fight for is the one where we have created a sustainable and livable future for all people and the planet.
This will take a lot of work and will require all of us to do whatever we can for as long as we can. There will be losses along the way, but I have faith that together we will create a future that our children are proud of.
Whether or not you can donate, please consider joining one of our active statewide committees. They are the Organizing Committee, Fundraising Committee, and Bylaws Change Committee.
These committees are doing the brunt of the work to move our party forward each week, and we are always recruiting more members to get involved. Please fill out this form if you can join.
Thank you so much for all you do. I have no doubt that together we will overcome any challenge and build a future to be proud of.
In solidarity,
Josh Wronski
Director, Vermont Progressive Party
