Dear NBCC Members,
After the shameful attack on our democracy on January 6, I feel the need to reach out to all of you. Earlier today, I sent a similar message to our board members and field leaders. It has been difficult for all of us to focus today on much other than the absolute horror of what happened yesterday in Washington, D.C. As NBCC members, many of you walked the halls of the Capitol, stood on the steps, and strolled the plaza many times. We were there to change the world for the better. And we did. Yesterday’s insurrection was the antithesis of what we do.
I am so proud of what we have accomplished together over the past 30 years. I have amazing memories of our times on Capitol Hill and in the White House. From our October 1991 press conference and rally outside the Capitol for our Do the Write Thing Campaign, to standing outside rooms in the Capitol while the Senate and House conference committees met to decide the amount of funding for the DOD program, to the excitement of being in the gallery while members of the Senate made statements about our agenda and to my first time in the Speaker’s office. I can see our past leaders like Marlene, Carolina, Chris Brunswick, Martina Correia, Anne Grant, and so many others, under the dome of the Capitol, as we talked about who would go to which office next. Our reception honoring John Lewis and the one saying farewell to Tom Harkin. And so many more memories.
Yesterday I saw those same places defiled by domestic terrorists, in real time, and I, like most everyone, was devastated. The only thing that kept me from curling into a ball and crying in the corner were my memories of how NBCC showed the best of our democracy over the years. And the knowledge that we will continue to do so.
We now have a new Congress. It will be our role to educate that Congress on our agenda and show them how citizens who believe in this country and our democracy move forward despite the horrific beginning of the 117th Congress.
The National Breast Cancer Coalition is committed to continuing to mobilize citizen advocates to end breast cancer and to a meaningful dialogue and collaboration with Congress and a new White House to make our mission a reality. We will not let the memory of January 6 do anything other than increase our resolve.
I look forward to our next trip to Washington D.C., be it virtual or in person, and to your incredible advocacy for our cause.
Sincerely,
Fran Visco President