The Stories They Can’t Take From Us
I just returned from the Netroots Conference in New Orleans, where I spent days surrounded by organizers, movement leaders, union champions, elected officials, civil rights giants, and everyday people. Thousands of us gathered with (at least) one thing in common: a refusal to stop fighting for our rights, dignity, joy, and a future where every community thrives.
Everywhere I turned, one theme kept rising: the power of stories.
In this moment, when authoritarianism is stripping away so much - our rights, our freedoms, our protections, our joy - there is one thing it can never erase: our stories. Our lived experiences. Our truths.
Stories are what connect us. Stories from the past and present shape the future we’re building. As Be The Ones celebrates our third birthday (a month we’re calling full of Big Big Three Energy), I’ve been reflecting on stories from this past year that remind us why we do this work and what comes next.
These aren’t just program updates.
They’re stories of college students' courage - like Emmalyn and Samantha - who show us that advocacy doesn’t only live inside cold marbled buildings. Of people like Evan who remind us that caring for our communities is connected to conserving and growing the energy we already have. Of wild imagination breaking through the cracks of what’s “supposed” to be possible.
📚 You can read these three stories and hear more from our community members by clicking the bold header on each of these titles:
📖 Community Care at the Center
At a time when isolation and fear are spreading, we continue to chose joy, care, and connection. Gathering’s like our People’s House Parties, and reflections from folks like Evan, reminded us that Be The Ones is conserving and growing civic engagement in vital ways.
📖 Young Voices Won’t Be Silenced
In March, the South Carolina State House shut down public testimony on a bill eliminating DEI programs. Students at the College of Charleston had prepared their voices and their stories - only to be told they didn’t belong in the room.
So we made another room. With just a mic, a camera, and a circle of support, students recorded their testimony on campus, refusing to be silenced.
Our Reimagination Lab brought 40+ grassroots leaders from across SC to explore through art, storytelling, creative installations what it means to reimagine their relationship to the South Carolina State House - not just as a building, but as a symbol of power, possibility, and people.
Sometimes imagination itself is the most radical act.
Carrying These Stories Forward
These stories aren’t just Be The Ones stories - they’re our stories. They prove what the voices in New Orleans reminded me again and again: stories are the one thing they cannot take from us. They can silence a mic, but not our stories.
As we celebrate three years of Be The Ones, we’re carrying these stories into the future as fuel. Because stories don’t just live in the past - they create what’s next.
And we want to hear yours. What story has shaped your journey, your community, your hope? Send us an email at hello@betheones.org - we’d love to listen - and if you’re open to, we’d love to share your story.
Our birthday month isn’t over yet. We’ve got more stories, surprises, and a big push to raise $10,000 to keep fueling the next chapter of this work. If you’re ready to fuel our future, it would mean the world to us if you would consider making a birthday gift by clicking here.
📚 Together, we’re not just telling stories. We’re writing the future. 📝