Defense, Not ‘Defeat,’ Is the Best Way to Survive Trump’s Attacks

To the Editor:

As a nonprofit CEO with decades of experience, I was concerned to read Stephanie Beasley’s recent article “Nonprofits Feel ‘Defeated,’ Unsafe as Trump Rolls Out Policy Changes” (March 3). Nonprofit leaders who feel threatened because the Trump administration doesn’t value them need to get real.

Illustration by Elizabeth Haugh; iStock

It shouldn’t come as a shock that President Trump is targeting social justice, health, and human service programs for funding cuts. That’s always been his plan. The nonprofit field can’t expect him and his cronies to value our work.

Instead, we need smart, realistic strategies to survive these attacks. We need to band together and find the courage to educate the public about how Trump’s policies are affecting the work we do and the services we provide. We need to stand up for the value we know our programs offer.

Mary M. Emmons
Retired President and CEO
Children’s Institute, Inc.