Weekly Call to Action: We Want Power
GirlTREK SOS Dispatch
Saving Our Sisters | Saving Ourselves
Weekly Motivation for a Million+ Strong
September 9, 2025 | Demand: We Want Power
Opening Word
“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
— Audre Lorde
Dear Family,
Thank you for opening this email. Each Monday, these SOS Dispatches are a compass for our movement. They remind us what we are walking for, connect us to GirlTREK’s 10-Point Plan for Joy and Justice, and lift up the partners who are building the future with us.
This week, we turn to the demand at the heart of it all: We Want Power.
What We Mean By Power
Power is not the spectacle of domination this country teaches us to chase. For Black women, power has always lived elsewhere. It lives in the way we gather, protect, and carry one another. It is in the circle of sisters who show up, even when the world does not.
That kind of power—quiet, sustaining, collective—is not a grab, it is a gift. And it is the power that will heal and change the world.
Power is also the keystone of GirlTREK’s 10-Point Plan for Joy and Justice:
“We want free speech, universal voting access, and the immediate end to voter suppression. We will fight to uphold the civil rights protections secured by our foremothers, and we will fight for new rights under new suns.”
Listening First
And, we are on a mission to build the collective power of our members to protect our rights and fight for new ones. We believe this starts with deep listening in our communities to learn from each other – and that’s what we’ve been doing!
That’s why this summer and fall, in select cities nationwide, the GirlTREK Advocacy Team is conducting Listening Sessions to learn from members and catalyze local advocacy.
Much love to our sisters who joined us in Montgomery and Atlanta in August.
We can’t wait for our next stop in New York City this week!
To our Chicago and LA-area sisters: stay tuned—we’re coming your way soon!
Interested in supporting a listening session in your community? Reach out to advocacy@girltrek.org with your suggestions.
System-Change Partner of the Week: Our Crews
Each week, these Dispatches introduce a system-change partner to ground us in the work ahead. But this week, we turn the mirror toward ourselves. Because the demand for power cannot be answered without recognizing the power we already hold—the power of our crews.
This weekend, we saw that power alive across the country:
Florida | Marva’s Neighborhood Walk — Marva set up her GirlTREK table, gear and all, rallying her neighborhood with the courage and joy of a true crew leader.
Philadelphia | Faith and Fitness Crew — These sisters organized a Mommy & Me Walk, welcoming little girls and boys into the movement and raising the next generation to know walking as tradition.
Silver Spring, MD | Team TAPPS — This weekly walk, led by longtime crew leader Habibah Jackson, is a shining example of what happens when community power meets expert partnership. By bringing together two powerful allies—Walk with a Doc and the African American Health Association—Team TAPPS is expanding GirlTREK’s capacity to save lives. These partners bring their medical expertise directly to our crews, equipping women with knowledge, resources, and care. It’s a model of partnership we are learning from and will be scaling across the country.
Closing Rallying Cry & Call to Action
This week’s stories remind us that power isn’t abstract — it’s built step by step, walk by walk, partnership by partnership. When we show up together, we create a force strong enough to protect our rights and fight for new ones.
So this week, walk for power. Then, take one more step to build it:
Train as a Leader — [RSVP for our upcoming Crew Leader Training].
Get Equipped — [Listen to the Crew Leader Audio Training + Download the Field Guide].
Suit Up — [Order your GirlTREK shirt. This is the uniform of our crews}
Together, these actions multiply our presence, deepen our power, and prepare us for the battles ahead.
“We are the ones we have been waiting for.”
— June Jordan
Have a beautiful week.
Your GirlTREK National Crew