Image: Illustration of a young mama of color wearing a headwrap and large hoop earrings and carrying a baby on her back. She faces a crowd carrying signs saying “¡Justicia!” and “Love Makes A Family".

Roadmap

Building a country where we are all at home.

Artist: Verónica Bayetti Flores

For the next three years, Forward Together is doubling down on strengthening our collective courage, deepening connections within the movement and building the power needed to make deep change. We know that a strong, connected movement, grounded in shared values and led by women and non-binary people of color and Indigenous people, can build the world our families need to thrive.

Download our roadmap as a PDF.

Our Approach

Courage

Artist: Micah Bazant

We build the courage of leaders — women and non-binary people of color and Indigenous people — to continue to fight against oppression and to transform the culture of shame and stigma that prevents so many of us from claiming our voice and power. We use art, media and storytelling to counter misrepresentations of our communities and to unapologetically tell the truths of our own lives.

Connection

Artist: Micah Bazant

Relationship building is the bedrock of our work. We connect individuals and organizations across issues and communities because our movements are stronger when we move forward together. We develop deep connections with each other that will weather the multiple storms we will face, so that we can make our greatest impact together in the short and long term.

Change

Artist: Micah Bazant

We believe in people power and know that change starts locally. We work with our grassroots leaders and partners across the country to lead campaigns and create tools people can use to strengthen their own communities. By working with the people whose lives are most impacted by injustice, we build power, amplify leadership, transform culture and create policy to ensure that we live in an inclusive democracy that represents all of us.

Our Issues

Artist: Ethan Parker

Family Recognition

We are ensuring that all families, no matter how they are formed, have access to the dignity and resources we need to thrive. Currently we are working to ensure that paid work leave policies have inclusive definitions of families and we are exploring other policy avenues for advancing expansive family definitions.

Artist: Mariana Viturro

Healthcare Access

Healthcare access, including abortion access, continues to be a priority for Forward Together so that we can take care of ourselves and each other. This work includes expanding access for low-income people to reproductive healthcare and ensuring that communities often denied access have the healthcare they need.

Artist: Melanie Cervantes

Safe Communities

Safe communities are communities that are resourced, supported and resilient — not communities that are targeted, policed and locked up. We are defending our communities through defeating anti-immigrant ballot measures, holding police departments accountable and buoying our communities through supporting our leaders and through celebratory art.

Image: Echoing Ida

Our Leaders and Families

We build leadership and power with women and non-binary people of color and Indigenous people. Our families live at the intersection of race, gender and sexuality.
Photo: Eveline Obamos

Our Communities

Our States

We build power at the local and state level to advance our vision and policy agenda. We prioritize working in California, Oregon and New Mexico and also collaborate with our organizational partners across the country to build power and support leaders in other states and to weigh in on critical national policy issues.

Strong Families

We lead and staff the Strong Families Network, a home for over 200 local, state and national organizations committed to ensuring that all families have the rights, resources and recognition they need to thrive.