Utah Alliance Coalition began with a group of concerned community members—some of whom were leaders of small grassroots and nonprofit groups—sensing the need to organize an enduring coalition of individuals and groups with complementary progressive values.

We felt an urgency to protect our communities as we watched the Utah state legislature taking advantage of pandemic-related strains on our communities to consolidate its own power over educational institutions, public health agencies, city and community councils, and even over the governor’s office. Legislative attacks on communities, experts, educators, and even students were relentless. Every effort to take and hold power was successful—and a guarantee that Utah’s political and cultural environments will continue to march rightward. Gerrymandering and other nuances of political gamesmanship may make it difficult for progressives to win at the ballot-box in the near-future, but a single-party stranglehold on Utah’s state government can’t stop a coalition of dedicated citizens from transforming Utah from the ground up.

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Before we could work to formalize our coalition, we had one important task: We worked together to send Valentine’s Day cards to every public and school librarian in Utah to thank them for supporting equity and equality in their libraries. Librarians are on the forefront of every battle for freedom, education, and equity; the protection of diverse library collections by librarians is also the protection of children’s lives. This project was initiated by Shirley the Librarian with the help of Murray Equity Alliance, Utah’s CD4 Coalition, and many more individuals and groups. In completing this project, we made concrete something we have known for a long time: A coalition of individuals, grassroots groups, and nonprofit groups is necessary to plan for, promote, and implement positive change in our communities and throughout Utah. The outpouring of support from multiple group and nonprofit leaders for Shirley the Librarian’s Valentine’s Day card project gave us confidence and helped us solidify our mission.

Our core value is equity. Within this single value is a constellation of values that are unique in their focus but unified in their broader aims: expanding voting rights, ending partisan gerrymandering, and creating a culture that will not tolerate legislative overreach; celebrating diversity, advocating for equality, and working for inclusion; fighting for clean air, water, and land; supporting Utah’s original peoples as they fight to maintain their cultures, preserve their lands, and serve as elected representatives of their own communities; and any number of other values that share the belief that we are all one and where one person is oppressed no person is free. Our coalition’s groups are—and will always be—separate and autonomous but we will work from shared values and continually strive to find the most effective ways to promote positive, progressive change for Utah.

Our attitude toward change is as progressive as our values: We are dedicated to being proactive, not reactive. We will take positive, forward-looking action to create a Utah that values, protects, and celebrates its people and its environment. We will engage in open conversations to learn from our coalition members and ensure that we live up to our own vision of ourselves and of Utah.

 

We hope you will join us—we need to learn from you.