Reclaiming 2025: A Citizen’s Call to Action

How We Take Back the Narrative and Our Communities

To My Fellow Americans,

These words have been spoken by countless leaders—presidents, public servants, and citizens alike—across generations. Today, I call on you not from a podium or office, but as a concerned neighbor, a fellow citizen, and a believer in the promise of democracy.

I call on my fellow Americans to reject the narrow echo chambers that have politicized and polarized even the most fundamental of issues—issues as simple, and yet as profound, as the naming of a year. 2025.

We must resist contributing to the madness that has weaponized language, made fact negotiable, and turned truth into mere suggestion. It begins with each of us.

When I began thinking about how to respond to the chaos and fear that has paralyzed so many—much of it sparked by the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint that’s been widely cited but seldom read by everyday people—I realized the fear itself was often more powerful than the plan. My goal in naming this movement was, in a sense, a quiet clap back: to reclaim a year that has been filled with angst, and to signal an intention to restore power to its rightful owners—The CITIZENS.

I couldn’t imagine this effort would be misunderstood as anything else, but I recognize now that was my own echo chamber of disillusionment. For that, I’m sorry. But I also believe there’s value in not surrendering to the broader narrative, and in resisting it.

Some have asked if I am for or against the far-right Project 2025. My answer is this: I refuse to give it any more oxygen. My focus is on building a Citizen-Powered Movement that speaks to what we stand for, not just what we stand against.

It’s taken me a long time to arrive here. I’ve fought for food justice, equal pay, affordable housing, and mental and human rights—always, always, fighting against. It left me exhausted, burnt out, and unheard in a cacophony of voices championing the same causes, with only incremental progress. It’s not that this work isn’t important—it is. But at this point in my life, I’m reminded of something profound Mother Teresa once said when invited to a march against war:

When you stage a peace march, I'll show up.

Those simple words resonated deeply with me after a lifetime of fighting against. Today, I stand for the things I believe in and cherish most dearly—democracy, freedom, integrity, and trust.

The CITIZENS’ Project lives within that canon. I’m not here to sell you anything, nor to angle for influence or applause. But if I can be someone who interrupts the cycle of fear, the vigilance around language, and the despair of division, then I’ve served my purpose.

When something as simple as a year has become so politicized that it sparks confusion and division, I think it signals the corrosive nature of the polarization that we’ve all unwittingly—even opted into. But we shouldn’t let fear or misinformation dictate our path. Instead, we must remain clear in our purpose: to empower citizens and restore democracy through integrity, accountability, and service.

The lowering of the bar for leadership—locally and nationally—has not served our communities well. We must demand better and elect leaders who reflect our values and commitment to service. Starting at home and scaling nationally, we can claw back our country from the grips of elite, monied interests and self-serving, out-of-touch politicians.

And in doing so, we must be honest with ourselves, acknowledging that we get the leaders we deserve when we buy into the faulty belief that democracy will flourish on its own, that the system will regulate itself, or that leaders will always use the power they’re entrusted with judiciously.

If there is any gift in this moment of uncertainty and fear, it’s the awakening to these falsehoods—an awakening that reminds us salvation will not be handed to us, but must be actively claimed.

I am more clear now than ever about the truth in the words of the poet June Jordan: "We are the ones we’ve been waiting for."

Like many, I spent the first part of this year feeling hopeless, frustrated, and disillusioned—watching both parties fail to deliver solutions while amplifying fear. Democrats, nationally and here at home, have been hand-wringing and fundraising on catastrophe. Republicans have trafficked in grievance and zero-sum messaging, widening the chasm of what was once “one nation” into fractured, competing nations within one.

Both parties have pushed partisan narratives suggesting that we—the people, the states—are merely a collection of blue, red, and sometimes purple prizes to be scrambled for and won by any means necessary, fueled by extreme messaging from all corners of both the left and the right.

With The CITIZENS’ Project 2025, I’m proposing something different. I’m inviting us—the people—to come together and build a moral middle, not based on ideology or partisanship, but rooted in a shared commitment to the common good for our nation and all of us. This is my effort toward that end—or shall I say, toward a new beginning. That is the invitation I extend to my fellow Americans, and especially to my neighbors right here at home.

In short, I refuse to be silenced or swayed by fear any longer. The CITIZENS’ Project 2025 isn’t about reaction—it’s about action. It’s about reclaiming the narrative and owning our power—together. My open letter to the city was my starting point after months of deliberation, finally realizing that the goal is simple: to empower all of us—everyday people—not parties or special interests—to lead the way in renewing our democracy.

I believe we are the only ones who can do it, and it is my sincere hope that you’ll accept my invitation in the true spirit in which is most certainly intended.

If you’re ready for a movement that puts people first, I invite you to join us. Let’s build a future rooted in transparency, integrity, and service—together.

🔗 Join The CITIZENS' Project 2025

With respect and hope,
- Robin Emmons