Did Juno: We're Four

It can feel impossible to feel hopeful in 2026—but this year needs hope. It is pretty easy to look around and feel stress coming from every direction. Times are difficult. Each day feels like either a new terror or a headline from a horrible Onion article that would have made the 2012 versions of ourselves laugh in disbelief or at its absurdity. And yet, we are here in reality—often horrified instead of laughing.

But hope, paired with action, is the antidote. As I sat down to write our yearly recap, I went back to reread Year Three, and found great comfort. What we knew we needed a year ago to survive the next four years is exactly what we need to survive it now: community.

"We have to beware of the extent to which liberal individualism has actually been an assault on community… when the genuine staff of life is our interdependency, is our capacity to feel both with and for ourselves and other people." – bell hooks

The world feels heavy and many people are looking around to see a world they don't recognize. But this world has been here, like this, many times before. The mechanisms at play are tools we've seen before—and quite recently in our own history. Progress is not linear. There are falls and triumphs, and this is yet another time we have to imagine a better future. It's a future—and path to liberation—that is worth fighting for.

Did Juno Was Built for This Moment

Over five years ago, fresh off the burnout of watchdogging the first Trump administration, I sat and grieved so much of what had happened in 2021, including leaving what I thought would be my dream job and most importantly the death of Juno.

The goal for Did Juno was to craft a way to do work that was hard but sustainable, necessary and never-ending, and filled with lifting up others alongside us in this fight. Back then, I had hoped none of us would have to face a second Trump presidency; yet, here we are. White supremacy, cisheteropatriarchy, and capitalism are not unique to this president, and have never left, and never willingly will.

"The mythology of America, the myth of what it means to be American, is facing, at last, its own inexorable fate. For this myth required for too long, for too many of us, was the soul-crushing negation of our lives and our struggles, the silencing of our most intimate, deepest, life-sustaining truths... The price of America's mythology is measured in our spiritual devastation and—too often, too literally—in blood. And the reason America's mythic walls are finally crumbling is simply this: we are no longer willing to bleed, and hence, to pay." – Marlon Riggs

This continuous unlearning and discovery takes a community of learning. It takes a culture shift, connection, and accessible education. For two years, Did Juno has hosted the Set Yourself Up series. We have trained hundreds of people who show up ready to learn and refine their skills in service of liberation movements. And this upcoming year, we are partnering with even more wonderful folx to continue offering these free trainings. Together, we are stronger.

This year is going to bring more challenges, and with it, so many setbacks paired with miraculous wins. We live for the possibility and hope for a better tomorrow. And together, we know we will get there.

Highlights from Year Four

While client metrics reached record-breaking heights, this year our highlight is the intangibles: the person who reached out sharing they learned something new, felt heard, or finally less alone; the lightbulb moments we've seen first hand; the sigh of relief after sharing a struggle; the return to comfort after disarray; giving clients the power to navigate tough situations; and the unseen community of people that come together to do something remarkable.

What's Next?

Year five is going to push us in new ways with others that feel unsettlingly familiar—but together, we can meet the moment. We have worked with so many wonderful people working behind the scenes to walk toward the future we dream of having.

Without your support over the years, we could not have embarked on our mission to turn strategy into action while honoring capacity as the most important metric. We look forward to what we can accomplish together in 2026. We look forward, as always, with hope.

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