FAC Weekly Update 2026-03-10-Courage to Keep Moving Forward

Weekly update for March 10, 2026. This is recording number 359

Reminder: If you have not already done so, register your vote on whether someone who is on the registry should be allowed to run for public office. Let’s get the “Yes” count above 50%. It takes less than a minute to vote, costs nothing, and will have a significant impact on public perception (Click here to vote)

Dear Members and Advocates,

I’m going to begin this weekly update by throwing a few famous quotes out there for you. Nelson Mandela once said, “I never lose. I either win or learn.” Henry Ford said, “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently”. Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” And my favorite comes from Michal Jordan, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career… I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” The general theme of all these expressions is the idea that defeat can still produce a positive outcome. That failure is just a part of the process of innovation, and that persistence pays off.

These quotes came from the people who are now considered to be among the greatest in their fields, but who have acknowledged that much – if not most, of what they’ve tried didn’t produce the outcome they hoped for. Yet they stayed at it and were ultimately hugely successful. You see, success rarely comes in a straight line. It most often comes through persistence, through lessons learned, and through the courage to keep moving forward.

There are a couple stories we’ve been writing a lot about lately; the efforts to open a transitional living facility for registrants in Kennesaw, Washington, and a person forced to register, Rene Campos’, attempt to run for City Council in Fresno, California. Late last week we learned that the facility in Kennesaw will not be moving forward, and Rene failed to secure the number of signatures needed to earn a spot on the ballot. Both, on the surface, might feel like significant losses, but below the surface there’s a lot more.

In Kennesaw, the proposal itself forced an important conversation that many communities would prefer to avoid. It brought into the open the reality that people on the registry still need places to live, rebuild their lives, and reintegrate into society. Ultimately, it was the “law abiding neighbors” in Kennesaw who were the ones who vandalized the property, smashed windows, threatened the lives of the owners and managers and it was the registrants who did absolutely nothing wrong. Who turned out to be the big danger to the community here? I’m sure the people of Kennesaw are cheering now, but if advocates in the State of Washington ever want to launch a legal challenge and they need an example of how the mere stigma of being on the registry leads to vigilantism, vandalism, and even violence, the “law abiding neighbors” in Kennesaw gave them a beautiful gift.

As far as the courageous Rene Campos, the reality is that he might not have had a snowballs chance in hell of winning (this time), but when have you ever heard of a registrant running for public office before? Just the fact that he put himself out there is huge for our movement! It reminded people that those forced to register are still members of their communities, still citizens with voices, ideas, and the desire to contribute. His campaign showed that civic involvement and participation in public life is possible. He might not be serving the citizens of Fresno, but hopefully he will follow the paths of Mandella, Ford, Edison and Jordan and this is not the end of his story – just the beginning. It also provided ACSOL with one more piece of ammunition in their arsenal that this registry scheme isn’t about advancing “public safety” – this is about silencing an entire population’s “public voice”.

Which leads me to another quote I want to share this week, and it’s one that comes from Rene Campos himself. In a statement to Action News, Campos called the campaign a ‘fight.’ He went on to say, “There were attacks, pressure, and moments when standing up meant standing completely alone.” He vowed to ‘keep standing.’

If Mr. Campos ever reads this, I want him to know how powerful and personally meaningful his statement is. Most of us have often felt like we were standing alone getting doors slammed in our faces over and over. Advocacy isn’t easy. Every challenge, every difficult court decision, every legislative battle teaches us something valuable. It sharpens our strategy, strengthens our resolve, and reminds us why the work we do matters. The success that came to the people whose quotes I shared at the beginning of this update would not have happened if they gave up when things got difficult or they missed a three-pointer. Real change comes from people who are willing to keep standing up, keep speaking out, and keep pushing forward.

At the Florida Action Committee, that spirit drives everything we do. The work totally sucks, and progress sometimes feels slow, but every step forward matters. And every time we learn, organize, and stand together, we move closer to the future we know is possible. So, to all these neighbors throwing rocks through the window of that house in Kennesaw, Washington, or the lawmakers scrambling to pass laws to violate the constitutional right of a  political candidate in Fresno, California (and the voters who would have voted for him – the legislator’s actions unfairly burden voter’s choses also), keep it up! We’ll keep coming back stronger! And don’t celebrate too much, because what may look like our loss today, will become the foundation for tomorrow’s victory.

Sincerely,

The Florida Action Committee