Tram Nguyen, co-executive director of New Virginia Majority, is reframing how to think about progressive change making in politically polarizing times. She pushes back against the deeply embedded belief that those working for social justice and racial equity are in a lonely uphill battle against a fierce anti-democratic majority in her state and throughout the nation. Tram believes that the multi-racial coalition of young people, immigrants and working families New Virginia Majority brings together to restore the voting rights of returning citizens, make housing affordable and advance immigrant rights are the true majority, overshadowed by a loud and aggrieved minority. New Virginia Majority, powered by chapters and hubs across a hugely diverse state, generates policy and electoral wins that should be headline news. Hundreds of Black and Brown community leaders turn out in the state capitol each year, pressing legislative leaders, some of whom they helped elect, to enact legislation that uplifts their communities. Tram is driven by the same devotion to democracy that galvanized her family’s journey from Vietnam to America 41 years ago. She is cultivating a new generation of leaders and proving that people-powered change is possible. You will want to share this conversation.