PRINCETON—In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Barbara that revokes birthright citizenship, Dr. Richard Besser, President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released the following statement:
The Supreme Court just obliterated what the Constitution has promised: every child born in America belongs here. Today’s decision is a devastating blow for everyone in this country who believes America’s promise belongs to all people born in this nation. And even as we are infuriated by this decision, we must remain vigilant.
The fact that this case reached the Supreme Court makes clear just how cowardly, ambitious, and calculating the campaign to reject America’s history as a nation of immigrants truly is. Birthright citizenship was a clear answer to the dehumanization of slavery: a constitutional amendment to affirm rights that cannot be stripped away. Those driving this effort are not trying to win a case—but win the future. They are not waging a constitutional fight—they are waging a moral one. And we must answer.
The Supreme Court enshrined birthright citizenship in the Constitution to guarantee full citizenship for Black Americans after the Civil War. It has strengthened the nation by protecting generations of Americans, including the children of immigrants, ever since. Abolishing it upholds the stain of anti-Black racism and rejects the promise of freedom, dignity, and justice for all.
We are grateful for and firmly stand by many RWJF grantees who answered the call and fought this case for generations past, present, and future. Partners like the ACLU Foundation and the Legal Defense Fund, the co-litigators on the case, as well as members of the Asian Law Caucus, the Democracy Defenders Fund, and others, work tirelessly on behalf of families across the country.
In the face of this heartbreaking decision, they cannot fight alone. We in philanthropy must protect and support those who are protecting and supporting America’s highest moral calling. Whether we know it or not, we are all democracy funders now. And we must use our voices and resources in every community and every state to stop America’s slide into dictatorship. Getting to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right is possible when built upon a thriving democracy where we all experience security, freedom, health and wellbeing. We commit to continuing—and growing—our support for those building this future now.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
RWJF is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, we work side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to get to health equity faster and pave the way together to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.
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