She Warned Us What Was Coming. Now the Government Is Prosecuting Her

The case against Heidi Beirich should get civil society’s attention

I know Heidi Beirich.

I worked with her within the broader anti-bigotry & hate crimes movement for over twenty years, from 1999 to 2019. I know Heidi’s courage. She is also one of the bravest people I know.

So, I’m going to be plain.

I believe Heidi. I believe her legal team. And I believe these are authoritarian motivated, trumped-up charges against an American civil rights leader.

Heidi was taking on organized bigotry long before “multiracial democracy,” “white nationalism,” “political violence” and “authoritarianism” became language people tossed into grant proposals. Long before most of progressive America, the racial justice field and liberal civil society were even willing to admit just how organized the threat had become. Back when many leaders and organizations accused those of us raising the alarm as exaggerating or distracting people and resources from the “real work”.

Heidi Beirich was never one of those leaders, journalists, funders or pundits.

She believed it and she was a leader who acted on this growing threat to an inclusive America. Her work exposed dangerous organizations, warned communities and protected people. So, I’m not doing the ritual where an indictment drops and suddenly twenty years of knowing someone, knowing their character, and knowing their work is supposed to mean nothing. An indictment from this Justice Department is an allegation. It is not a verdict.

Elected officials, former government and national security officials, universities, unions, journalists, law firms and others have already felt federal power turned against them. That pattern is well documented. I’m not suddenly alarmed because this has reached someone I know. I’m alarmed because this is an escalation. The Trump administration is moving deeper into its public attacks on civil society and that should get the attention of every organization and leader that investigates, organizes, litigates, funds, reports, teaches or protects minoritized communities.

Our response cannot just be better statements. This is a moment to lean in with our voices, our lawyers, our resources, our institutions and our time. That matters because government power is not abstract. We are watching choices being made by the Trump administration about where urgency and priorities live, where scrutiny lands and where the full weight of the federal government is brought to bear. Trump’s politicized Justice Department is moving aggressively against a civil rights leader while the state of New Mexico has had to sue it for unredacted Epstein records the state says it needs for a criminal investigation. Survivors and the public are still waiting for answers.

So yes, I’m pissed.

I’m not treating this moment as political entertainment. I’m not rubbernecking. And I’m sure as hell not going to quietly watch it happen to somebody who has spent decades standing up to people who threaten others.

I believe Heidi Beirich.

I’m saying it out loud.

Because silence is a decision too.

Eric K. Ward is a long-time civil rights strategist, philanthropist and writer and has served as Senior Fellow with the Southern Poverty Law Center since 2019