The Very Best of Us is a newsletter imagining care, hope, and solidarity as we collectively confront the climate crisis and other social shocks. Authored by Filipina writer and climate justice organizer Beatrice Tulagan, it explores leaning into vulnerability as an organizing practice, activism as finding strength in tenderness as much as we find it in resistance, and holding our loved ones close as we hold out hope for people and planet.

Originally launched in 2021, The Very Best of Us is re-launched in 2024 amidst our world crossing the critical 1.5 degrees global threshold into temperatures never before experienced by human beings because of fossil fuel empires, the son of a dictator winning the Philippine national elections for President by a landslide against a backdrop of disinformation, extrajudicial killings, threats to human rights and environment defenders and extreme poverty, and an ongoing pandemic that has reinforced so much inequality all while propping up new billionaires every 30 hours.

In a world plagued by so much desolation and despair, The Very Best of Us reflects on the many intersections between the personal and political: the infinite ways human beings continue to stand together, defiantly believing amidst destruction that a better world is possible — “despite, despite, despite.”

For collaborations, inquiries, and general messages, send Beatrice an email via hello@theverybestofus.org or a DM via @theverybestofus_ on Instagram.

Inspired by field notes from my fellow organizers, my favorite evenings with friends where we share poetry and rage, and the beautiful realization that community is everything, I am envisioning this space to transition to hosting guest essays, inspiring long talks at dinner clubs or other ways of being present with each other through in-person gatherings. More updates will be posted soon as I find my footing on Substack and socials.

Thank you for being here, besties. — Beatrice