The Internet is ours and we are not giving it away

We are honored to participate in today's Internet strike. Along with Wikipedia, Craigslist, the Center for Media Justice, and thousands of others, today our home pages have gone black. When you visit, you will be redirected to a site where you can take action against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act), bills being voted on by the US congress in the coming days.

Like almost all of you, SOPA and PIPA are not part of our everyday work. But the Internet is. We count on it to connect with thousands of you and over the coming years, we will count on it to reach tens and hundreds of thousands more. Like you, the people we are reaching depend on the Internet to share ideas, photos, videos and music.

For many families, the Internet is a vital connection. When families are separated by fences, agencies, warzones or miles, the Internet can provide an intimacy that makes the difference between isolation and connection.

Our work at Strong Families is all about connection and the power of voices and stories, both yours and ours. We are working for a world where all families matter. Our plan to get there uses every tool we can get our hands on. A free and democratic Internet is at the center.

SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act, but it's not about piracy. It's about controlling content. Controlling what we say to you, and what you say to us. The Arab Spring, the Occupy movement, and even the spread of Sh*t Girls Say and its spin offs couldn't have happened without an Internet that is decentralized and free.

SOPA would infringe on our right to post content and could hold blog sites like ours, and even individual bloggers, criminally liable for the content we run.

We stand for a free Internet with our friends in the movement, including the Center for Media Justice, Latinos for Internet Freedom, Black Voices for Internet Freedom, New Mexico Media Literacy Project, and many more, to say no to SOPA and PIPA.

Please join us in taking action. Tell your friends, tell the world. The Internet is ours and we are not giving it away.