This article considers the complex ecosystems of Basic Writing programs through the lens of resilience science, particularly William E. Rees' work in the field. The author uses critical discourse analysis to analyze articles published in The Journal of Basic Writing from 1995 to the present and identifies institutional narratives that illustrate patterns of development and disassembly in Basic Writing programming that align with Rees' adaptive cycle: narratives of growth, conservation, release, and reorganization. The author then shares her own institutional narrative and grapples with the conflicted legacy of Basic Writing and what it means to move forward and attempt to create resilient programming in our current climate of political and cultural division.