News from America’s political revolution!
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END OF MONTH DEADLINE! This month we kicked-off our first-ever Movement Builder Membership Drive! Even though the 2016 and 2020 elections are over, Our Revolution continues the fight for justice alongside Bernie Sanders.
We’re ONE DAY AWAY from our end of month deadline. Will you help us finish STRONG?
This week, our members stood with low-wage workers Fighting for $15 outside the US Capitol, elected progressives to city offices, got landmark legislation signed into law in several states, and took on the Democratic Party establishment and won!
Read ALL ABOUT IT below!
Don’t miss this week’s National Organize to Win Call!
Join U.S. Rep Pramila Jayapal, North Chicago Treasurer-Elect Vance Wyatt, St. Louis Alderwoman Megan Green, and Our Revolution Board Chair Larry Cohen for the latest from the Congressional Progressive Caucus and local election updates from Illinois and Missouri.
Our Revolution doesn’t take money from corporations or billionaires. We run on people power and rely on small donors to fund our work of fighting for progressive policies that leave no one behind.
Will you help us FINISH the first month of our first-ever membership drive STRONG?
#1. “Why am I donating to OR? To bend the arc toward justice through M4A, the GND, and eliminating student debt.” – Eric D., Denver, CO
#2. “I’m a member because OR is working to elect good people in local races around the country.” – Mary N., Chicago, IL
#3. “I just signed-up as a monthly donor because I want to build a progressive Democratic Party.” – Michael W., Portland OR
#4. “I’m a sustaining member because OR’s ground-up organizing is key to keep our movement going.” – Carlos M., New York City, NY
#5. “Why do I support Our Revolution? I want to put my money into effective organizations, and Our Revolution is one of the most effective organizations out there fighting for justice.” – Robin S., Ukiah, CA
Our sustaining members help fund local organizers across the country like Carlos Childs with Our Revolution Maryland.
Carlos is a community activist who has volunteered on several local political campaigns, and his op-eds have been published in Maryland Matters. As an Our Revolution local organizer, Carlos is working with our members to push state legislators on criminal justice reform and Covid relief, identify local progressive candidates to endorse, and recruit new members to join our local group in Montgomery County, MD.
This week, Our Revolution members rallied outside the US Capitol to demand Democrats keep their campaign promises to the working people who elected them by Fighting for $15.
Our Revolution executive director Joseph Geevarghese told McClatchy News Service that the group is mobilizing to signal to the White House and Congress that it is “not acceptable to backtrack” on a wage raise and that progressives “will not give them a pass” on the priority issue that has been under debate since Biden was vice president.
“I think there will be repercussions for Democrats in 2022. Walking away from the fight for $15 is turning your back on your base. And I think there’s gonna be repercussions in 2024 for any Democrat who is not for the fight for $15. It is now a litmus test for being a good Democrat.”
Even though the Senate parliamentarian nixed the minimum wage from the COVID relief package, the Fight for $15 is far from finished. The US House included the $15 minimum wage hike in its version of the relief bill, and Vice-President Harris has the power to overturn the parliamentarian’s ruling.
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Our Revolution stands with 6000 Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama who are organizing a union to fight against sweatshop conditions. On our Monday Organize to Win Call, Amazon worker Daryl Richardson talked about why he’s organizing: “We work 10-11 hours a day with just 2 breaks. If you have to leave your station to get water or use the bathroom, you get docked. It’s not fair to punish us for going to the bathroom. They look at us like machines.”
Union organizer Michael Foster told our members that workers like Daryl are facing “the harshest anti-union campaign I’ve ever seen. There are 30-minute mandatory union-busting classes and anti-union propaganda is posted all over the plant, including the bathroom stall doors.” He said if President Biden condemned Amazon’s union-busting, it would encourage workers – the majority of whom are Black – to stand-up for their rights in one of the poorest cities in Alabama.
Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese told The Huffington Post that President Biden has a responsibility to call-out Amazon’s union-busting and support the right of workers to organize. He said that doing so would send a message in the way Ronald Reagan’s firing of air-traffic controllers sent a message of “open season on unions.”
It would also demonstrate his administration’s commitment to organized labor, a group that often feels taken for granted by the Democratic party. He noted that union membership is at an all time low, and Biden promised to reverse the decline.
“The truth is, this is bigger than Amazon.”
Our Revolution-endorsed progressive champion Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts joined our Monday Organize to Win Call to to talk about how the Green New Deal, which he introduced two years ago this month with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“Because of the army of climate organizers like you, climate has become an electoral powerhouse. Climate voters are holding candidates accountable for bold climate plans.” He emphasized the importance of taking action with a Democratic president and Congress in power. “Now is not the time for bargaining or weak-willed negotiation. We need to be bold and brave because this moment demands it. We can’t settle for the mushy middle.” Sen. Markey also said that if the Republicans won’t allow us to pass aggressive climate action, we need to abolish the filibuster.
As we’ve seen this week, we can’t rely on unelected Senate parliamentarians or on the goodwill of GOP senators to get our legislation passed in Congress. If Democrats want to enact bold solutions – like the Fight for $15 and the Green New Deal – and continue to control the White House and Congress in 2022 and beyond, they need to deliver on the promises that put them in power. That’s why our Revolution is working with the Fix the Senate coalition to end the filibuster and stop a militant minority of Trump-supporting senators to obstruct policies that are popular with the vast majority of voters.
SIGN IF YOU AGREE – TIME’S UP FOR THE FILIBUSTER!
Our Revolution Board Member Jim Hightower shared his take in The Lowdown on how the Texas Freeze shows why need to fight the filibuster and double-down on the Green New Deal:
“While Ted Cruz fled Texas for the sunny clime and luxury of the Ritz-Carlton resort in Cancún, Mexico, dozens of his constituents died in the 5-day deep freeze, and millions more suffered physically and financially. They had no heat or water, thanks to the 25-year failure of Texas Republican leaders like Cruz to protect the state’s electric grid from such a predictable
weather crisis. This deadly, multibillion-dollar frigid chaos in energy-rich Texas was not the result of a polar vortex, but of a small-minded vortex of right-wing political hokem that puts the interests of a few corporate profiteers over the well-being of the people.”
Our Revolution-endorsed candidates in Illinois won big in this week’s local primary elections. Daniel Biss won his race for mayor of Evanston, Vance Wyatt scored an upset victory in his bid for Treasurer in North Chicago, and a new wave of progressive champions are poised to serve on city councils in Peoria, Decatur and other towns. Our Illinois Revolution is now gearing up to help our candidates win the general election on April 6th. When we organize, we win!
Our Revolution / New York Progressive Action Network (NYPAN) hosted a Mayoral Candidates Forum with the leading Democrats competing in the June 22nd primary. Candidates were asked questions ranging from support for single-payer healthcare to fair taxation and police reform. “Many progressive organizations and unions have yet to make their endorsements in this race, which will be governed by the new ranked-choice voting rules. Educating our members and making informed endorsements is critical to make sure we elect a real progressive,” said George Albro, an Our Revolution/NYPAN volunteer leader.
Our Revolution endorsed Juan Jaramillo in his run for Massachusetts state representative for the 19th Suffolk District. Raised in a working-class immigrant family, Juan was a frontline worker who now advocates for workers’ rights as a union representative. Juan is running to hold polluters accountable, fund community health centers, and fight for affordable housing. Juan was recently endorsed by both Bernie and Rep. Ayanna Pressley. The special election is on March 2nd.
Our Revolution Maryland held a fundraiser for Sen. Nina Turner’s congressional campaign which was headlined by Congresswoman Cori Bush. “In Congress, we need character. We need integrity. We need dignity. We need somebody who cares about the humanity of all people. We need Sen. Nina Turner in Congress,” Rep. Bush told our members. Sen. Turner talked about why she’s seeking office. “I’m running because we need Medicare for All and to cancel student debt. I’m running for Big Mama and the babies in our communities. I’m running for the frontline workers. I’m running because we need to come together to demand a good life for the poor, the working poor, and the barely middle class.”
Illinois has become the first state to completely eliminate cash bail, a result of a push by Our Revolution progressive champions like State Sen. Robert Peters, chair of the Black Caucus. The bill – signed this week by Gov. J.B. Pritzker – will end a practice that keeps poor people in jail for months awaiting trial and disproportionately affects Black and Latino defendants. Other states – including NY, NJ, and CA – have limited, but not yet eliminated, cash bail.
Our Revolution scored another win in the struggle for criminal justice reform when Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill this week making New Jersey one of 14 states to fully legalize marijuana. Our Revolution New Jersey activists were at the forefront of the fight to pass the ballot measure in November. The newly regulated industry is expected to generate millions of dollars a year in revenue to benefit communities of color who have been disproportionately affected by draconian drug laws.
To mark Black History Month, Our Revolution New Jersey’s Monthly Organize to Win Meeting focused on advancing racial justice policies. Zayid Muhammad – an organizer with the Newark Communities for Accountable Policing – said that it’s time “to hold our elected officials accountable and end police brutality.” Our members are working with Zayid and other progressive activists to establish civilian police review boards across the state.
Our Revolution Ohio has been leading the charge for clean green energy in the Buckeye State and winning! The mayor of Akron recently withdrew an oil and gas fracking proposal, and a bill to end nuclear power subsidies just made it out of a House committee! State Rep. Jeff Crossman spoke about the bill on the Ohio Organize to Win Call this week and noted how Our Revolution Ohio was “instrumental” in building public support by organizing letter campaigns targeting key legislators and leading rallies in support of ending nuclear power subsidies.
Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani joined our Monday Organize to Win Call to discuss the Fight for $15, which voters in her state approved in November with the support of Our Revolution Florida. Rep. Eskamani said she wasn’t surprised that the ballot measure got more votes than Donald Trump. “People care about how much money is in their pocket. And this issue transcends party lines. An eviction notice doesn’t care what party you are.” She also addressed GOP efforts to exclude people from the $15 wage increase who they define as “unhireable.” “Let’s invest in breaking the stigma around returning citizens and make them hireable instead of penalizing them. People just want to live the American dream, yet we continuously pull it away from them.”
HELP US FIGHT FOR PROGRESSIVE POLICIES ACROSS THE USA – BECOME A MEMBER OF OUR REVOLUTION!
Our Revolution Colorado’s February Organizing Call featured DNC member Joe Salazar, who discussed a letter addressed to the Democratic Party – signed by all three Colorado DNC members and many other state party leaders – calling for the censure of Sen. John Hickenlooper for his “reprehensible vote against COVID relief for immigrant communities.” This is the first-ever attempt to censure a Colorado senator and demonstrates the growing power of the progressive movement in the state!
Our Revolution Michigan helped elect a strong slate of progressive candidates for leadership positions in the Justice Caucus and Progressive Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party. Not only that, our members led the effort to pass a #CancelStudentDebt resolution! “The Michigan Democratic Party approved our resolution because of the organizing work we did to build support,” said local organizer Preston VanAlstine, a recent college grad. Several of our members were also elected to the state party’s central governing body.
Our Revolution is calling on President Biden to make sure progressives – not corporate lobbyists – are represented in key DNC leadership positions, such as at-large seats and committee, caucus, and council chairs.
Hello Somebody! We have an incredible opportunity to send our very own Nina Turner to Congress this year!
Nina isn’t the only progressive we can send to Congress this year. We can also elect Karen Carter Peterson to fill the seat being vacated by Cedric Richmond, now a senior Biden advisor. Karen’s election is on March 20th – SIGN UP to VOLUNTEER!
Our Revolution PR will be joined by U.S. Rep. Nydia Velasquez (D-NY) and Puerto Rico elected officials to discuss Puerto Rico’s debt crisis and other issues that continue to affect the island.
Our Revolution Virginia and a coalition of progressive organizations are hosting a series of “People’s Debates” for the three 2021 statewide elections this year. Our first forum will be with Jay Jones, candidate to be Attorney General, this Tuesday!
Join Our Revolution California as we ramp-up the fight for health care for all with local elected champion Ash Kalra, lead sponsor of CalCare, and other special guests.