Contact all members of Congress:
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: democracy.io
By US mail: Representatives / Senators
By fax: Representatives / Senators
By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
STOP THE EROSION OF BLACK VOTING POWER
Since the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court decision, the difference in the turnout rate between white and non-white voters has been growing, and has been growing most rapidly in states with a history of racial discrimination in voting, according to a Brennan Center report. Let’s respond to this injustice in one or more of the following ways:
· Express our support of S.4 and H.R.14, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2024, to our Members of Congress and tell them to co-sponsor the bill if they have not done so already.
· Help re-elect President Biden and work for Democratic majorities in the House and Senate so they can get the John Lewis bill passed.
· Help elect Democrats at the state level, where voter suppression laws get passed.
· Invest in, and/or volunteer for, organizations fighting voter suppression, like the Movement Voter Project, the Center for Common Ground, and the NAACP.
STAND UP FOR THE RIGHT TO READ
“Public libraries saw 92 percent increase in number of titles targeted for censorship over the previous year,” reads the headline of the American Library Association’s new press release on books targeted for censorship in 2023, with 47% of books targeted in public libraries and schools involving LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC themes. While nearly every state saw book challenges in 2023, the most impacted states were CO, CT, FL, ID, IL, IA, KY, MD, MO, NC, OH, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, and WI. Let’s tell our Members of Congress to co-sponsor H.R.6592—Fight Book Bans Act, which would authorize the Secretary of Education to provide grants to schools to cover the costs of book challenges, and to co-sponsor H.R.6830—Books Save Lives Act, which would, among other things, “classify discriminatory book bans as violations of civil rights laws” and “require the Government Accountability Office to report on the effect of book bans on underrepresented communities.”
EQUITY IN CIVIL COURTS
Pew Charitable Trusts has been looking into the problem of civil court justice in the states for a while now (example), and has recently released a fact sheet of steps for making civil courts more equitable. Let’s read “How to Measure and Address Disparities in Court Experiences and Outcomes.” Then, let’s inform the courts in our state about Pew’s fact sheet and tell them that we want them to take steps to address civil justice disparities across racial, ethnic, disability, income, gender, age, and linguistic populations.
SUPPORT NAACP STUDENT-ATHLETE BOYCOTT OF FLORIDA PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
In a letter to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the NAACP notes that all state-funded Florida colleges and universities are required by state law to dismantle their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The letter calls on all current and prospective college student-athletes to reconsider their decisions to attend and compete at any colleges or universities in Florida. The NAACP’s statement is in response to news that the University of Florida has scrapped its DEI programs. In solidarity, let’s make the college student-athletes in our lives aware of the NAACP’s boycott.
KEEP CALM AND HOST A BLOCK PARTY
There’s a media drumbeat about dangerous political polarization in America—example—but what are the nuanced contours of it? We can find lots of good answers in “Polarization, Democracy, and Political Violence in the United States: What the Research Says,” a report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In our own corners of America, we can build bridges with our neighbors and humanize one another by organizing and attending block parties together. Ideas for planning block parties can be found on the internet—like this and this—and some municipalities, recognizing the community-building power of block parties, even offer grants and other support: example, example. As we move into milder outdoor weather, let’s consider joining with neighbors to organize a block party and build stronger ties for our communities, cities, states, and country.