Activism Moves Mountains
Dispatches on the For The People Act (Edition #25)
Hello everyone! Yesterday marked the 56th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act. We honored the milestone by continuing to fight like heck to save our democracy.
Below, I have a number of updates about the For The People Act and the incredible activism that has occurred in the past week to push the ball forward. As always, please don’t forget to subscribe to this Substack to stay in the loop:
Let’s start with a few announcements:
Today, we are launching a new webpage: H.R. 1 is Popular. This site chronicles the strong and sustained public support for the For The People Act. It also explores the polling on individual provisions of the bill and opinions about reforming the filibuster. Check it out here and please share it widely!
On Thursday, Equal Citizens founder Lawrence Lessig moderated a discussion between Cliff Albright (the cofounder of Black Voters Matter) and Eli Zupnick (spokesperson for Fix Our Senate). They discussed the role of grassroots activism in the fight for the For The People Act and how we can fix the senate filibuster. Jana Morgan, director of the Declaration for American Democracy (DFAD), also made a special guest appearance. You can watch the event here.
Lastly, we have three new podcast episodes this week. First, our executive director Adam Eichen spoke with Eli Zupnick, (spokesperson for the Fix Our Senate coalition) about the battle over the filibuster. Check it out here. In a second podcast, Adam discussed the For The People Act with Jana Morgan (the head of the DFAD coalition). Listen here. Finally, in the most recent episode, Lessig shares the audio of his recent speech at “Peaches and Politics” in New Durham, New Hampshire. In it, he describes the stakes of the fight for the For The People Act, and makes the case that tough love is now needed for President Biden.
Direct Action Works.
As we reported last week, Democratic senators have been working on a compromise For The People Act that would unite the party and clear the Senate. While we continue to wait to see the exact language of the compromise bill, grassroots activists are doubling down on their efforts to build pressure for reform. I want to take some time to explain why this is so significant, and how nonviolent direct action can make such a difference.
To set the context for how powerful activism can be, let’s talk about what Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) did this past week. Last weekend, Congress and the White House were unable to summon the courage to extend the eviction moratorium, leaving millions of Americans at risk of eviction from their homes. Finding this inaction unacceptable, Rep. Bush slept overnight in front of the Capitol building throughout the weekend in protest. Joined by other representatives, Bush’s direct action generated constant media coverage and ultimately applied enough pressure that the White House was forced to act. Within days, President Biden extended a targeted version of the eviction moratorium.
This story is an inspiring and informative one. Rep. Bush’s action overcame millions of dollars in lobbying efforts by the real estate industry. Her activism challenged the government to be better and was successful in protecting millions of Americans from eviction.
The civil rights, voting rights, and money in politics organizations working to pass the For The People Act have taken similar approaches to ratchet up the pressure on the White House and Senate. And this grassroots activism has consistently made a difference in the fight for the For The People Act, pushing the ball forward in ways few predicted.
Just remember, pundits declared the For The People Act dead in March and again in June. But after months of grassroots pressure, the bill has never been closer to passing. In fact, the Senate is now considering another procedural vote on the For The People Act next week.
Activism can move mountains. It is the secret ingredient to saving our democracy. And we will need plenty more of it over the next few weeks.
Recap of Recent Actions:
Since the media has too often ignored the grassroots activism around the For The People Act, you might be thinking: “What is Kevin talking about? There’s no grassroots movement to pass the For The People Act”. To prove my point, let’s go over everything that took place in just the past week:
Last Saturday, the Poor People’s Campaign rallied at the Texas State Capitol after their 27-mile march! See press coverage of the event here.
On Monday, DFAD partnered with the Poor People’s Campaign in the culmination of their Season of Nonviolent Direct Action by protesting in D.C. 200 activists were arrested in this protest, including prominent civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. William Barber. Watch here.
On Tuesday, nearly 150 state legislators from 30 states joined activists and key federal politicians in D.C. and called for the passage of the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Read more here and watch it here. These actions were coupled with a letter from dozens of pro-democracy organizations to the Biden Administration demanding more aggressive action on voting rights.
On Wednesday, there was a march to the White House to demand that President Biden pick a side: voting rights or the filibuster. If you weren’t able to make it, the full livestream of the rally and march are available on DFAD’s Facebook Page. That evening, a group of democracy champions decided to follow Rep. Bush’s lead and stage a sleep-in on the Capitol building steps for democracy reform.
On Thursday, there were multiple virtual events promoting the For The People Act. First, the Leadership Conference held a live event with a panel of voting rights experts to discuss the Voting Rights Act. Watch it here. Later in the evening, we held our discussion on grassroots activism, the filibuster, and the For The People Act, with Black Voters Matter and Fix Our Senate. Check it out here.
On Friday, DFAD, Generation Progress, and the Young Elected Officials Network hosted a virtual event to call on the U.S. Senate to pass the For The People Act before the August recess. Later in the day, the League of Women Voters and Leadership Conference held a virtual teach-in about the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and DC Statehood. A number of activists simultaneously blocked traffic outside Reagan National Airport to build more pressure to cancel the Senate recess and pass the For The People Act.
Upcoming Events:
Hopefully by this point, you trust me when I write that momentum is building and there is a grassroots movement to pass the For The People Act. If you have FOMO (“fear of missing out”), don’t worry; there are a number of upcoming events that you can plug into.
Next Tuesday, August 10th, the Declaration for American Democracy coalition is helping organize a National Day of Action. There are ‘Democracy Can’t Wait’ rallies across the country, both in-person and virtual. Find an event near you here.
On August 28th, there will be a March on for Voting Rights in Washington D.C. and other cities. We hope that the For The People Act will be passed by then, but if it is not, then these rallies will certainly amplify pressure. They will also build pressure for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a critical companion bill to the For The People Act.
More events are popping up all the time, so don’t forget to subscribe to hear about exciting future events.
If there is one lesson from this meditation on activism, it’s that we cannot rely on politicians to do the right thing. It’s up to us to speak out, take action, and build pressure to save our democracy.
In the News:
The New York Times’ Charles Blow explores the critical and reignited role of protest in politics, including in the fight to protect our democracy. Highlighting the activism of Rep. Bush and the voting rights community, Blow emphasizes the power of policy protest and its symbiotic relationship with passion protests.
Perry Bacon Jr. of the Washington Post argues that the voting rights movement deserves more from President Biden. Bacon sends a clear message: “Joe Biden needed the movement to get to the White House — and it delivered for him. Now, the movement needs Joe Biden to deliver in return.”
The Brennan Center’s Michael Li emphasizes the dwindling timeframe to stop severe partisan gerrymandering. Next week, the Census Bureau will release the data for states to start redistricting, so unless Congress acts soon, it will be impossible to stop the worst gerrymandering practices.
Martin Luther King III calls on everyday Americans to fight against attacks on the freedom to vote and for the passage of federal pro-voter legislation. Highlighting the upcoming anniversary of the March on Washington, MLK III emphasizes that activists must continue to demand that federal action be taken to defend voting rights.
Don’t forget to keep your friends, family, and colleagues in the loop by sharing this Substack with them.
Social Media Roundup:
Let’s be frank: there are A LOT of tweets, posts, and general conversation about the For The People Act. In this section, we give you an overview of the tweets and media you really need to see.
More Ways to Help!
We are entering possibly one of the most critical moments for American democracy since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We need all the help we can get to push the For The People Act over the finish line! Here are more ways to join the fight to protect American democracy:
Call your senators and tell them that you support reforming the filibuster to pass H.R. 1. You can find your senators’ phone numbers, as well as where they stand on the filibuster, using our handy filibuster tracker!
Common Cause, Center for Common Ground, RepresentUs, and End Citizens United are organizing regular phone banks in support of the For the People Act. This is a great opportunity to spread the word about H.R. 1 and help constituents contact their Senators in support of the bill. Check them out here, here, here, and here.
Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action is hosting Hot Call Summer. Plug into their actions here.
Common Cause also hosts regular text banks on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Sign up to join them here.
Write a letter to the editor in your local paper sharing your support of H.R. 1 and urging your Senators to pass it. Not sure how to write a letter to the editor? Reach out to us at info@equalcitizens.us and we can help!
Share our newsletter, our podcast, the articles included above, and the resources on H.R. 1 below on social media and tell your friends why you support #ForThePeopleAct
Extra, Extra:
If, after reading our newsletter, you still want to know more about the For The People Act or Equal Citizens you can find more information here! If you have questions about H.R. 1 you want us to answer in our Substack, tweet at us with #HR1Substack! Also, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more updates throughout the week.
Relevant Resources:
Here are a few resources on the “For the People Act” if you have questions:
Equal Citizens launched a filibuster tracker, so you can see where your senator stands on the filibuster. It also includes their phone numbers and their Twitter handles, so you can get in touch with them directly and push them to support filibuster reform!
The Brennan Center for Justice created a wonderful guide to H.R. 1. Check it out here. They also created an in-depth report about racism and disenfranchisement due to incarceration.
Recently, the Brennan Center also published a report on why H.R. 1 brings us closer to an inclusive democracy. Check it out here.
Here is the link to the House website on the For the People Act.
Flood social media with these awesome graphics about the For the People Act!
There is a lot of misinformation about H.R. 1, and the amount of misinformation will only grow as the fight heats up. That’s why it’s more important than ever to make sure everyone has all the facts on the bill - here is an article from Media Matters that can help you fact check. Additionally, the Brennan Center published a piece to help you decipher fact from fiction. Check it out here.
More About Me:
Kevin Rissmiller is a fellow at Equal Citizens and a Goodwin-Niering Scholar at Connecticut College majoring in Government and exploring sociology, economics, and applied statistics. In his free time, you will find him at Dunkins or (pre-pandemic) playing ultimate frisbee. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
If you want more updates on H.R. 1 from Kevin, then subscribe here!