Building Power Together
This July marks a quiet shift for Rights & Democracy. With high vaccination rates across both Vermont and New Hampshire and the boundless opportunities for outdoor events presented by summer weather, there is a feeling of awakening.
It’s hard to believe we are nearly halfway through the year! Although the legislative session is winding down, RAD’s work is not. We have been processing, planning, adapting, and responding to the ever-shifting political landscape to build the people powered movement we need. At this point, we’ve gotten pretty good at it.
Rights & Democracy stands in strong support of Kiah Morris and her family in the aftermath of a grueling two-year investigation into the hate and racism they experienced in Bennington.
With the warm weather rolling in and more vaccines rolling out, (We’re number one, Vermont!), we were thrilled to kick off this month with long-awaited, live in-person events for May Day.
We, the undersigned organizations, support the Rutland City Public Schools Ravens mascot and reject any attempt to revert back to the district’s racist former mascot.
Our hearts are with the family and friends of George Floyd, who will finally see his murderer held accountable, and we hope that they can now find some peace and closure.
March, with its annual malaise of not-quite-winter, not-quite-spring, feels especially damp this year as it marks our quarantine anniversary.
We had an incredible slate of wins yesterday, including two RAD board members, Jo Sabel Courtney and Barbara Wilson, as well as RAD member leaders and supporters across Vermont. We are also thrilled that following two strong ballot campaigns, Burlington residents voted yes for Just Cause Eviction and Ranked Choice Voting
Town Meeting Day is around the corner and the Legislature is reviewing a bill that would make vote by mail a permanent provision for future elections.
With Vermont’s Town Meeting Day less than two weeks away, we are excited to announce our full slate of 2021 RAD-endorsed candidates for local elected offices across the state!
This new legislative session has brought many changes. This year, we are seeing committees working on legislation in a more comprehensive way, including creating various committee drafted bills instead of stand-alone bills.
What a whirlwind of a ride! We are excited to dive into the incredible work of the Vermont Legislature at the start of a new biennium. With so many new champions in legislative leadership, we are keeping track of and supporting a wide variety of bills. It is my hope this newsletter will help keep you informed as things develop throughout the season.
We made it! December is here at last.In January, everyone sensed we were embarking on one of our most critical years as an organization.
We made it! December is here at last. In January, everyone sensed we were embarking on one of our most critical years as an organization. After years of preparation and countless hours spent by organizers, members, and volunteers…
RAD’s Burlington Chapter is part of a coalition working to improve tenant rights in the city by passing a Just Cause Eviction charter change, which would protect tenants from arbitrary evictions and require landlords to have a legal justification for evicting a tenant. This past Monday, the coalition secured an important win when the Burlington City Council voted “yes” on a resolution to
The voters spoke in record numbers. Prominent in that record turnout were working class folks, people of color and women. This was not spontaneous, but the product of months and years of hard organizing
In the midst of a particularly difficult year, the November 3rd elections in New Hampshire delivered some hard losses, but also some significant victories for our movement that it is important to lift up and celebrate.
Vermont is often hailed as a progressive haven, but in reality the state’s politics are much more mixed. In particular, there are rural areas where conservative politicians have long held the seats at the decision-making table, consistently voting against legislation that would support working families and protect our climate.
In a year of many worries about what the future holds, we are fortunate to have a RAD-endorsed progressive candidate for governor who has committed to helping build a Vermont that prioritizes workers’ rights, racial justice, public services, and a climate-secure future. His name? David Zuckerman.
This is a big election year, and there is a lot on the line for our country, our state and our democracy. We are hard at work mobilizing with our movement partners to defeat Trump so we can begin healing our communities, and it is just as important to show up for our New Hampshire state and district candidates.
President Trump recently nominated Amy Coney Barrett to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the US Supreme Court. We must not let this happen.
Barrett has a conservative voting record and has openly criticized the Affordable Care Act and Roe v. Wade. If appointed, she poses a serious threat to the healthcare and reproductive rights that Justice Ginsburg did so much to advance, and that generations of organizers and activists have fought so hard for.
We all know there is a lot at stake in the 2020 general election on November 3rd. While we are organizing hard with our national movement partners to beat Trump, this year it is more important than ever to show up strong for our Vermont state and district candidates.