Building Power Together
Like so many, we are reeling from the news of the past two weeks. As a community, RAD is comprised of many people who are all too familiar with the pain and terror of gun violence and racism in our country.
Like so many, we are reeling from the news of the past two weeks. As a community, RAD is comprised of many people who are all too familiar with the pain and terror of gun violence and racism in our country.
This 2022 election season, we are fired up! The end of the Vermont legislative session re-grounded us in the importance of continuing to build movement power
This morning, the Vermont House failed to override Governor Scott’s recent veto of Burlington’s proposed Just Cause Eviction charter change by just one vote. We at Rights & Democracy are deeply disappointed by and angry about this loss for tenants, especially low-income and BIPOC residents who are most impacted by housing injustice, during a time in which secure housing is in short supply and rents are spiking.
March was a huge month for Rights & Democracy, one of immense presence and power. Two weeks ago, I was in DC to stand alongside 10 powerful RAD leaders and Black women-led progressive organizations from across the country in support of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson at the Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
Yesterday’s 2022 Vermont Town Meeting Day elections brought exciting results, with 85% of RAD-endorsed candidates winning their races!
This week brought positive and negative developments, as bills came up for floor votes in the Senate on Thursday.
Rights & Democracy (RAD) is entering a new phase with the announcement of its next executive director, Kiah Morris. Kiah steps into the role after serving for nearly two years as the organization’s Vermont Movement Politics Director.
Rights & Democracy (RAD) is entering a new phase with the announcement of its next executive director, Kiah Morris. Kiah steps into the role after serving for nearly two years as the organization’s Vermont Movement Politics Director.
2022 Legislative Update, Week of February 14thThis past week saw some hopeful developments, as well as some difficult losses, as both the House and Senate met to cast floor votes on priority legislation. Important progress was made on expanding access to healthcare.
Each election season, we announce a first slate of early endorsed candidates who share our vision and values and are proven champions of our principles and key priorities — and we are thrilled to introduce you to this year’s slate today!
This February, we are celebrating leadership across our movement. We’re seeing mounting interest in running for local office and grassroots organizing in both states, and we are excited to keep growing the work of our Grassroots Leadership Academy to support, educate, and motivate movement leaders.
This past week was quite a week, with Legislative committees hearing testimony on priority bills around divisive concepts, school vouchers, housing justice, and abortion bans. Thank you to everyone who came out to make their voices heard. We are still waiting on the committees to issue vote recommendations.
January is a special month at Rights & Democracy, one full of assessment and preparation. In each state, we’re at a moment of opportunity.
I hope you are taking a moment this week to slow down and enjoy the view; we are all feeling deeply how much is at stake right now, and have been showing up in so many ways to shift the political landscape. Be gentle with yourself, and let’s take inspiration from all the powerful work we did together in September.
I hope the final days summer have given all of you a chance to recharge. As one RAD staff member put it, August “has been like Friday afternoon for a whole month.” So, rested and restored, we shake off summer and step into September, gearing up for a busy fall.
Over the past month, RAD really stepped into the heart of our work. The through line of our movement is ever present, and we really felt it this month as we continued our blend of in person organizing and our remote operations.
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.
Six years ago, I brought together some of the best organizers and leaders I knew to found Rights & Democracy (RAD). Working across Vermont and New Hampshire, RAD was a new kind of people’s movement organization focused on changing what is politically possible by using all the tools in the changing-making tool box.
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 joins national solidarity statement calling on Biden Administration to condemn Israeli government plans to forcibly displace Palestinians in Occupied East Jerusalem.
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.
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.
Rights & Democracy fully supports HB 128, a bill which would ban the LGBTQ+ Panic Defense – using a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity to legitimize a crime. However, we are deeply troubled by Sen. Jeanette White’s callous use of stereotypes and thoughtless tropes when questioning the bill.