Meet RAD’s 2022 Early Endorsed Candidates!
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
As VT Delivers Blow to Tenants’ Rights, Our Fight Continues
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.
May movement wins and turning rage into action.
Spring at Rights & Democracy has been off to a moving start. In our calls, conversations, and meetings across the state, there is a palpable sense of energy and renewal.
How will you take action this week?
As we enter this week, we are excited to see the momentum continuing for Vermont Renews priority bills. Last Wednesday, RAD joined “Lunch on the Lawn” at the State House, to say “yes” to free breakfast and lunch for all Vermont students.
Celebrating Essex wins and JCE campaign advances!
As we enter mid-April, we are enjoying the first blooms of spring and celebrating recent wins in the work for a just Vermont in which we all can flourish. To name just a couple…
Presence and power
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.
Our story continues.
Tanya, Taylor, Tom and others after the passage of the Just Cause Eviction Charter in ... Read more
RAD 2022 VT Town Meeting Day Wins
Yesterday’s 2022 Vermont Town Meeting Day elections brought exciting results, with 85% of RAD-endorsed candidates winning their races!
Meet RAD’s 2022 VT Town Meeting Day Endorsed Candidates!
With Vermont’s 2022 Town Meeting Day fast approaching, we are excited to introduce you to the full slate of local candidates we are endorsing ahead of the March 1st elections!
VT Town Meeting Day 2022 Early Endorsements
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!
Leading into 2022
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.
Moving into 2022 with power
January is a special month at Rights & Democracy, one full of assessment and preparation. In each state, we’re at a moment of opportunity.
December: Quiet, collective, power.
We are thrilled to welcome new members to our Vermont leadership committee; Allie Breyer, Brenda Siegel, ... Read more
Support Education Justice in Vermont!
All of our Vermont youth deserve culturally responsive and fact-based curricula, equitable access to educational resources, and a safe and supportive school environment.
RAD 2021 Membership Assembly
Calling all members – new and old – the Membership Assembly is on the horizon! Every year, our members come together to reflect upon and celebrate our work, deepen our relationships, renew our commitment to this movement, and strategize for the year ahead.
Holding the line through October
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.
Speak up for education funding equity in Vermont!
Please sign on to this letter calling for the task force in charge to correct the pupil weighting formula used to distribute education funds to rural and low-income school districts in Vermont, rather than adopting categorical aid!
Speak up for a Vermont Climate Action Plan that ensures we all can thrive!
The Vermont Climate Council is gearing up to develop a plan that will serve as a roadmap for how our state addresses the climate crisis. Now is our chance to speak up for a Climate Action Plan that rapidly transitions us off of fossil fuels while centering justice, equity, and most-impacted Vermonters to ensure we all can thrive!
Here we go! Boldly stepping into 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.
August and the heart of our work
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.
Celebrating the many forms of freedom this July
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 Time to Take Things to the Next Level
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 June, and Our Summer Work Is Heating Up!
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.
A Message from the RAD and RDI Boards of Directors
As the Boards of Directors of Rights & Democracy and Rights & Democracy Institute, we celebrate all that we have accomplished over nearly six years of James Haslam’s leadership.