Building Power Together
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.
January is a special month at Rights & Democracy, one full of assessment and preparation. In each state, we’re at a moment of opportunity.
All of our Vermont youth deserve culturally responsive and fact-based curricula, equitable access to educational resources, and a safe and supportive school environment.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dear Vermont State Legislators, We, the undersigned, Vermont parents and community members stand against the current legislative proposals to gut public pensions of public school educators and state employees. Public education is the bedrock of our communities and our democracy and any efforts to undermine
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
Housing is a basic need. We are working to ensure that everyone in Vermont is guaranteed affordable, safe, equitable, and healthy housing. Please join us.