Building Power Together
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.
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 hope you found time for rest and rejuvenation in the final days of December. Here at RAD, we are coming into the new year ready to get to work. 2020 was hard – exhausting, and at times, devastating for so many. We kept our eye on 2021 in the hope that a new year would bring light, clarity, and new pathways for change. And we continue to harbor that hope, but the past few days have been rough.
Grassroots Organizations Launch Statewide Climate and Jobs Coalition BURLINGTON, VT – Frontline communities, labor groups, … Read more
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
We want to celebrate five years of RAD with you – longtime members, supporters, and newcomers alike – and then look towards taking our next steps together in building our movement.
While it has not been an ideal year and we had mixed results nationally and in Vermont, we want to take a moment to celebrate Tuesday’s victories and all of the work that helped to get us here.
We are just over a week away from the November 3rd election, and we wanted to provide a few resources and updates on pre- and post election news and events.
We are in a troubling time, and the future of our democracy is at stake. We are headed into a historic election that will shape our communities and impact our rights for years to come, and we are simultaneously facing a right-wing attempt to rush through the confirmation of an anti-choice, climate science questioning Supreme Court nominee.
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.
Following last week’s presidential debate and Trump’s concerning attempts to undermine confidence in our electoral process, we are redoubling our efforts to ensure a fair election and preparing to respond to any post-election threats to our democracy.
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.
The November election is almost five weeks away, and we are getting ready. Following the Primary Day results, Rights & Democracy has been at work looking at the candidates who are moving on to the General Election, and evaluating how their platforms
This year’s Primary Day was thrilling! Fifty candidates of our endorsed slate of fifty-five won their races, and we couldn’t be more excited! We wanted to share highlights with you from a few of Tuesday’s key races…