Building Power Together
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.
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.