What a day!
Thank you to all of our member volunteers, leaders, and staff who helped make our Annual Membership Assembly and People Power Summit a huge success!
In case you missed it, the announcement that made the news is that Rights & Democracy members overwhelmingly voted to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary.
You can read more about this announcement that we made in front of hundreds of members on Saturday at the School for International Training in Brattleboro.
It is clear that the 2020 election is one that will test our democracy, our political resolve, and demand that we stand in support of human rights for everyone and a future for our planet.
The members of Rights & Democracy are determined to elect a true progressive voice in November 2020 — one who can unite our country, heal our deep wounds, and usher in a new era of justice and liberation.
In this presidential campaign, voters are lucky to have not one, but two, viable progressive candidates running in the Democratic primary—Sen. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. And, it’s clear from the voting results that RAD members would support either of these two campaigns if they become the nominee. That is welcome news, because it is up to groups like RAD to unite, rather than divide,the progressive wing of the Democratic Party through this primary process, as the stakes in this election could not be higher.
In addition to this endorsement, we heard keynote speeches from former Vermont State Rep. Kiah Morris, US Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and former Sen. Nina Turner.
Our members also approved the updates to our bylaws and elected new members to our bistate board of directors. Those new (and returning) members are:
Nancy Braus (two-year term, VT)
Scott Garren (two-year term, VT)
Sharlene Hammond-Labore (two-year term, NH)
Kristen Laine (two-year term, At-Large)
Michelle McCord (two-year term, NH)
Alison Nihart (one-year term, VT)*
Mia Schultz (two-year term, VT)
Griffin Sinclair-Wingate (two-year term, NH)*
*current board member
Congratulations again to everyone who attended, ran a workshop, stepped up to lead a section of the Assembly and to join the board. We look forward to working with you all as we head into the very important 2020 legislative and election seasons in our respective states and our country.
Thank you!
Alison Nihart & Amy Hathaway, co-chairs, Rights & Democracy’s Board of Directors