Our country is plagued by racism and xenophobia - both explicit and implicit: Trump continues to demand a U.S.-Mexico border wall, hate crimes against religious and racial minorities are on the rise along with acts of white supremacist terrorism, police continue to disproportionately use (sometimes deadly) force when interacting with Black and/or Latinx people, the Black maternal mortality rate continues to worsen, the racial wealth gap is widening, and tech companies are failing to contain the rise of hate on their platforms and are ignoring the discriminatory impacts of their algorithms.

With the introduction of solutions-oriented legislation like the Dream and Promise Act, the Savanna’s Act, and municipalities holding local law enforcement accountable, it is crucial that 2020 Democratic presidential candidates further this momentum by putting forth well defined policy solutions that (1) address the uptick in xenophobia, racism, and white supremacist violence (2) protect immigrant communities and communities of color and (3) address systemic inequalities in our economy, healthcare, technology, and education systems on the debate stage.

Now that Kavanaugh has been confirmed, the Supreme Court leans conservative and the Republicans still control the Senate. The Democratic presidential nominee must be equipped to not only combat current and future attempts to attack and divide marginalized people and communities of color, but to paint a concrete vision for the future. In order to defeat Trump, Democratic presidential hopefuls must address both explicit racism and xenophobia as well as the implicit biases that drive systemic inequality on the debate stage.

Sign the petition: Call on 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to address race, xenophobia, and systemic bias on the debate stage with forward-thinking policy.

1. Publicly endorse the below legislative efforts and require candidates to discuss them on the debate stage.
1. Dream and Promise Act as introduced
2. MOMMIES and CARE Acts
3. No Ban Act
4. Savanna’s Act
5. Comprehensive privacy/tech oversight legislation grounded in civil rights protections and focused on reducing biased impacts of technology.
2. Publicly endorse and require discussion on the debate stage on defunding border patrol, law enforcement and the prison-industrial complex vis a vis the below strategies.
1. Eliminating for-profit prisons
2. Restoring voting rights to returning citizens
3. Demilitarizing all law enforcement and the United States’ presence abroad
3. During the DNC debates, candidates should be expected to provide preliminary plans for providing Black and indigenous communities with reparations for genocide and enslavement

Participating Organizations:
Color of Change
CREDO Action
Daily Kos
Every Case Matters
Free Press Action Fund
Friends of the Earth Action
People Demanding Action
People For the American Way
Progress America
Seeding Sovereignty
United We Dream

Supporting Organizations:
National Immigration Law Center