WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? An Open Letter to Members of the US Senate and the White House

Members of the US Senate and the White House

SIGN THIS OPEN LETTER AND JOIN A SEASON OF NONVIOLENT MORAL DIRECT ACTION TO SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

The Time is Now for Nonviolent Moral Direct Action

An Open Letter to Members of the US Senate and the White House

The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, joined by dozens of partners, our 40+ state coordinating committees, and thousands of faith leaders, has announced a season of non-violent moral direct action July 12 - August 8. We demand that Congress:

  1. End the filibuster

  2. Pass all provisions of the For the People Act

  3. Fully restore the 1965 Voting Rights Act

  4. Raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hr

In the halls of power and our nation’s highest court, wealthy elites with a vested interest in clinging to minority rule are actively undermining American democracy. The surge of voter participation in 2018 and 2020 - including among poor and low-wage voters - created majorities in the House and Senate that claimed to want to move the country forward. These majorities, the result of many years of organizing, were built on claims to embrace policies that enjoy overwhelming popular support: federal protection of voting rights, a $15 minimum wage, universal access to healthcare, comprehensive immigration reform and investment in sustainable infrastructure.

But none of these policies have been enacted because of an extremist minority in the Senate who are using the non-constitutional filibuster to block this constitutional and popular mandate to establish justice and provide for the general welfare.

When our democracy and the rights and lives of the poor and of low-wage workers are in peril, to talk of compromise with these extremists is morally-indefensible, constitutionally inconsistent, economically insane and a grave form of political malpractice. Fifty-one votes were used to place justices on the Supreme Court for life, justices who are now undermining voting rights. Fifty-one votes surely must be used to save and strengthen our democracy.

Now is the time to ask our representatives and ourselves: Which Side Are You On? Democracy or Autocracy? The provisions of the US Constitution or the demands of the US Chamber of Commerce?

The time is now for a resurrection of nonviolent moral direct action, not an insurrection of immoral violence.

This fight is not just about Black or white. What we are witnessing are attacks on people of every race, creed, income, gender, sexuality, ability and identity. The battle to suppress the vote is a tool of wealth distribution upward. Not only are we battling autocracy, but the possibility of descending further into a civil oligarchy.

The purpose of this season of action is to strengthen the resolve of our allies to stand up against these injustices and to challenge the capitulation and inaction of those who have proven themselves to be adversarial to voting rights, economic justice and the very foundations of our democracy.

Through this season of weekly Moral Monday Nonviolent Moral Direct Actions , we will continue to escalate our public pressure for change. We invite partners and all people who believe in justice and democracy to join us in this critical moment in history to save the soul and the body of this nation:

July 12 - Launch from DC & Mass Moral Monday Call-In Day

  • A massive national call-in to every US Senator combined with a live press conference from Washington DC to launch the season of action

July 19 - A Women’s Moral Monday March on Washington

  • On the anniversary of the Women’s Convention at Seneca Falls, nonviolent moral direct action in DC led by women from all over the country.

July 26 - Moral Monday Actions in States Across the Nation

  • Targeting all Senators regardless of party, people in at least 45 states will engage in nonviolent moral direct action.

August 2 - Moral Monday Action in DC - Faith Leaders + Poor & Low-Wage Workers

  • Nonviolent moral direct action focused on the US Senate and led by a mass number of clergy and religious leaders with poor and low-wage workers.

Forward together, not one step back!

To: Members of the US Senate and the White House
From: [Your Name]

The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, joined by dozens of partners, our 40+ state coordinating committees, and thousands of faith leaders, has announced a season of non-violent moral direct action July 12 - August 8. We demand that Congress:

1) End the filibuster
2) Pass all provisions of the For the People Act
3) Fully restore the 1965 Voting Rights Act
4) Raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hr

In the halls of power and our nation’s highest court, wealthy elites with a vested interest in clinging to minority rule are actively undermining American democracy. The surge of voter participation in 2018 and 2020 - including among poor and low-wage voters - created majorities in the House and Senate that claimed to want to move the country forward. These majorities, the result of many years of organizing, were built on claims to embrace policies that enjoy overwhelming popular support: federal protection of voting rights, a $15 minimum wage, universal access to healthcare, comprehensive immigration reform and investment in sustainable infrastructure.

But none of these policies have been enacted because of an extremist minority in the Senate who are using the non-constitutional filibuster to block this constitutional and popular mandate to establish justice and provide for the general welfare.

When our democracy and the rights and lives of the poor and of low-wage workers are in peril, to talk of compromise with these extremists is morally-indefensible, constitutionally inconsistent, economically insane and a grave form of political malpractice. Fifty-one votes were used to place justices on the Supreme Court for life, justices who are now undermining voting rights. Fifty-one votes surely must be used to save and strengthen our democracy.

Now is the time to ask our representatives and ourselves: Which Side Are You On? Democracy or Autocracy? The provisions of the US Constitution or the demands of the US Chamber of Commerce?

The time is now for a resurrection of nonviolent moral direct action, not an insurrection of immoral violence.

This fight is not just about Black or white. What we are witnessing are attacks on people of every race, creed, income, gender, sexuality, ability and identity. The battle to suppress the vote is a tool of wealth distribution upward. Not only are we battling autocracy, but the possibility of descending further into a civil oligarchy.

The purpose of this season of action is to strengthen the resolve of our allies to stand up against these injustices and to challenge the capitulation and inaction of those who have proven themselves to be adversarial to voting rights, economic justice and the very foundations of our democracy.

Through this season of weekly Moral Monday Nonviolent Moral Direct Actions , we will continue to escalate our public pressure for change. We invite partners and all people who believe in justice and democracy to join us in this critical moment in history to save the soul and the body of this nation.

Forward together, not one step back!