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Friend,
As the new Empowerment Director for American Promise, it is my vision and mission to empower all Americans to come together for the ratification of the 28th Amendment. Our nation is facing an array of challenges, and we the American people can and will bring positive change to our political climate. As we embark upon the 2020 election season, it is important to understand that Americans across our nation have the power to decide on the quality of life we want for ourselves and future generations. Reaching out to elected officials and exercising our right to vote offer a chance to advocate against social injustice.
Right now Americans want to feel empowered while understanding how to execute their rights as citizens. Americans can hold elected officials accountable and collectively end how big money continues to dominate our political climate. We at American Promise will continue to uplift Americans, while valuing their dignity and worth. In the words of the late and great James Baldwin: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
As your new Empowerment Director, I challenge you to take a stance with me. Let’s bring about change by advocating for the ratification of the 28th Amendment.
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Dr. Jessica Hare
Empowerment Director,
American Promise
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Nina Turner: Don't Lose Faith in the Work We're Doing
In a recent op-ed in Truthout, American Promise Advisory Board member Senator Nina Turner shares inspiring words about the importance of continuing the work for social justice, even when we feel discouraged.
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Peter Schwartz: Far-Sighted Business Leaders Should Support the 28th Amendment
An internationally known futurist and business strategist, Peter Schwartz specializes in scenario planning, working with corporations, governments, and other institutions to create alternative perspectives of the future. In this video, Peter shares why far-sighted business leaders should support an amendment to end the domination of money in politics.
Join Peter and other business professionals in taking the long view by signing the Statement of Principle for Business Professionals.
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Join the Contributor Network! This month our American Promise writers' group is reaching out to local papers to spread the word about our work as we approach election season. Are you a wordsmith with thoughts to share? Join our contributor network to receive monthly prompts and use your words to meaningfully advocate for our cause.
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The issue: Thanks to Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United that have ruled that money is the same as free speech, the superwealthy have a vastly disproportionate voice in our political process. So far, the top eight individual contributors have given more than $220 million to the 2020 federal election. Contributions from small donors $200 or less have surged in the 2020 presidential campaigns, yet these donors still represent just 25% of total 2020 presidential political donations.
The action: As election season approaches, call or email your elected representatives and candidates for office to ask if they support an equal voice for all of their constituents. Use the resources here to help fuel your conversation.
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State Manager Azor Cole on Making the Amendment a Voting Issue
In a recent interview on the radio program We Get Results with Mary Singer Albertson, State Manager Azor Cole shared the work American Promise does to make the amendment a voting issue through its Candidate Pledge program.
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| Candidate Pledge Signers
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Every week more and more candidates sign our candidate pledge. Here, we highlight a few recent pledge signers and celebrate their commitment to serving all Americans equally. Help us lift up these candidates by downloading their pledge graphics from link below and sharing on social media, making sure to tag the candidate and American Promise.
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Here are other recent pledge signers:
- Mark Forest, Candidate for Barnstable County Commission, Massachusetts
- Luann D'Agostino, Candidate for Delaware State Representative, District 22
- Adam Gomez, Candidate for Massachusetts State Senate, Hampden District
- Matt Meyer, County Executive, New Castle County, Delaware
- Jessica Miranda, Ohio State Representative, District 28
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| Upcoming American Promise Events
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September 15: Join us for our 2nd quarterly Citizen Leader Book Club call. To celebrate Constitution Day and the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, author Author Elaine Weiss will discuss her latest book, “The Woman’s Hour,” which examines the decades-long suffragist movement that led to white women gaining the right to vote with the 19th Amendment. The call starts at 8 p.m. ET. Sign up here!
More online: Watch the American Promise calendar for event updates and check our YouTube Channel for recordings of many of our past events.
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| What We’re Tracking This Week
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From Mike Deal of the Virginia American Promise Chapter: In this opinion article in Democracy4Change.org, Mike Deal of the Virginia American Promise Chapter highlights how citizen-led movements can advance democratic reforms through constitutional change. He writes: “Grassroots activism will certainly be required once again to effect change and restore equal representation for all by limiting the toxic influence of big money on politics.” Read more.
From Jay E. Johnson of the West Metro American Promise Chapter: Writing to the SunPatriot Newspapers, Jay E. Johnson of the West Metro American Promise Chapter recently asked Waconia (Minnesota) City Council members to pledge their support to a constitutional amendment that would limit political spending. “In every district across our nation, concentrated money from self-interested elites dominates our elections, drowns out the free speech rights of your constituents, and corrupts competitive free enterprise with pay-to-play crony capitalism,” he said. Read more.
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From Facing South: Voting rights activist and Democracy Fellow Evan Marlbrough shares his thoughts on the systemic issues that disenfranchise voters and make our votes less meaningful, including the domination of money in politics. "As citizens, our role involves doing more than just voting," he writes. Read more.
From The Fulcrum: A new law means New Yorkers now can cite the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason to request an absentee ballot and vote by mail. Six states have not adjusted vote-by-mail rules for the presidential election: Texas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Read more.
From the Center for Responsive Politics: “Dark money” groups aligned with Democratic or Republican party leadership have spent or collected more than $116 million for the 2020 election cycle. The political party-aligned groups are able to skirt the Federal Election Commission’s disclosure rules by pouring millions of dollars into digital advertising or TV ads framed as issue advocacy and funneling money through Super PACs. Read more.
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American Promise empowers Americans to act together to win the 28th Amendment so people, not money, govern in America.
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