Building Authentic Democracy

When we decide, all our communities thrive

For our democracy to work for all of us, it must truly include us all. No matter our race, gender, or ZIP code, we should all be able to weigh in on the decisions that govern our lives.

What We Face

Over the past half-century, the corporations and investors who profit off an economy that benefits the few have systematically undermined democratic participation:  

  • They put up barriers — from voter ID laws to only holding public meetings downtown during the day — that limit the voice of poor people, people of color, immigrants, and others most harmed by extractive business tactics.
  • They write campaign checks and dangle promises of new jobs and tax revenue so certain politicians hand over our public land, gut laws protecting us from abusive bosses and bad landlords, and sign sweetheart deals with contractors who fail to deliver the services they promise to provide. 
  • They seek to divide our communities against each other: hoping we’ll blame new immigrants, Black people, or folks struggling to make ends meet for the damage caused by corporate greed.

As a result, we are now fighting for the survival of democracy on every front: from our nation’s capital to our local city halls.

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Our Path Forward

The way we save our democracy is by strengthening it, by making real the promise of “we, the people.” We need to expand the spaces for public decision-making, build the capacity for more people to participate, and bring in those who have been excluded from the halls of power.

  • We focus on cities, where public decisions so directly affect people’s lives and where people can most tangibly see the results of taking action. 
  • In reclaiming community control of our transit systems, streets and sanitation, schools, parks, and other local services, we show what’s possible when decisions are rooted in our common good.
  • And by building real power at the local level, we grow the organized majority that can set a new direction at the state and federal level.
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Ready to build multi-racial, feminist democracy?

Join our community of organizers, residents, local elected leaders, and people committed to shaping a democracy where we all have a say: