John, to build long-term power in state legislatures, we’ve got to support year-round, on-the-ground organizing.

Every year through our State Bridges Program, we partner with incredible community-based organizations doing this critical work. We see this support as an important complement to our electoral work helping candidates.

Today, we want to highlight our partner PA Stands Up and share the powerful story of its Executive Director, Carrie Santoro.

We hope you’ll read Carrie’s story and make a direct contribution to PA Stands Up. 100% of your donation will go towards their efforts to build long-term progressive political power in Pennsylvania.

Here’s Carrie’s story:

Years ago, I wandered into a community organizing meeting as a 27-year-old mom from rural Berks County, Pennsylvania.

My son had just come out as transgender, and as someone from a pretty conservative family in a conservative part of the state, I didn't feel like I had the support that I needed — especially because it was 2015, and legislators in North Carolina were making headlines with House Bill 2 (AKA the ‘bathroom bill’).

I really didn't understand why other parents and legislators were attacking kids like Finn, and I was desperate to do something about it. I just didn't know what.

My rage against these state legislators — and my fear for Finn’s safety — eventually led me to that community organizing meeting. That’s when things clicked for me.

Finn and other trans kids were being used as a distraction, while the people who control our state legislatures were trying to pass laws to hurt working families. It was there that I also realized that this tactic went way beyond their attacks on kids like Finn.

Rich and powerful people have been doing this for decades — dividing working people by race, gender, sexuality, religion, immigration, status, and physical ability — to ultimately pass laws that help them and hurt us.

Eventually, I said yes to taking on more responsibility as a community member, to plan community meetings and events, and even start co-facilitating courageous conversations on race. I had finally found a political home that existed year-round.

Building power with a multiracial, multigenerational group of people is exactly what PA Stands Up does. We meet people with curiosity and compassion, so that they feel valued, invested in, and empowered to become leaders in their communities. We provide that political home for people, even in the ‘off-years.’

Our mission is really simple: At PA Stands Up, we organize across race and place to build a Pennsylvania that works for all of us.

We employ proven methods like deep canvassing and a layered approach to building long-term political power. But more importantly, we approach the work with deeply held shared values of compassionate curiosity for each other's stories, discipline in our mission, and joy for the work that we do every day on behalf of Pennsylvanians.

John, will you join Sister District and our community across the country in supporting PA Stands Up? Every donation helps Carrie and her team build democracy from the ground up and ensure that everyone in PA has a voice.

Thank you so much for reading — and for investing in year-round, power-building organizations like PA Stands up and the organizers like Carrie who lead them.

In solidarity,

Gaby Goldstein and the entire team at Sister District

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Contributions or gifts to Citizen Action of Wisconsin are not tax deductible as charitable contributions or as business expenses under IRC Section 162(e). Contributions or gifts to Sister District Action Network, New Virginia Majority, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, WISDOM Action Network, Inc., Pennsylvania Stands Up, Pennsylvania United, Living United for Change in Arizona, Rural Arizona Action, and One APIA Nevada are not tax deductible as charitable contributions or as business expenses under IRC Section 162(e).

Paid for by Sister District Action Network, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Donations to Sister District Project, a 527 organization, are not tax deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.