Dear MoveOn member,

Closing out the year amid so much heartbreak and global uncertainty is
challenging. But what keeps us hopeful that a different world is not only
possible but actively unfolding, is the actions that millions of MoveOn
members like you take every day. In the face of oppressive forces working
to isolate, disconnect, and immobilize us through despair and fear, we
have chosen, time and time again, to come together, build power, and
exercise disciplined hope in order to create a better future for all of
us. 

With compounding crises and attacks against our communities, MoveOn's free
petition platform has been a catalyst for millions of MoveOn members and
progressive partners from across the country. It has propelled us forward
on issues that impact our lives—from police violence to student loan debt
to LGBTQ+ rights to bodily autonomy and so much more. Whether at the
forefront of a campaign or as an integral part of a larger strategy,
MoveOn petitions have empowered local change-makers to make tangible
differences at the local, state, and federal level. 

There are those in power who want to make our problems seem insurmountable
and systems of oppression inevitable. We know they aren't. People created
these systems, and collectively, we have the ability to dismantle,
reimagine, and reconstruct them. By signing or launching a petition (or
many), you are a reminder that our collective actions matter and that each
one of us plays a necessary role in creating the just society we deserve. 

Keep reading to check out some of our petition highlights from this year
and [ [link removed] ]set an intention to start your own petition in 2024.

2023 HIGHLIGHTS

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* 🏥 We stopped the price gouging of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. Early in
the year, Moderna considered quadrupling the price of its
people-funded vaccine, despite the low cost of producing the vaccine.
We partnered with Senator Bernie Sanders to [ [link removed] ]launch a petition on
the MoveOn platform to stop Moderna's multi-billionaire CEO from
driving this lifesaving vaccine out of reach for millions of uninsured
Americans. Over 177,000 MoveOn members signed the petition, and in
February, following the outcry, we had a major win when Moderna said
it would not raise the price. MoveOn members continued to fight to
hold Big Pharma accountable, most recently partnering with Demand
Progress on [ [link removed] ]a petition to stop Pfizer from hiking up the price of
Paxlovid, the lifesaving COVID-19 treatment.

* 🏳️‍🌈 We called out rainbow capitalism. One week before Pride Month,
Target caved to a small but vocal group of bigots and pulled their
LGBTQIA+ Pride merch. [ [link removed] ]More than 123,000 MoveOn members signed the
petition calling Target out for their "rainbow capitalism" and
demanding that they reinstate their merch. Because of the backlash,
Target saw a decrease in their sales for the first time in six
years—with MoveOn members and the broader public showing power not
only with our signatures but also with our wallets. [ [link removed] ]MoveOn members
also supported Starbucks Workers United, who hosted a petition
demanding that the coffee chain respect LGBTQIA+ workers and customers
by allowing them to decorate for Pride Month, after workers reported
that Starbucks had refused to let dozens of stores across the country
do so. Unionized workers at more than 150 stores launched a historic
weeklong strike, even forcing some stores to close.

* 🔥 MoveOn members amplified the voices of labor unions during the hot
labor summer. This was a big year for building union power, and we
worked with labor groups on petitions to amplify their efforts. Trader
Joe's United launched two petitions to fight union-busting—from a
[ [link removed] ]retaliatory firing to a [ [link removed] ]bogus trademark lawsuit. This summer,
they took their fight to Trader Joe’s headquarters, and they are
continuing to push back against union busting and advocate for fair
working conditions for all crew members.

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* 💧 We advocated for worker protections amid rising heat. Working with
Representative Greg Casar, [ [link removed] ]we hosted a petition demanding federal
protections amid record-breaking heat waves that took a physical and
even deadly toll on outdoor workers. Rep. Casar participated in a
water strike on the steps of Congress to pressure the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to pass immediate and
permanent heat safety measures. The public pressure did result in the
Department of Labor issuing the first ever hazard alert for heat, and
in President Biden announcing a slate of investments—but champions in
Congress are still fighting to codify federal protections.

* 📖 We pushed back against book bans. When the GOP and far right waged
their war against books and the freedom to read, MoveOn members were
ready to mobilize. More than [ [link removed] ]133,000 members signed a petition in
support of history-making poet Amanda Gorman, after her book "The Hill
We Climb" was restricted in a Florida school. And from national
efforts to join with artists and writers like LeVar Burton for the
Artists Against Book Bans petition to local, member-started petitions
in Texas, Florida, Illinois, D.C., and Georgia—[ [link removed] ]more than 477,000
members added their names to book ban-related petitions on the
platform this year. And we used that member energy to launch powerful
campaigns offline, too, including our Banned Bookmobile, which carried
our petition to key cities on two multicity bus activations this year
alone.

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* MoveOn members mobilized to call for a ceasefire. After the
heartbreaking Hamas attacks on October 7, the Israeli government began
its brutal and incessant bombings targeting Palestinians, which have
gone on for months—resulting in nearly 20,000 deaths in Gaza, the
majority of them women and children. [ [link removed] ]More than 487,000 members
signed the petition calling on President Biden and members of Congress
to use their political power to stop all loss of life in Israel and
Palestine—signatures that were delivered to the White House. MoveOn
members not only signed the petition but also made calls and sent
messages to their elected officials calling for a ceasefire,
participated in a ceasefire day of action, and joined actions in
Washington, D.C., and their own communities.

MoveOn will continue to listen to our members and mobilize our
community so that the people of Palestine and Israel can live their
lives without fear of violence and mass death. [ [link removed] ]You can still sign
and share the petition here.

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MoveOn members like you did that—and so much more—together. [ [link removed] ]Will you
take five minutes to start your own petition on MoveOn’s free petition
platform now?

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHTS

MoveOn members and progressive partners launched thousands of petitions
this year alone! Below, we spotlight some of the incredible grassroots
petitions from 2023. Want to shout out a petition you signed or that you
or someone you know created? Reply to this email and let us know what
petitions inspired you this year.

* In March, a 22-year-old Indigenous woman, Mika Josephine Westwolf, was
killed walking along Highway 93 in Montana. A friend of Mika's family,
Erica Shelby, [ [link removed] ]started a petition to demand the Department of
Justice investigate the death of Mika Westwolf and dedicate additional
resources to missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) cases. In
October, after months of urging local and federal investigations to
take Mika's death seriously, an arrest was made and a trial set for
May of next year. Mika's mother, Carissa Heavy Runner, told [ [link removed] ]a
local reporter: "To me, Mika was part of the bigger picture. The
bigger issue she is bringing attention to this epidemic, which is very
much needed. Hopefully this will help set the wheels in motion towards
justice, where it will be a change for other families and within this
court within the legal system."

* The GOP continued their attacks on abortion and reproductive rights in
2023. Our platform partner [ [link removed] ]UltraViolet Action launched a petition
to urge U.S. pharmacies to protect customers' right to abortion
medication. And with the recent news that the Supreme Court will take
up the abortion pill case in 2024, we need every signature we can get
to build momentum to protect and expand abortion access in the coming
year. 

* Accountable Tech also launched a petition on the MoveOn petition
platform, calling out Google for continuing to collect and retain
location history and search queries for abortion clinics. [ [link removed] ]The
petition, which has collected more than 41,000 signatures, is working
to expose Big Tech's role in anti-abortion attacks, demanding Google
stop aiding abortion prosecutors. And in December, Google announced
that it was rolling out more protections for its location data, [ [link removed] ]an
encouraging step in the right direction, according to Accountable
Tech.

* 2023 marked the fourth year in a row that record-breaking anti-trans
bills were introduced on the state and federal level—and terrifyingly,
over 75 of these unconstitutional and harmful bills have become law.
[ [link removed] ]MoveOn member Destinee Dickson launched a petition to fight back
against one of these bills, H.R.734—a nationwide ban of transgender,
nonbinary, and intersex youth participation in school sports on teams
that match their gender identity. The bill passed the U.S. House but
failed to pass the Senate. 

* When disgraced Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene went on FOX News
to brag about circumventing the confidentiality of a secure
congressional review of materials, she thought nobody was watching.
But our partners at Common Cause were, and so were we. [ [link removed] ]More than
74,000 members signed a petition calling for an official
investigation. We're still waiting for an investigation into this and
other unethical behaviors from Rep. Greene—but in the meantime we made
it clear that the public is paying attention and wants accountability
from elected officials.

* We continued to work with our partners at the Student Debt Crisis
Center to urge the Biden administration to use whatever tools are
necessary to cancel student debt. With President Biden’s student loan
relief blocked by the Supreme Court earlier this year, payments
resumed in August. [ [link removed] ]MoveOn and SDCC launched a petition that now
has more than 74,000 signatures, urging President Biden to use his
authority to provide debt cancellation for borrowers and create a new
relief program through the Department of Education. And the continued
public pressure is working, with the Education Department currently
working on a new proposal. 

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* This summer, MoveOn member Karen Feridun sounded the alarm about a
U.S. Forest Service proposal that would pave the way for national
forests to become carbon waste dumps. [ [link removed] ]The petition has already
gained more than 18,000 signatures to protect the more than 193
million acres of national forests and grasslands that the Forest
Service manages.

* Partners also fought to protect abortion care against local attacks.
[ [link removed] ]The Peace Pentagon and Virginia Reproductive Equity Alliance
created a petition to reject an anti-abortion ordinance that was up
for vote by the end of the year. With just over 1,000 signatures in
addition to on-the-ground organizing, they successfully defeated the
ordinance on December 14! 

* Economic Security Project Action launched a petition demanding that
there be no pay raise for Congress after they blocked the expanded
child tax credit. [ [link removed] ]More than 58,000 MoveOn members signed the
petition to expose the GOP hypocrisy and demand better for families.
With budget negotiations still taking place, the child tax credit and
champions in Congress are still fighting to include it in the final
appropriations package. 

* This year the GOP sank to a new low when they introduced a new
proposal that would eliminate the Community Eligibility Provision
(CEP) from the National School Lunch Program—a change that would
impact 20 million children. [ [link removed] ]Parents Together Action launched a
petition that has garnered more than 50,000 signatures! Not only did
the proposal not pass, but this fall the Department of Agriculture
lowered the threshold for eligibility for schools, and now millions
more students can receive breakfast and lunch at school at no cost. 

* Horrifyingly, this summer there were reports that Governor Greg Abbott
directed Texas troopers to deny migrants drinking water and push
migrants—including small children and babies—back into the Rio Grande.
[ [link removed] ]Nestor Ruiz launched a petition to demand President Biden and
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas investigate the claims
and stop human rights violations at the border. The state internal
investigation found “no systemic wrongdoing” in December—making the
case for a federal investigation even more urgent. 

* In August, the Seattle Police Department released audio of a police
officer making jokes and cruelly discussing the killing of 23-year-old
Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula, a pedestrian hit and killed by an SPD
officer earlier in the year. In the audio, Detective Daniel Auderer
heartlessly states that her life had "limited value." [ [link removed] ]MoveOn
member Dr. Glory Janes created a petition that quickly gained over
225,000 signatures, with new signatures being added every day. There
is an independent investigation currently underway, and local
organizations and groups are continuing to fight for justice for
Jaahnavi.

* At the beginning of the year, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland
protected federal land around Minnesota's Boundary Waters from
destructive mining for 20 years. But Representative Pete Stauber
introduced a bill to roll back these vital protections. [ [link removed] ]More than
20,000 MoveOn members signed a petition to save the Boundary Waters.

* Reality television is having a reckoning, with cast members coming
forward to detail unethical behavior, exploitation, abuse, and
intimidation—all so producers and streaming companies can profit.
[ [link removed] ]The Unscripted Cast Advocacy Network—founded by former cast
members of "Love Is Blind"—launched a petition on MoveOn’s platform
calling on Netflix and other reality television giants to add a
disclaimer to all unscripted television. They were just featured in an
"Impact x Nightline" episode on Hulu as their campaign for greater
transparency and accountability continues. 

It's our people power that makes MoveOn petitions successful, and we're
grateful for every click you made this year. We're taking a week off to
get rested and restored before 2024 so we can hit the ground running. We
can't wait to see what petitions you start in the coming year. [ [link removed] ]Click
here to start your petition on MoveOn’s free petition platform now.

As always, thanks for all you do.

–Aliya, Isbah, Jensine, Valeria, and the rest of the team

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Want to support MoveOn's work? Book bans have skyrocketed thanks to
right-wing state laws which have forced teachers to remove books from
their classrooms. In response, MoveOn is launching a "Banned Bookmobile,"
filling it with books that the far right has banned, and driving it around
to hand out those books, for free, in highly trafficked areas that will
attract media attention. To keep the Banned Bookmobile up and running into
2024, we need your help.

Will you chip in to power our critical work?

 



[ [link removed] ]Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.





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