Dear John,

I'm writing to you today to ask you to take action.

I don't need to explain to you the unique difficulty of the situation we're in right now. I know that you understand just how serious, important, and unprecedented this moment is. Communities across the country have been rising up and protesting police brutality and systemic discrimination, and they're being met with disproportionately violent repression. All the while, a pandemic continues to ravage our country at an appalling rate: Over 100,000 have died from COVID-19 thus far, and that number continues to climb by the day.

I know that you, John, aren't going to just observe from the sidelines. MoveOn's 20-year history has shown that MoveOn members like you take action in a big way—especially when things are really bad. You don't just observe, you act.

John, will you take action right now by starting an online petition on an issue that's impacting you or your community during this tumultuous time?

Get started today and start a petition on an issue that matters to you.

What upsets you the most right now? Having seen the Trump administration's dangerous rhetoric fanning the flames of police violence and racial hatred, will you step up and call for Trump to stop? Start a petition to Donald Trump demanding that he take the demands of protesters seriously.

Are you ready to call for massive police reform amidst all this police violence? You can start a petition to your local government to cut police funding and reallocate it to health and social services.

Have your local, state, or federal representatives accepted police union donations? Create a petition calling on your representatives to refuse donations or donate all police union donations to Black-led organizations, so that they can properly advocate for their communities without fear of reprisal. 

I know that you care about many people and issues, and that you want to take action. You might think, "I do, sure, but what will starting a petition do?" It almost feels too easy. A few clicks, a little bit of typing, and that's supposed to make a difference? But, John, I promise you, it does make a difference.

In May of 2019, MoveOn Civic Action joined with coalition partners to organize the largest petition delivery in U.S. history, delivering 10 million signatures calling for impeachment—and Donald Trump was impeached. Petitions show grassroots power and put pressure on politicians to act.

And on May 21 of this year, a petition started by a MoveOn member, calling on Congress to provide essential frontline workers with hazard pay and that has—as of this moment—1,397,913 signatures was delivered to the Senate, along with a petition for an Essential Workers Bill of Rights, to ensure that workers come first in the next relief package passed by Congress.

You have the power to make a difference, John. Will you start a petition today and advocate for an issue that matters to you?