Read our latest post on our blog our below - What comes next: Five policy plans and platforms for a just future

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: We are living in unprecedented times. Change is happening in every sector of our lives, and it still feels like we are at the tip of the iceberg.

But the truth is, no matter what comes next, there is no going back to “normal.” We must understand that our lives, communities, and world have been fundamentally altered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

And really, when it comes down to it, why would we want to return to a “normal” world where racism, exploitation, and extreme inequality are foundational elements? You better believe that those forces that would seek to exacerbate these injustices are in full swing.

So instead of just going back to the way things were, we must continue to reinvent and build the world we want. And to make the world we want, we will need imagination, vision, and hard work.

In that spirit, we wanted to curate and share some of the most inspiring policies, platforms, and visions that are creating a roadmap for our future. People are hungry for solutions and ways to get involved with reshaping the world towards social, economic, and environmental justice – so we invite you to dive in, learn the details, and spread the word.

And of course, this is by no means a definitive list. We’re always excited to learn about new programs, projects, platforms, and initiatives to reshape the world. Drop us a line if you think there’s anything more we should include in here!

Movement 4 Black Lives Policy Platforms

If you only have time to check out one policy or platform, please start here. Movement 4 Black Lives (M4BL) has developed an inspiring and detailed policy platform. We must replace the racist foundation of this country if we are going to be able to build a better world.

In response to the sustained and increasingly visible violence against Black communities in the U.S. and globally, a collective of more than 50 organizations representing thousands of Black people from across the country came together in 2015 with renewed energy and purpose to articulate a common vision and agenda. We are a collective that centers, and is led by and rooted in, Black communities. And we recognize our shared struggle with all oppressed people: collective liberation will be a product of all of our work.

We are intentional about amplifying the particular experiences of racial, economic, and gender-based state and interpersonal violence that Black women, queer, trans, gender nonconforming, intersex, and disabled people face. Cisheteropatriarchy and ableism are central and instrumental to anti-Blackness and racial capitalism, and have been internalized within our communities and movements.

Read the Vision for Black Lives policy platforms here.

From Banks and Tanks to Cooperation and Caring

How can we transition from a destructive, disaster hungry economic system to a new economy built on compassion and cooperation? Movement Generation has created this wonderful 32-page zine on cultivating a just transition for our economy, which is full of images, charts, and curriculum ideas. It is offered in English and Spanish.

A Just Transition requires us to build a visionary economy for life in a way that is very different than the economy we are in now. Constructing this visionary economy calls for strategies that democratize, decentralize and diversify economic activity while we damper down consumption, and (re)distribute resources and power. This zine is our offering towards that end – it is a humble point of departure for folks interested in building collective vision and action towards Ecological Justice that does not separate humans from nature, or social equity from ecological integrity.

Read the Just Transition zine here.

Debt Resisters’ Operation Manual

Debt was already a dominant and crushing force in our lives. Now, with the economy in a tailspin and more people losing access to healthcare, it is an even heavier lodestone. The Debt Resisters Operation Manual is a guide in debt resistance that works toward a world without debt.

Written by a network of activists, writers, and academics from Strike Debt, The Debt Resisters’ Operations Manual reveals how the predatory debt system works to increase inequality, undermine democracy, and ruin lives. It provides detailed strategies for fighting common forms of debt and lays out an expansive vision for a societal movement of debt resistance.

Read the Debt Resisters Operation Manual here.

People’s Orientation to a Regenerative Economy

This is a fantastic toolkit, provided by the United Frontline Table, that provides us with a roadmap to a regenerative economy. Full of policies and practices, this toolkit was prepared during the COVID-19 pandemic and “offers community groups, policy advocates, and policymakers a pathway to solutions that work for frontline communities and workers.”

A People’s Orientation to a Regenerative Economy offers community groups, policy advocates, and policymakers a pathway to solutions that work for frontline communities and workers. These ideas have been collectively strategized by community organizations and leaders from across multiple frontline and grassroots networks and alliances to ensure that regenerative economic solutions and ecological justice—under a framework that challenges capitalism and both white supremacy and hetero-patriarchy—are core to any and all policies.

View the People’s Orientation to a Regenerative Economy here.

Pathways toward a People’s Economy

The Pathways to a People's Economy Toolkit is focused on developing an economy that prioritizes people over profits. Focusing on four different policy areas – neighborhoods, workplaces, finance, and the planet – this toolkit provides an expansive guide to building a more just, equitable world.

Pathways to a People’s Economy was developed by a team of New Economy Coalition member organizations to amplify the new economy policy wins happening on the ground and provide real examples of how to shift our economic conditions from the bottom up. It provides tools for communities and organizations to make concrete policy demands to advance a new economy – an economy for, by, and with the people.

This work is the culmination of two years of research and collaboration with multiple networks, policy experts, community organizers, and stakeholders. The Toolkit contains 20 high-level policy demands, 70 detailed policy asks, and multiple organizing resources focused on four key new economy areas: worker ownership, community-controlled housing, financial justice, and climate justice. It is not meant to represent everything we need; but this is a first slice of policies that we’re offering to build a better world.

Explore the Pathways to a People’s Economy Toolkit here.

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We hope you enjoy these platforms, policies, and resources. Onward, to a better world!

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