John,

This pandemic and economic collapse, along with the recent wave of police brutality and massive voter suppression tactics, have forced this nation into an unprecedented season of crisis. As Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II teaches us, our tenacity must now take the character of the abolitionists of old: “Every attack on our democracy and on the poor must intensify and embolden our agitation.”

TODAY, September 14 at 7pm ET/4pm PT, we're proud to join the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival for a massive digital event: Voting is Power Unleashed: Moral Monday Mass Assembly. 

This online program will bring together thousands of poor and low-income people, community and faith organizations, and many more, as we plan to educate and empower ourselves on voter engagement, registration, and voter protection ahead of this consequential election season. The program will be anchored by two prominent legal organizations, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Forward Justice, which will lead a massive and unique teach-in on voter participation and protection.

We will also hear from poor and low-income folks who have experienced voter suppression, as well as notable leaders, artists, activists, and the co-chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign—as well as former Vice President Joe Biden (both major party candidates for President were invited to attend).

As the Poor People's Campaign shows in a new report, poor and low-income people are a key section of the electorate, but their issues are rarely part of the political narrative. There are over a dozen states where just a small increase in turnout by poor and low-income voters in the 2016 presidential election and in 2018 midterms could have met or exceeded the margin of victory. Poor and low-income people are no longer waiting to be included in the national political narrative. 

With just a small uptick in the number of poor and low-income voters who mobilize around a common agenda, the political calculus of this nation can fundamentally change for years to come. Our moment is now and we must seize the potential to impact policies and elections for future generations, to begin to turn the tides against militarism, racism, poverty, and ecological devastation.

Rise with us by registering for the Voting is Power Unleashed: Moral Monday Mass Assembly and join the broadcast on September 14 at 7pm ET/4pm PT, and feel free to share materials & resources from this social media toolkit!

In solidarity,

Lindsay, Ashik, Lorah, and the NPP team at IPS