John, I’m on the ground in Minneapolis right now.

Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of George Floyd and the lead prosecutor on the case is Attorney General Keith Ellison.

The atmosphere is surreal. It’s calm, but there is tension. The Hennepin County courthouse is surrounded by barbed-wire fencing, concrete barriers, military and other law enforcement personnel.

It’s being called the trial of the century. And it is.

The outcome of this trial will determine where we are as Americans in the fight AGAINST police brutality and criminal injustice, and the fight FOR racial justice and the just treatment, humanization and protection of Black lives.

I can see first hand the impact DFA is having in the fight for justice. It’s happening right now.

What we’re seeing today, this week, from Keith and his team of powerfully effective prosecutors isn’t a surprise. It’s exactly why DFA members fought for Keith to win the race for Attorney General in 2018.

He is one of us. You supported Keith throughout his time in the U.S House where he was not just the first Muslim elected to Congress and the first Black American to represent Minnesota in our nation’s Capital, he was also the Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus leading the fight against income inequality.

Keith is the kind of leader America needs everywhere. The kind that can stand up against the powerful forces of hate, injustice, moneyed special interests and corporate welfare. Whether it’s Kim Foxx in Chicago, Larry Kasner in Philadelphia, Wes Boyd in St. Louis, Chesa Boudin in San Francisco or Keith Ellison in Minnesota, DFA members are on the front lines in the battle to reform criminal justice nationwide.

Because of you, we are winning, but we need your continued support to win again and again. Don’t hold back. Contribute what you can right now:

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Keith is a smart, dedicated progressive, a civil rights leader who started as a criminal defense lawyer, and as executive director of the nonprofit Legal Rights Center in Minneapolis, he specialized in the defense of indigent people.

He is no stranger to racial bias or the impact of structural racism and white supremacy. As the first Africian American elected statewide in Minnesota and the first Muslim elected statewide anywhere in America, Keith’s faced it head on and won.

His record speaks for itself, but he didn’t do it alone. I told him we were with him. He is grateful for DFA and the work we do to power the movement and support candidates like him, Stacey Abrams, and others who cannot fight alone.

Keith won because he had you and others like us in his corner, fighting to make a difference. Whether it’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala in Florida, County Prosecutor Eli Savit in Michigan, or Sheriff John Williams in my home state of Georgia, we’re electing transformational leaders up and down the ballot across this country. Consider donating $5, $10, or even $100 on a monthly basis to fund the critical work needed to win.

Fighting for justice is never easy, but it is a fight we can win when we have the will to fight. True democracy is powered by the people

Thank you for being the power behind DFA and fighting for a better America.

— Kelley

Kelley Jackson
Communications Director
Democracy for America