A new message from your friends at People For the American Way.
[link removed]
***********************

Together, we are a powerful force for good.

People For Supporter,

Thank you so, so much for your activism, your financial support, and your
commitment to a vision of the American Way in which freedom, equality,
justice, and democracy for ALL are protected as bedrock principles.

Our country is at a pivotal moment. We are facing daunting challenges that
have been building for generations. We need a movement suited to meet this
moment and, because of your support, People For the American Way is well
positioned to lead this vital work.

Like our foremothers and forefathers who assembled at key moments in our
history and found the courage and inspiration to fight injustice, we now
must find similar courage and inspiration in each other. We’re bringing
together elected officials, faith leaders, civil rights leaders,
activists, and the most dynamic and dedicated members of any national
progressive organization (you!) to make this the country that we all know
American can be.

In addition to our core work of defending democracy and fighting back
against far-right extremism, People For is developing and promoting
solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time. These solutions
are anchored in our common values and address three core areas, which we
can sum up in a familiar phrase: Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

1. Truth

Truth is under attack in our country today, as forces of oppression seek
to stifle the teaching of history, and in many cases, to rewrite our
history – including efforts to push the Big Lie about our last election.

Valuing truth means protecting key freedoms. It starts with the freedom of
educators to teach and students to learn the full story of our nation’s
rich, often troubled, and complicated past, so that every child is
prepared to participate and lead in our democracy. And it doesn’t stop
there: we are called upon to counter the forces of hate and bigotry that
seek to further entrench their own power by undermining truth. This is a
charge we accept with humility and commitment, and it guides our steps
every day.

People For members, members of our Young Elected Officials Network, and
members of our African American Ministers in Action are already on the
front lines, fighting back against attacks on the freedom to learn at the
state and local school board levels.

2. Justice

Justice is at the core of our shared belief in the promise of America.
Today we believe that true justice means transforming our public safety
systems, and protecting the freedom to live in peace without fear of
unwarranted police violence. It means supporting communities to adopt new
models for public safety departments. It means that nowhere in this
country should it be a crime to be Black or Brown, or LGBTQ+, or unhoused,
or ill, or without financial resources. 

People For the American Way spent the two years since the murder of George
Floyd developing a road map for transforming public safety. We looked at
the research and worked with criminologists, public officials, clergy and
other community activists, and members of law enforcement. The result is
“[ [link removed] ]All Safe, Transforming Public Safety,” an extensive blueprint for
public officials and community activists seeking to make their communities
safer.

Among the essential steps to make policing more just and more effective at
the same time are: improving recruiting to weed out potentially dangerous
cops, holding violent officers accountable, and getting unfit officers off
the force. Also, importantly, restructuring public safety systems to
reduce the unnecessary involvement of armed officers in situations where
they are not needed and for which they are not trained is good for cops as
well as communities.

This All Safe model is largely based on a local reform movement in Ithaca,
New York, where local People For the American Way members and organizers
teamed up with other activists from the community to put their bodies on
the line in the face of great opposition from powerful proponents of the
all-too-familiar, yet broken, status quo. They knocked on doors, educated
voters and public officials, and were ultimately successful in advancing
some of the most innovative measures for reimagining public safety in the
country. Some of the local members of the People For family in Ithaca were
so dedicated to this game-changing work that they even left their day jobs
to work on the campaign full time.

3. The American Way

The American Way is rooted in our profound commitment to representative
democracy. It is the freedom to vote and have our views fairly
represented. In its ideal form, it means that the concept that the
candidate who earns the most votes wins the election extends to our
national presidential elections. Put simply, that means that winning the
popular vote should determine the outcome of presidential elections.   

Our antiquated Electoral College system has robbed us of authentic
representation over the years, and more than once it has elevated
candidates to the presidency who have lost the popular vote. It is time to
look past the Electoral College and explore alternative ways to conduct
presidential elections in our country.

Our challenges are big, but our faith – in the American Way and the values
that collectively act as our North Star in this movement – is bigger. I
invite all of us to enter this movement with open minds, open hearts, and
the curiosity to learn from one another. Ask questions, speak what is in
your heart, and approach every person with love. Together we are a
powerful force for good.

I look forward to working with you over the months and years ahead to
advance our movement for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

Once again, thank you, so much, for everything you do.

Warmly,

Ben Jealous, President

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ [link removed] ]donate:

 

 

 

 

 


***********************

Do not reply directly to this e-mail. Please use [email protected].

Trouble viewing the email?
VIEW AS WEB PAGE:
[link removed]

This email was sent to [email protected]. Reaching you over email
is the best way we have to let you know about the ways you can take
action to fight the Right Wing and defend our constitutional rights
and values. If you have any thoughts, comments, or criticisms, or if
there's a better email address at which to reach you, please
let us know. If you'd like to unsubscribe from our list, you
can do that here:

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
. But know that if you leave, it will be harder for you to stay involved with People For the American Way and continue our
crucial work. PFAW is able to win policy battles and elections, and
counter the Right's extremism and hate, because of dedicated
activists like you, and we're always eager to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for your support.

[link removed]

CONTACT:
[link removed]

PRIVACY POLICY:
[link removed]

FACEBOOK:
[link removed]

TWITTER:
[link removed]

YOUTUBE:
[link removed]

1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC xxxxxx-5002,
202-467-4999

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]