RootsAction: Connect. Act. Grow.

"[N]uclear powers must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war. To adopt that kind of course in the nuclear age would be evidence only of the bankruptcy of our policy — or of a collective death-wish for the world."
—President John F. Kennedy

The more it becomes unacceptable to say words like "diplomacy," "negotiation," "cease-fire," or "peace," the more we need to say them. The more it becomes forbidden to mention the well-deserved blame on both nuclear superpowers, the more we must mention it. When a U.S. president publicly worries about nuclear war on the same day that his party cracks down on progressive Congress Members who merely raised the issue of negotiating peace, failure to point out the absurdity is complicity in a death-wish for the world. Click here to speak up.

Thank you to all of the activists and organizations who made nationwide pickets and demonstrations on Oct. 14 and Oct 16 a reality. In the end, more than 50 Defuse Nuclear War actions were successfully organized! Here are a few of the media hits about our events:

Common Dreams news
Interview on Democracy Now!

TV news in Madison, Wisconsin

IndyBay

Democracy Now! news headline

Radio interview in Chicago with Santita Jackson. 25:40 mark of Oct 14 episode.

Common Dreams opinion

Photos of picket lines in Chicago, Massachusetts and elsewhere, including by Getty Images, have gone into wide circulation on the internet. Our coalition has serious momentum, and we won’t be slowing down! Get involved at DefuseNuclearWar.org

There are many forces constricting the area of acceptable speech in Washington D.C. Here's an easy one to remove: Tell Congress Members to stop trading stocks.

RootsAction is advancing bans on slavery -- eliminating the exception for punishment of crime -- at the national and state levels.

We're also building pressure on the upcoming UN climate conference in Egypt (COP27) to include military pollution in climate agreements.

We're also working to establish ranked choice voting in states, including in Nevada where it's on the ballot next month.

We're also working on redistricting Buffalo, New York. This year's redistricting process has been marked by a groundswell of community organizing and resident engagement to create fair maps that give greater political power to communities of color and working-class people. In the city of Buffalo, a history of gerrymandering along political and racial lines has led to a concentration of power, and to the redistricting process becoming a de facto "incumbent protection plan," but Our City Action Buffalo (OCAB) and its allies, along with everyday Buffalo residents, have led efforts to change this. On October 18th, OCAB's lawyers filed a petition with the New York State Supreme Court. Co-petitioners included individuals, non-partisan organizations, and community organizers injured by the Buffalo Common Council, Mayor Byron W. Brown, and the Erie County Board of Elections. Together, we are seeking an injunction on the maps that were passed earlier this year by the Mayor and Buffalo Common Council. If successful, this would lead to greater openness, transparency, and, most of all, democratic processes in the city of Buffalo. On November 19th OCAB will hold an event called The Summit with a special keynote speaker and free workshops on Buffalo's most pressing issues, including housing, immigration, policing, transportation, cooperative development, redistricting, and federal funding.

Roots Action Education Fund has just published a new essay by whistleblower Thomas Drake.

RootsAction is also working to get out the vote for candiates.

Newcomers:

Oregon 5: Jamie McLeod-Skinner

Texas 15: Michelle Vallejo

Texas 35: Greg Casar

Pennsylvania 12: Summer Lee

Incumbents:

Michigan 13: Rashida Tlaib

Missouri 1: Cori Bush

New York 16: Jamaal Bowman

Minnesota 5: Ilhan Omar