We The People – Michigan
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." — James Baldwin
In many ways, Michigan is a convergence of the challenges facing American democracy today. It’s home to the most segregated metropolitan area in the US as well as a range of urban, rural and suburban communities who have endured multi-generational economic devastation. Launched in the summer of 2017, We The People believes that a politics of fear has successfully exploited identity divides across the state and driven wedges between low-income and working-class voters and their communities. That said, We The People sees an opportunity to build a “strong, durable, long-term multi-racial movement” in Michigan. In 2018, Michiganders voted in record numbers to pass ballot initiatives for fair redistricting and voting rights, as well as electing progressive candidates. We The People hopes to see progressives retaining power in Michigan so that long-term change oriented toward social justice can be implemented throughout the state.
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Over the past few years, We The People has focused on: 1) building relationships with grassroots organizations and groups across the state, 2) developing their organizing capacity through workshops and ongoing coaching and support, 3) identifying shared hopes and challenges through listening sessions and a process of developing regional agendas, and 4) creating a space to build relationships between communities who had not previously interacted to begin building shared agendas.
Leading up to the 2020 election, We The People has focused on voter engagement by building robust volunteer canvassing and relational organizing programs to reach voters. They are working with a number of grassroots groups to find the best way to engage rural, suburban and urban communities. They have hired county leads in numerous counties and built volunteer canvass programs, focusing on voters in communities of color, indigenous communities, and working-class communities. They are including race/class conversations in their canvassing efforts, using a tested framework to “move voters and combat the divide and conquer rhetoric of the right.” On their website they outline their vision for their state:
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KABF is grateful for all the work We The People is doing, especially around voter engagement.
Click here to learn more about We The People - Michigan.
Click here to learn more about We The People - Michigan.