Ongoing voter suppression and voter list purging have been disenfranchising millions of eligible voters — especially voters of color. Reclaim Our Vote works in those voter suppression states. Our volunteers inform and mobilize voters of color to make sure they are registered and they know how to get a ballot and vote. It is a nonpartisan campaign of the nonprofit 501(c)3 Center for Common Ground.
The League of Women Voters of the United States encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
Postcards to Voters are friendly, handwritten reminders from volunteers to targeted voters giving Democrats a winning edge in close, key races coast to coast.
In 1990, music executives founded Rock the Vote in response to the censorship of hip-hop and rap artists. Our first partnership, with MTV, promoted the message that “Censorship is Un-American” and activated millions of young people across the country to exercise their rights and represent their interests. For thirty years, we have continuously adapted to the changing landscapes of media, technology and culture to breakthrough and empower each new generation.
Vote.org uses technology to simplify political engagement, increase voter turnout, and strengthen American democracy.
When We All Vote is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that is on a mission to increase participation in every election and close the race and age voting gap by changing the culture around voting, harnessing grassroots energy, and through strategic partnerships to reach every American.
For nearly one hundred years, ACLU lawyers have been at the center of one history-making court case after another, participating in more Supreme Court cases than any other private organization. With attorneys nationwide, we handle thousands of cases each year on behalf of clients whose rights have been violated.
Bet Tzedek attorneys and advocates help people of all communities and generations secure life’s necessities. Wherever people are in crisis, Bet Tzedek’s core services and rapid response programs provide stability and hope.
CHIRLA is a California leader with the national impact made of diverse immigrant families and individuals who act as agents of social change to achieve a world with freedom of mobility, full human rights, and true participatory democracy. CHIRLA’s mission is to achieve a just society fully inclusive of immigrants.
HIAS works around the world to protect refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands because of who they are, including ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. For more than 130 years, HIAS has been helping refugees rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.
Public Counsel is the largest pro bono law firm in the nation. We work with major law firms and corporations to change people’s futures. A staff of 71 attorneys and 50 support staff – including five social workers – along with over 5,000 volunteer lawyers, law students and legal professionals assists over 30,000 children, youth, families, and community organizations every year.
ADL is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. ADL is a global leader in exposing extremism and delivering anti-bias education, and is a leading organization in training law enforcement. ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.
Bend the Arc is a movement of tens of thousands of progressive Jews all across the country. For years, we’ve worked to build a more just society. Now we’re rising up in solidarity with everyone threatened by the Trump agenda to fight for the soul of our nation.
The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
Integrity First for America (IFA) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to holding those accountable who threaten longstanding principles of our democracy—including our country’s commitment to civil rights and equal justice.
Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
For nearly one hundred years, ACLU lawyers have been at the center of one history-making court case after another, participating in more Supreme Court cases than any other private organization. With attorneys nationwide, we handle thousands of cases each year on behalf of clients whose rights have been violated.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press provides pro bono legal representation, amicus curiae support, and other legal resources to protect First Amendment freedoms and the newsgathering rights of journalists.
2. In this article in this weeks New Yorker, David Rohde writes about Biden’s Vital but Fraught Battle Against Domestic Terrorism. Political extremism, white supremacy and domestic pluralism are clearly critical issues to the Biden Administration. He already ordered the DHS and intelligence agencies to assess the threat and propose a strategy. There is substantial evidence of increased on-line communication and coordination (often international) amongst disgruntled extremists. Some contend that a major challenge in fighting against domestic extremism is that our previous approaches are out-dated. “American politics, laws, and technology firms have failed to recognize the power of instant communication in the digital age. ..[T]he Trump era has shown that online disinformation can contribute to radicalization, and confronting that challenge is a core part of countering extremism.” Rohde concludes by asking whether the prevailing political response to this problem will it be the more labor-intensive effort to enact reforms that protect free speech but set guardrails for the digital age, or rather, will it be the more authoritarian embrace of the trafficking in disinformation and conspiracy theories for short-term political gain?
AN IMPORTANT READ
PRE-FASCISM, AUTHORITARIANISM AND THE GOP:
In this article, The GOP’s ‘Pre-Fascist’ DNA, published in yesterday’s in The Bulwark, the writer, Richard North Patterson notes that the word “‘fascist’ too often precedes anti-historical histrionics. But the term is useful in deconstructing the devolution of Republicanism into the minoritarian-authoritarian saboteur of pluralist democracy.” He then analyzes the predicates of “nascent fascism” and reviews Trump’s support in that light. Patterson looks at (1)Trump’s exploitation of sense of victimization amongst whites, evoking a sense of loss of America’s strength; (2) the GOP’s persistent undermining of certain (disfavored groups’) voting rights in the name of protecting the US democracy; (3) the GOP base’s loathing of supposedly degenerate liberalism and its apparent desire for authoritarian leadership to restore their chosen hierarchy; and (4) the attack on fact, truth and reality–castigating the media as enemy of the people–“Like the avatars of fascism, Republicans increasingly trumpet mendacious propaganda—including about voter fraud.”. Patterson concludes “It is far too little to say that the GOP has lost its way. Quite deliberately, it has become American democracy’s most dangerous enemy.”
The Second Impeachment of Donald Trump: A Discussion Friday, January 29 at 12:00 PM PST |
On February 8, the second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump is scheduled to begin in the Senate. Join us for a conversation with a distinguished panel of experts who will consider the unprecedented nature of this trial, and all the questions it raises including whether an impeachment trial of a former president is permissible, the implications of the impeachment and potential conviction of a former elected official, and the impact of the trial on a deeply divided country. This is one conversation you will not want to miss! Register Here |
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Upcoming JUDJ/CAI American at a Crossroads Programs
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You can access recordings of all of our past events here.
Upcoming JUDJ/CAI American at a Crossroads Programs
PAST PROGRAMS:
You can access recordings of all of our past events here.
In yesterdays The Bulwark, Philip Rotner’s excellent column about the impeachment case against Trump claims the case to be “clear and compelling”. Rotner presents the single ground for impeachment, to wit: incitement of insurrection, and analyzes the legal strength of the claim; he analyzes the likely defenses which would be raised by Trump’s counsel, looking at both substantive as well as “process” or “procedural” defenses. In the end, Rotner concludes there are no valid or winnable defenses to the claim, and suggests that the politics of some senators to win or maintain support of Trump’s base is pointless. In Rotner’s concluding words, “There is nothing to be gained by trying to assuage the feelings of white supremacists, conspiracy theorists, and other MAGA crazies. It’s time to hold bad actors accountable, not to appease them. It is time to let the truth have its day.”.
Upcoming JUDJ/CAI American at a Crossroads Programs
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HONORING MARTIN LUTHER KING MONDAY @ 4 PM PST
JUDJ is a proud co-sponsor of what is sure to be an outstanding program honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King produced by Sinai Temple (West Los Angeles). (See full flyer below). The spirit and content of the program is sure to be a worthy tribute to the remarkable legacy of this prophetic man. You can find a full listing of participating artists and speakers on Sinai Temple’s homepage. To participate, register here, and you will receive a reminder email on Monday prior to the program. Monday, January 18, 2021 at 4 pm PST at: streaming.sinaitemple.org
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You can access recordings of all of our past events here.
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You can access recordings of all of our past events here.
PAST PROGRAMS:
You can access recordings of all of our past events here.
PAST PROGRAMS:
You can access recordings of all of our past events here.
PAST PROGRAMS:
You can access recordings of all of our past events here.
PAST PROGRAMS:
You can access recordings of all of our past events here.
PAST PROGRAMS:
You can access recordings of all of our past events here.
PAST PROGRAMS:
You can access recordings of all of our past events here.