2021 was fairly a yr, and the work we did collectively is an inspiration—whether or not MoveOn members had been working domestically to cease a poisonous pipeline undertaking, holding companies accountable for profiting off of right-wing conspiracy theories, or serving to to maintain individuals of their houses throughout the world pandemic, we’ve rallied collectively in moments of uncertainty and injustice.Listed below are a couple of of the inspiring moments from 2021, the place MoveOn’s unimaginable members and progressive companions used the MoveOn petition’s instrument to energy their campaigns. There are various different methods MoveOn campaigns as properly and lots of different essential ongoing fights we’re part of, however these achievements present how progressive change can begin with signing or beginning a petition!
• When the US Anti-Doping Company (USADA) suspended Sha’Carri Richardson from working within the Tokyo Olympics attributable to an irrational, outdated, and arbitrarily enforced rule round marijuana in July, almost 600,000 MoveOn members got here collectively and signed the petition demanding that the USADA drop their penalty and let Sha’Carri run! MoveOn members later partnered with NORML Colorado, a number one advocate for altering our nation’s marijuana legal guidelines, to prepare a relay race to ship the petition to the USADA.
The large petition by MoveOn members was included in tons of articles by ESPN, on “The Right now Present,” NBC’s “Nightly Information,” and NPR, and in Black Enterprise and different magazines, and the petition and hashtag #LetShaCarriRun took over Twitter, with celebrities and influencers like Debra Messing, David Zirin, and Adina Porter exhibiting their assist in droves!
The battle in opposition to the criminalization of Black, brown, and Indigenous individuals and communities for marijuana use continues. And simply weeks after Sha’Carri’s story was everywhere in the information, U.S. Senators Cory Booker, Charles Schumer, and Ron Wyden launched laws that could be a historic first step in undoing the harms brought on by unjust drug insurance policies.
• In January, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell was photographed with written notes to provide Trump, instructing him to overturn the 2020 election by the use of martial regulation. So MoveOn member Dennis C. began a petition demanding that Costco, MyPillow’s second-largest retailer, drop MyPillow. After almost 300,000 MoveOn members signed Dennis’s petition, the marketing campaign gained, and Costco eliminated MyPillow from all of its shops! That is what’s potential once we take motion collectively.
• After the lethal, white supremacist-led January 6 rebel, many companies like Normal Motors (GM) pledged to both cease or pause political donations to Republicans who fueled the rebel. GM broke that promise and donated PAC cash to seditious Republicans. We can not normalize their habits or let companies off the hook for supporting the elected officers who assault our democracy. So, in July, almost 20,000 MoveOn members signed the petition to inform GM’s PAC: Preserve your phrase and cease funding rebel.
• In Might, when the Israeli authorities was forcibly evicting, killing, and displacing Palestinians from their houses and violence was spreading, over 73,000 MoveOn members signed the petition asking President Biden to take motion to safe an instantaneous ceasefire and to realize a simply answer grounded in human dignity.
• In August, when Afghans had been affected by many years of a eternally battle, MoveOn accomplice Afghans for a Higher Tomorrow began a petition pushing the Biden administration and Congress to make sure the security of probably the most weak in Afghanistan by rising refugee caps, retaining the airport in Kabul open, increasing visas, and offering humanitarian help to assist Afghans. Over 128,000 MoveOn members signed the petition, to battle for a future for Afghans with out battle, violence, or a humanitarian disaster. Since then, Afghans for a Higher Tomorrow has grow to be a frontrunner within the progressive motion and is constant its advocacy for the dignity and safety of Afghan individuals.
• In September, the Supreme Courtroom refused to cease the heinous Texas abortion ban from going into impact. UltraViolet began a petition demanding that the U.S. Senate move the Ladies’s Well being Safety Act (WHPA) to guard entry to abortion for all American. Over 227,000 MoveOn members signed the petition and we supported UltraViolet in delivering these signatures to Senator Richard Blumenthal and Consultant Judy Chu, two of the invoice’s co-sponsors.
• In June, Honor the Earth, an Indigenous-led group, began a petition asking President Biden to cease the development of Enbridge Inc.’s Line 3 poisonous tar sands pipeline undertaking that threatens Indigenous treaty rights, clear water, and the local weather. Over 84,000 MoveOn members signed the petition. And in October, the petition was delivered by Indigenous local weather leaders and allies who hosted a #PeoplevsFossilFuels week of motion in D.C. to demand a fossil free future and actual local weather options which might be rooted in justice.
• On the finish of July, thousands and thousands of Individuals had been dealing with eviction regardless of the worldwide pandemic. So over 62,000 MoveOn members signed the petition to echo Congresswoman Cori Bush’s name asking the Biden administration to increase the eviction moratorium so individuals wouldn’t lose their houses.
Congresswoman Cori Bush took daring motion and spent days and nights on the steps of the Capitol to demand that thousands and thousands of Individuals not get evicted. Consultant Bush was joined by Consultant Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Consultant Ayanna Pressley, and MoveOn Govt Director Rahna Epting!
• In October, human rights lawyer Steven Donziger was jailed for exposing that Chevron deliberately dumped 16 billion gallons of poisonous oil onto Indigenous land in Ecuador, which poisoned Indigenous and poor communities in Ecuador’s Amazon area. Over 43,000 MoveOn members signed the petition to demand that the usDepartment of Justice evaluate Steven Donziger’s case.
• Later that month, when information broke that Apple was giving Trump and his new social media app a platform even after Trump incited the lethal white supremacist-led January 6 rebel, MoveOn member Matthew Witten began a petition demanding that Apple drop Trump’s new social media app. Over 204,000 MoveOn members signed the petition!
• In January, MoveOn accomplice Cornell Heart on the Loss of life Penalty Worldwide began a petition demanding that the Division of Justice save the lifetime of Lisa Montgomery, a sufferer of abuse, who was going to be wrongly executed by the federal authorities. Over 312,000 MoveOn members signed this petition as we tried to perform the almost not possible, a keep of execution within the face of insurmountable odds. MoveOn members confirmed up in assist of Lisa and her sister.
• In July, Ben & Jerry (sure, THAT Ben & Jerry from the ice cream) began a petition asking Congress to tax the ultra-wealthy and companies to allow them to pay their justifiable share in taxes, as a substitute of expending pointless assets to ship themselves into house. Almost 125,000 MoveOn members signed the petition. This was a necessary tenet of our advocacy round Construct Again Higher, on condition that the hole between the ultra-wealthy and dealing individuals continues to widen.
• And in August, after Republicans in states throughout the nation handed a whole bunch of voter suppression legal guidelines, Widespread Trigger began a petition to push President Biden to do the whole lot he can, together with calling for an finish to the racist Jim Crow filibuster, to guard our sacred voting rights. Over 40,000 MoveOn members joined Congresswoman Nikema Williams, who serves in the identical district that was lengthy represented by civil rights champion John Lewis, and signed the petition. Then, MoveOn members partnered with Black Voters Matter, Widespread Trigger, Stand Up America, Repair Our Senate, Folks for the American Method, the household of the late Congressman John Lewis, and different progressive allies to ship over 400,000 petition signatures to the White Home.
MoveOn’s free petition platform is a robust place the place MoveOn members and progressive companions are in a position to run impactful campaigns on points impacting their communities. From rising as much as advance local weather justice, racial justice, voting rights, or financial justice, it was so inspiring to see MoveOn members take motion all yr lengthy.
All through your complete yr, MoveOn members signed petitions, began petitions, referred to as their members of Congress, hosted and attended rallies and occasions, delivered petitions, and a lot extra. And all of those campaigns began with a petition on MoveOn’s free petition platform!
In 2022 and past, MoveOn members and progressive companions will proceed utilizing the petition platform as a instrument to prepare and construct energy for our communities. And you need to use the platform to start out a petition on a difficulty you care about too!
In solidarity,
–Jensine, Isbah, and the MoveOn Petition Platform Crew
