Photo: April 21, 2025 Rally at First Parish in Concord My name is Fred Van Deusen, and I have the honor of being both the Leader of the Reclaim Our Democracy group at First Parish in Concord, MA, and a member of the UUSJ Democracy Action Team. The UUSJ Democracy Action Team comprises a … Continue reading Let’s Reclaim Our Democracy, In Ernest
We can feel it in our bones. Our democracy is in crisis. The well-orchestrated rise of Christian Nationalism and ultra-conservative forces is right in front of our eyes. Ponder, for example – the Citizens United decision; the initial election of Donald Trump; Mitch McConnell’s cleverly executed rightwing takeover of the Supreme Court; the insurrection on … Continue reading Our Democracy Is In Crisis – We Need to Act Now
You don’t have to be the U.S. President to make a difference. In fact, there are more than 500,000 elected offices in the U.S, each of which has a role to play in shaping their community. Resources: How to run for office – npr by Miles Parks, Chloee Weiner Run for Something endorsed 416 candidates … Continue reading 8d. Run For Office
Organizations that register voters: League of Women Voters Rock the Vote When We All Vote Learn to register voters
Sample Narrative We Americans value our freedoms, our way of life, our democracy. Based on the words that the anti-democracy folks are saying, it appears they want to turn the United States into an authoritarian country. A recent article in the Atlantic contains fifteen examples of what the former president has said that demonstrates what … Continue reading Sample Narrative: A Country Based on American Values
Our democracy is in danger; our country is at a crossroads. Those who support democracy, whether Independent, Republican, or Democrat, must speak out powerfully. We must educate ourselves and others, including our family and friends. We must contest the errors and misrepresentations in the media. Above all, we must identify people who support our democracy … Continue reading Our Country Needs Our Words and Values More Than Ever
We watched in horror on January 6, 2021, as right-wing extremist groups attacked the Capitol Building trying to prevent the results of a free, fair and well-verified presidential election from being implemented. Our long and unbroken tradition of the peaceful transfer of power was indeed broken. We recently saw a similar attack occur in Brazil, … Continue reading It Is Time for Democracy to Strike Back
Midterm Takeaways from UUSJ Democracy Action Team Convener, Fred Van Deusen [Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this commentary was published online last month in Medium] The very good news from the recent midterm elections is that our democracy survived to fight another day. No significant disruptions occurred to voting around the country, and no … Continue reading Midterm Takeaways
The Democracy Action Team (DAT) is focusing on reforming the Electoral Count Act, after the disappointing Senate filibuster of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. One measure under consideration – the Electoral Count Modernization Act – does have bipartisan support. It would update and clarify the current 1887-passed law that governs the casting and counting … Continue reading What’s Next For Voting Rights
Despite this setback for the John L. Lewis Act, there are some important takeaways from UUSJ’s Democracy Action Team’s collaboration with many national groups pushing for passage of this important legislation The coordinated and collaborative work included hundreds of groups, all with the same goal. It was an important milestone for the broader democracy movement … Continue reading Voter Rights Advocacy Highlights
