Are you concerned about the state of our democracy and political system?

Want to DO something about it?

Join us!

2024 Online Action Plan

Get Involved with UUSJ  (pdf)  |  Meeting with a Legislator (pdf)

The attempted destruction of our democracy is a critical issue that threatens the very core of our existence as a country.

The UUSJ Democracy Action Team’s long-term goal is to help save our democracy from the powerful forces attacking it. These forces are evident in the widespread efforts to deny voting rights, the violent attempt to overturn the results of a free and fair election, and the efforts to make our national legislative bodies ineffective.

For 2024 we are focused on the following:

• Educating the public about what is happening.
• Assisting UU congregations in their efforts to save our democracy.
• Advocating for voting rights and related democracy legislation. 

For more detail on our priorities and what guides us, click this link.

About Our Team

The Democracy Action Team was formed in August 2019 to assess and prioritize areas of focus and align these areas with legislation in Congress. The group has monthly Zoom meetings, and sub-groups meet between meetings as needed. Fred Van Deusen from First Parish in Concord, Massachusetts, is the Team Convener.

To join or learn more about the Democracy Action Team, please email Pablo at pdejesus@uusj.org.

To join our Democracy Discussion Group, email democracy.uusj@gmail.com.

Useful Resources

Videos from Recent Events We Have Hosted

• David Pepper – Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual for Every American
• Steve Phillips – How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy
• Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt – Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point
• Rev. Cecilia Kingman – Recognizing and Resisting Fascism as People of Faith

Organization Websites:

Members of the Democracy Action Team authored the 2021 UU Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) Stop Voter Suppression and Partner for Voting Rights and a Multiracial Democracy.

The Statement of Conscience for the 2016 UUA Congregational Study Action Issue “The Corruption of Our Democracy” was passed at the UUA General Assembly in June, 2019. The final edited version is called “Our Democracy Uncorrupted“ is now available.

To learn more about the corrupting influence of big money in our political system and what we can do about it, go to this excellent resource, Reclaim Our Democracy.

Faithful Democracy is a national coalition of diverse congregations, faith-based organizations, and religious leaders with a shared concern about the state of our democracy.

Declaration for American Democracy is a coalition of more than 170 organizations that includes groups from labor, racial justice, faith, women’s rights, environmental, good government, and many other important communities. Formed in 2018, they set out on a mission to take back our democracy and restore power to the people. The coalition believes that we must build a democracy where everyone participates, every vote is counted, and everyone’s voice is heard.

Common Cause wins concrete, pro-democracy reforms that break down barriers to participation, ensure each of us has an equal voice and vote, and rebuild trust in our government.

Brennan Center for Justice conducts rigorous research to identify problems and provide in-depth empirical findings and compelling analyses of pressing legal and policy issues. They also pioneer and champion policy solutions, such as automatic voter registration and small-donor public financing.

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.

Move to Amend is a coalition of hundreds of organizations and hundreds of thousands of individuals committed to social and economic justice, ending corporate rule, and building a vibrant democracy that is genuinely accountable to the people, not corporate interests.

Poor People’s Campaign, A National Call for Moral Revival, has created 14 Policy Priorities to Heal the Nation: A Moral and Economic Agenda for the First 100 Days. Priority number seven is to protect and expand voting rights and civil rights.

Books:

How We Win the Civil War by Steve Phillips

Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual for Every American by David Pepper

How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

Daring Democracy:  Igniting Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want by Frances Moore Lappé and Adam Eichen

Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America by Nancy MacLean

Why competition in the politics industry is failing America, A strategy for reinvigorating our democracy by Katherine M. Gehl and Michael E. Porter