Democracy Forward

“It’s well beyond politics. It’s well beyond candidates… We are really in a crisis for the heart of our country, for what it’s stood for” — Democracy Forward President & CEO Skye Perryman (she/her). More on the threats facing our democracy this year and beyond: https://lnkd.in/gFG8N4y6

SCOTUS justices that are the product of the far-right legal movement “are actually accelerating that crisis, not doing what the courts are supposed to do, which is to protect our democracy, protect our democratic institutions, and protect the freedoms of the American people.” Skye Perryman (she/her) & Katie Phang on Weekend Capehart:

Everywhere I look on social media, someone is now sounding the alarm on Project 2025. We need to hear it. And Democracy Forward has broken it down in their excellent new people's guide. Just a reminder that Project 2025 is not our future but our present. In the words of my friend Karen Thompson about abortion rights, "the cake is already in the oven and we are looking at the icing." As the Democracy Forward guide outlines, Project 2025 calls for "[e]mbolden[ing] racial discrimination in everything from housing to education to employment. Project 2025 proposes that the president should remove a key tool that the federal government uses to enforce civil rights protections." That tool is the prohibition against disparate impact discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The fight to eviscerate Title VI is already underway. Environmental justice is the wedge. The State of Louisiana has already secured an injunction against EPA and DOJ, preventing *both* agencies from enforcing their disparate impact regulations in Louisiana. And 23 attorneys general, led by Florida, have filed a petition for rulemaking calling for EPA to rescind its disparate impact regulations. Project 2025 would see this play out for the Departments of Education, Labor, HUD, and beyond--but it has already started with EPA. We need to remember that this is not a drill. Connect the dots to the end of Chevron deference and the erosion of the administrative state. To the backlash against civil rights and any form of reparative redress for centuries of structural racism. And to the broader stratification of rights across the country and the inversion of who is entitled to even claim harm and receive protection under our laws. And we also need to remember that we have grassroots movements--from environmental justice to reproductive justice--already mobilizing against these attacks. Let's remember to take the lead from them.

This shouldn’t be controversial. As we fight for a more inclusive democracy, our advocacy must include people with disabilities.

#Project2025 is bad for business.  Take it from the former President & CEO of the Gates Foundation: https://lnkd.in/gfMx6fsb

“There is no cavalry or institution that is going to save the American people in this crisis. It is going to have to be we the people that can save us.” More Skye Perryman (she/her) on Deadline MSNBC with Nicolle Wallace on how we defend our democracy:

In describing the devastating impact of #SCOTUS’ harmful ‘Corner Post’ decision, our President & CEO Skye Perryman (she/her) outlines how it will affect people & communities:

No matter if it’s SCOTUS granting presidential immunity in ‘Trump v. US’ or the authoritarian threats in Project 2025, as our President & CEO Skye Perryman (she/her) put it: “the president is not a king.” Independence Day is a reminder of the work left to reach our nation's promise.

With the stakes higher than ever for people and our freedoms, we must not lose sight of the future we want to build. This Independence Day, we celebrate all those working to achieve our nation’s founding promise of a bold, vibrant democracy for all people. 

You have the architect of Project 2025 “on television yesterday saying that they are calling for a second American Revolution and he cannot promise that it will not be bloodless. This is what's happening on the eve of the Fourth of July.” Skye Perryman (she/her) on Deadline MSNBC with Nicole Wallace: