Week 23 Trending Campaigns
Week 23 Trending Campaigns
Trending campaigns on Resistbot as of June 6, 2023.
Here are the top trending campaigns over the past seven days. If you have a friend who might be interested in one of the issues you read about here, please forward this on. Remember that ten people engaging on an issue is better than one person, ten times. Getting a friend civically engaged or educated on an issue can pay a lifetime of dividends; give it a try!
1️⃣ Protect ICWA
The Supreme Court is expected to release its decision on Haaland vs. Brackeen in the coming weeks. This case challenges the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act or ICWA. The ICWA was enacted in 1978, in short, to prevent the child welfare system in the United States from removing children from their tribes. Before the passage of this law, the child welfare system removed 1 of 3 Native children from their homes and almost all of them from their tribal nations entirely, even if relatives were willing to adopt.
To truly understand the positive potential of the ICWA today, allow me to share the story of a resilient 10-year-old Dakota girl who found herself navigating the foster care system. Separated from her tribal community, she was abruptly uprooted from the warmth of sacred ceremonies and the loving embrace of her kin. It was a heart-wrenching experience that left her yearning for the cultural connections and sense of belonging that had been integral to her upbringing. “I felt like I lost my community,” she said.
However, the provisions of the ICWA intervened, allowing her extended family to step in as foster parents. With unwavering love and support, they provided her with a nurturing home, ensuring that she remained firmly anchored to her tribal heritage. Through the protective embrace of the ICWA, her cultural identity was preserved and her well-being was nurtured.
Victor A. Lopez-Carmen, Dakota and Yaqui Nations
This letter to Congress, active since July of 2022, seeks to educate Congress and call for a legislative solution before the Supreme Court overturns a 45-year-old law. You can hear many more personal stories on TikTok.
2️⃣ Pass the Equality Act
Per the Human Rights Campaign, “Seven years after marriage equality became a reality nationwide, over half of U.S. states could still deny LGBTQ+ Americans basic freedoms like the right to rent a home or the ability to receive public goods and services simply because of who they love or who they are. The Equality Act will change that, ensuring basic freedoms and protections for every American in every state.” These rights include refusal of service, housing, and medical care. This letter to Congress demands its passage after Mark Takano reintroduced it in the 118th Congress.
3️⃣ Raise Teacher Pay
This letter to Congress asks for the passage of the Pay Teachers Act (S. 766) and the American Teacher Act (H.R. 882) that aim to set a minimum salary for teachers in the United States at $60,000 annually, direct more federal funding to educators and schools, and increase the amount of school supplies teachers can write off to $1,000 per year. In a country that recently passed legislation “capping” defense spending at $886 billion in 2024, this seems like a small price to pay for what should be most important to American society—educating our children.
“Wages for public school teachers are so low that in 36 states, the average public school teacher with a family of four qualifies for food stamps, public housing and other government assistance programs. If we are going to have the best public school system in the world, we have got to radically change our attitude toward education and make sure that every teacher in America receives the compensation that they deserve for the enormously important and difficult work that they do.”
Senator Bernie Sanders
Others gaining steam: Designate Belarus for Temporary Protected Status, Opportunities in Organic Act, Reduce Food Waste in the Farm Bill, Senator Tuberville’s War on Women Harms National Security
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