Andrew,
There are so many pieces of legislation that have the potential to advance the future of Black lives but have been prevented from going anywhere due to the filibuster.
Reminder: The filibuster is a racist, anti-democratic, Jim Crow-era tool that upholds white supremacy and prevents legislation that moves us toward Black liberation. It allows any of the 100 U.S. senators to block bills for any reason unless 60 senators vote for it (instead of a simple 51 majority).
That isn't working for the people at all, now is it. Take 2 minutes to send an email to your senators demanding they fight to end the filibuster once and for all. Here are just a few things that could be impacted by the filibuster:
- The BREATHE Act. This visionary set of proposals would divest our taxpayer dollars from brutal and discriminatory policing and invest in a new vision of public safety -- a vision that answers the call to defund the police and allows all communities to finally BREATHE free.
- Medicare for All. Medicare for All is an important step toward creating a more equitable and fair health care system. Black folks are the 2nd-most uninsured group of adults -- losing access when we drop off our parents' insurance and before we're old enough to enroll in Medicare. Opening Medicare up to all Americans makes sure we don't lose access to care due to insurance.
- D.C. statehood. The majority Black and brown residents of D.C. have been paying taxes without full representation in Congress. It's no surprise that folks in the Senate are using the filibuster to suppress Black voices in politics.
- For The People Act. The For The People Act is the most expansive voting rights legislation since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Passing it is absolutely essential to preventing the hundreds of anti-voter bills Republicans are pushing in the states from stopping our freedom to vote.
- Confronting climate change. Legislation like the Green New Deal is essential because it recognizes how interconnected confronting climate change is to racial and economic justice. It's legislation that doesn't just save the planet, it creates millions of good paying jobs, protects frontline communities, and rights historic injustices.
Andrew, we need to do all we can to urge our elected officials to end the filibuster. If we don't, then our work for large-scale, transformative legislation for Black liberation doesn't stand a chance in the Senate. The Senate cannot continue to use the filibuster as a way to prevent critical legislation from passing. Use our easy tool and take 2 minutes to send an email to your senators and demand they fight to abolish the filibuster. Folks in the Senate have been using the filibuster to politicize commonsense demands to advance our democracy for far too long. Legislation beyond health care and voting rights are at stake here.
Everything is at stake here.
From criminal-legal reform to climate change and environmental justice, from workers rights and immigration reform. So long as the filibuster exists, it will continue to prevent our democracy from living up to its potential and will remain yet another way to protect white supremacy in the Senate.
How can we call ourselves a democracy while senators, people that WE elected into office, are able to abuse the system through a tool so damaging? The filibuster needs to end, immediately. We won't stop fighting until it's gone -- because until it's gone, we won't be able to advance our democracy, and Black liberation gets further out of reach. Please, take 2 minutes to write an email to your senators and demand they abolish the filibuster. In love and solidarity,
Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
Comments
Post a Comment