Blog
We are proud to join Cities for Citizenship in celebrating its two-year anniversary this September. As a result of Cities of Citizenship, more than 10,000 eligible immigrants are on track to become American citizens, while more than 65,000 have been connected with naturalization resources and more than 5,000 have attended financial empowerment classes.
Cities for Citizenship (C4C) is a collaboration co-chaired by the mayors of Chicago Los Angeles, and New York City with support from the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) and CPD. As a core partner of this program, CPD provides regular technical support and policy advice, assistance with organizing strategies, best practices from other cities, communications and press strategy support, and planning and implementing C4C events and activities.
The bipartisan effort joins 26 mayors across the U.S. committed to building economically robust and welcoming cities for the 8.8 million Legal Permanent Residents, or green card holders, eligible for citizenship. Research by the Urban Institute and supported by NYC’s Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and Citi Community Development shows that the U.S. is missing out on billions of dollars in tax revenues and earnings due to this naturalization gap. Cities for Citizenship enables cities to expand naturalization and financial capability programs, as well as access to legal assistance, microloans and financial counseling. The benefits of naturalization include higher earning potential for new citizens, increase voting and political participation, improved connections between communities and local services, and reduced deportation rates.
Since the program’s launch, 10,000+ individuals have pursued citizenship/initiated the citizenship process; 6,000+ individuals received legal assistance/referrals; 5,000+ individuals have attended financial empowerment classes; 900+ individuals have participated in 1-1 financial coaching sessions; 12,000+ have received information on the fee waiver, financial counseling, and/or citizenship microloan assistance; and outreach has been conducted in more than 15 different languages, including Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, Creole, Farsi, French, Ilocano, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Mandingo, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Twi, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
This month, the program also released a toolkit “10 Strategies to Help Cities Launch and Strengthen Citizenship Initiatives.” Stay updated and follow the initiative on Twitter with #Cities4Citizenship.
It’s been a banner month for the Fair Workweek movement. In the same week that Seattle City’s Council unanimously passed the country’s second comprehensive set of scheduling protections, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced support to pass a similar law for fast-food workers. The City Council is pledging to pass legislation by year’s end, with the potential to affect more than 65,000 New Yorkers in years to come.
New York City is the birthplace of the Fight for $15 movement and, over the past few years, Mayor de Blasio has championed a number of worker-friendly policies, ranging from paid sick days to parental leave.
But working people need both $15 and a fair workweek for a stable paycheck. Higher wages can be washed away when you don’t get enough hours – and, for many, those hours change from week to week with little advance notice. Those working in fast food, retail, and across the service industry have long said hours are just as important as wages, and policymakers are increasingly listening to their calls.
As Mayor de Blasio and 32BJ SEIU President Héctor Figueroa said in a recent op-ed, “Treating workers with respect and fairness — and giving them the chance to pursue the American dream — lifts up all our communities, our city, and our country.” A coalition is growing to win a fair workweek for NYC’s fast food workers – led by 32BJ SEIU, along with Center for Popular Democracy partners New York Communities for Change and Make the Road New York.
New York City is the largest city to take up the cause, but it won’t be the last. After winning $15, it is clear that the movement for just hours is taking off to ensure that working families have the wages and hours they need to thrive.
This month, Politico published its 2016 “Politico 50” list – the publication’s assessment of the most influential individuals shaping public policy and national discourse in 2016.
CPD is extremely proud to see two shining lights from our staff and network featured prominently in this year’s list - Ady Barkan, Co-Director of Local Progress and Campaign Director of Fed Up, and Jonathan Westin, Executive Director of partner organization, New York Communities for Change. They are ranked alongside the likes of Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren as national thought leaders.
Ady Barkan is acknowledged for his leadership of CPD’s Fed Up campaign, a partnership of community organizations and progressive labor unions campaigning to elevate the voices of working people in the previously-exclusive debates on monetary policy and the role of the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed Up campaign is advocating for a wholesale rethink of how the Fed is structured and how it sets monetary policy, aiming to dismantle the concentration of power and lack of transparency in the world’s most powerful central bank. The campaign calls for reform of the Fed’s governance and a widening of the range of tools the Fed can use to support the economy so that all communities are able to benefit from full employment and rising wages.
Jonathan Westin is recognized for his leadership in the Fast Food Forward campaign and for helping to build the case for a $15 minimum wage. In 2015, CPD partners Make the Road New York and New York Communities for Change, along with other allies campaigned for, and won, a $15 minimum for fast food workers across the state. In July, the NY Wage Board recommended a $15 minimum wage for the state’s fast food workers – giving a nearly 70 percent raise to roughly 180,000 New Yorkers. On November 10 the same day fast-food workers and other low-wage workers around the country staged strikes and actions for $15/hour and a union, Governor Cuomo announced that all state workers would receive a minimum of $15 an hour through executive action.
Congratulations to Ady and Jonathan! You can read the full list of “Politico’s 50” change makers here.
This September CPD launched an exciting, innovative Sustainability Initiative - a program designed to help our partner organizations build greater financial independence by developing revenue generating dues-paying membership and small donor field programs.
The launch follows over two years of planning and piloting work with our partners. CPD has teamed-up with Membership Drive, a canvass consulting and technology firm to build the initiative to scale nationally. Membership Drive was founded by Phil Radford, former National Canvass Director of Greenpeace. Together, we will build street and door-to-door fundraising and membership programs with our partner organizations across the country. Each program aims to bring financial self-sufficiency to organizations within two years. The programs aim to generate revenues that can cover 50 to 75% of a partner organizations' operating budgets within five years. Through improved training and technology, these programs will provide a path for racial and economic justice organizations to build significantly bigger pools of unrestricted revenue - funds that can be used for any purpose, enabling organizations to realize their programmatic visions.
The program kicked-off this month in our New York office with a two-week Canvass Director Boot Camp driven by Greg Basta, CPD’s Director of Sustainability Initiatives, and Tiffany Cruz, our National Field Lead. Participants included canvass directors from VOCAL-NY, Take Action Minnesota, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Wisconsin Jobs Now, and Action United. Over the next three months, we will develop further canvass programs with New York Communities for Change, Make The Road Pennsylvania, and Working Washington. We are excited to watch our partner organizations flourish as they bring new organizing skills and strength to their communities.
If you are interested in regularly supporting CPD’s work, you too can become a sustaining member of CPD and support our ongoing efforts to generate momentum from the local level up to ensure that the values of equity, opportunity and dynamic democracy become national priorities. Become a sustaining CPD member today!
The Center for Popular Democracy is proud to be a contributor of the Movement for Black Lives recently launched comprehensive policy platform, A Vision for Black Lives: Policy Demands for Black Power, Freedom and Justice.
The platform is a result of over a year’s work by a collection of nearly 70 organizations, including the Center for Popular Democracy and a number of our partners and close allies including: Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, Detroit Good Jobs Now, Organization for Black Struggle, and others. The process, led by grass-roots Black organizations from across the country, is designed to lift up the transformative work of organizations from across the country and addresses everything from police violence, mass incarceration, education reforms, guaranteed minimum income, reparations, decriminalization and more.
The platform is a reflection of the work that we all fight for every day. The broad categories in the platform include: An end to the war on black people; reparations for past and continuing harms; de-funding of institutions and systems that incarcerate and police Black people and investments in the education, health and safety of Black communities; economic justice for all; community control of the institutions and agencies that most impact Black communities and support for independent Black political power. Under each category there are a number of specific demands with accompanying policy briefs, which provide a road map to translate this vision into a reality at the local, state and federal level.
CPD is proud to be one of the endorsers and to have supported the research and development of the platform - including contributing to a number of the policy briefs. Many of the demands in the platform, from a guaranteed livable income to divestment from harmful systems and investment in the health and safety of our communities, are things that CPD and our partners are currently working on. We are looking forward to continuing this work with partners and allies to help make the platform a reality.
Voting rights have become a key issue in 2016. In addition to the successful legal victories rolling back state restrictions on voting in states like Texas, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Kansas, we have successfully advanced a number of important democracy-expanding reforms this year!
Three years ago, we launched our Voting Rights & Democracy program with the express goal of going on offense to advance a proactive, inclusive agenda to expand voting rights and increase voter participation and engagement of the New American Majority. Together with state partners and national allies, CPD and CPD Action have been advancing game-changing reforms like Automatic Voter Registration, restoring the right to vote for the formerly incarcerated, as well as reforms to increase access to voter registration and the ballot box.
This work is beginning to refocus the national political agenda on the strengthening of our democracy. CPD Action and other national partners advocated on these issues to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as the party debated its platform. On Monday, July 25, 2016 the DNC adopted a 2016 platform containing the strongest voting rights provisions in the party’s history, declaring “it is a core principle of the Democratic Party to maximize voter participation for all Americans.” The fact that inclusive affirmative voting reforms were included in a national platform reflects the momentum that CPD has been able to build with our partners and allies.
All the major voting rights reforms that CPD has been advocating for — automatic voter registration (AVR), the restoration of voting rights for ex-offenders, making election day a holiday, and restoring the Voting Rights Act to its full power — can now be found in the 2016 DNC platform!
National support for expanding voting rights comes at a critical time. Our democracy is at a crossroads and the stakes could not be higher. More than a decade of attacks on voting rights and democratic participation — from Shelby County v. Holder to restrictive state voter ID laws — have been threatening the very core principles of our representative democracy.
Expanding voting rights is a not partisan issue, it’s an American issue. In our democracy, every voter — regardless of party affiliation, race, gender, income or age — should be able to cast their ballot and make their voice heard.
But this fight requires a long-term effort to pass proactive voting policies at the state, national and local level. The strong endorsement of voting rights reforms by a major political party platform is an indication that momentum is building for a strong proactive and inclusive democracy agenda!
On July 8, 2016 over 1,600 grassroots leaders, organizers, policy makers and artists representing more than 40 people’s organizations from around the country, came together in Pittsburgh for CPD's first-ever People’s Convention.
We came together as people deeply committed to bending the arc of history towards justice together: workers standing up for fair wages, Black and Latino youth fighting for dignity, immigrant parents working to keep our families together, working class people reclaiming our democracy and our planet, and demanding an economy that works for all of us. The convention took place in the context of deep danger for our country and our communities. The painful killing of two Black fathers, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, highlighted the urgency to build transformative power together.
At the convention we drew inspiration and guidance from the words of poet Maya Angelou, who wrote in her poem “And Still I Rise” (some excerpts below):
You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
Up from a past that's rooted in pain I rise
I rise I rise I rise
In Pittsburgh we reminded each other that we are a community, that we have each other’s back, that we love each other.
Over two days, we strategized together, we mourned together, we marched together, we danced together. And at the end of the convention, we went home stronger, smarter, more connected, and better positioned to continue our struggle in our states, and to transform this country together. And so, we rise!
We took to the streets together
On the first day of the convention 2,000 people joined the “Still We Rise” march through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh, to protest the continued killings of black people at the hands of police, to decry the immigration policies that continue to tear immigrant families apart, and to elevate the fights for worker justice and climate justice in Pittsburgh and around the country.
On Saturday, hundreds of People’s Convention participants together with members of Local Progress, took to the streets again in support an action organized by the local #BlackLivesMatter chapter in Pittsburgh to protest the most recent killings of black men at the hands of police.
We learned from each other and strategized together
The program included close to 40 workshops and strategy sessions led by grassroots leaders and organizers from CPD partner organizations as well as allies. During these sessions we learned about each other’s campaigns, built new skills, and began the process of outlining long-term visions for our collective work on economic, climate, gender and racial justice.
We want to thank our allies from the Labor Institute, Partnership for Working Families, Make It Work!, Opportunity Agenda, Color of Change, Gamechanger Labs, DEMOS, Urban Youth Collaborative, New Voice Pittsburgh, Strong Economy for All Coalition, Education Rights Network, Pittsburgh Interfaith Network, PIIN, Childcare and Early Learning Action Hub, Flint Rising and Flint Democracy Defense League, and Amalgamated Bank.
We would also like to thank the allies that led workshops and strategy sessions, including: Jamala Rogers, author of “Ferguson is America: Roots of Rebellion” David Rolf, president of SEIU 775, and author of “The Fight for $15: The Right Wage for a Working America” Nick Licata, long-time city council member in Seattle, co-founder of Local Progress, and author of “Becoming a Citizen Activist: Stories, Strategies and Advice for Changing Our World”.
We committed to stand up for each other and build a long term community of love and action
We gathered in Pittsburgh to launch a new community of people committed to leaving a legacy defined by love. We marked this by ratifying a statement of unity “Still We Rise”, which defines who we are, what we value, and what we fight for. This statement will help guide the work of this community moving forward.
We want to thank the amazing grassroots leaders and organizers of One Pittsburgh and Action United, who hosted the People’s Convention, and served as a model of how this new community can add strength to the struggles of people in cities across the country.
We also want to thank our friends from Sankofa and the outstanding movement artists who helped make the convention a space that lifted up the hope, creativity and resiliency of our communities:
Emily, Nick and the pittsburgh art collective W. Kamau Bell Jasiri X Rebel Diaz Climbing PoeTree Carolyn Malachi Tef Poe Las Cafeteras
We drew inspiration from each other
We want to thank the amazing grassroots leaders and organizers from CPD partner organizations, and our allies from labor and community organizations, who shared their stories, their ideas and their visions for justice, so that we could come out of the convention with an inter-connected and powerful pathway for our work to transform this country.
We want to extend a special thank you to the movement allies that joined the plenaries:
Reverend William Barber II, NAACP US Congressman Keith Ellison Bishop Dwayne Royster, PICO Network Bob Master, Communication Workers of America Cristina Jimenez, United We Dream Fred Redmond, United Steelworkers Gabe Morgan and Steve Kelley, SEIU 32BJ John Avalos, San Francisco Board of Supervisors and chair of Local Progress Linda Sarsour, MPower Natasha Capers, Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools Nelini Stamp, Working Families Organization Neil Bisno, SEIU Tefere Gebre, AFL-CIO
And Still We Rise!
Learn More:
- Ana Maria Archila's Opening Remarks
- Reverend Barber's Speech to the 2016 People's
- 'Still We Rise' - The Peoples Convention March
We are people bending the arc of history towards justice. We are young and old. We are women. We are men. We are queer. We are trans. We are students. We are workers and the unemployed. And we are the people whose daily labor is not recognized as work. And still, we rise!
We are parents and grandparents. We are Latinos and Latinas. We are Black. We are Asian. We are White. We are indigenous and we are immigrants. We are people of faith. We are DREAMers. We are disabled and able-bodied. We are the homeless and the formerly incarcerated. We are the millions of human beings in this country living behind bars and in detention centers. And still, we rise!
We come from all corners of the world, and from all corners of this country. And we come together. Today and every day. We are fierce. We are strong. We are generous and we are bold. Together, we are powerful. And together we will rise!
We are working together to achieve our collective liberation and our vision of racial, economic, gender, and environmental justice. Together we are fighting for:
-
A just and democratic economy – including good jobs for all, and a restoration of the wealth built by our communities and hijacked by greedy billionaires and giant corporations
-
Nurturing communities and a healthy planet – including decent housing and health care for all, quality public education, and climate justice
-
An equal chance to realize our dreams – including laws that recognize the humanity and contributions of immigrant families, freedom and opportunity for women and LGBTQ people, equity for differently abled people, and an end to discriminatory policing and the mass incarceration of our communities
-
A real and popular democracy – including getting big money out of politics and the right to vote for all
To achieve our vision, we believe in:
-
Building powerful and democratic people’s organizations as key vehicles for change
-
Leadership coming from those most impacted by the injustices we face
-
Exercising our collective power – in our workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, and with our government
-
Acting in solidarity and always beginning from a place of love. We commit to being in the fight together. And we commit to lift up each other’s healing, resiliency, and beauty.
And so, we rise!
The Center for Popular Democracy's 2016 Annual Gala was a rousing success by any measure. On the evening of May 24 in Washington, D.C., we hosted partners, supporters, and our honorees, delivering an energizing evening that included moving speeches--including one by honoree Senator Elizabeth Warren that caused a sensation--and opportunities to see old friends and comrades on frontlines. And most crucially, 2016's fundraiser brought in 62 percent more revenue than in 2015, which will support the incredible growth we've experienced and expect more of in the future.
And Senator Warren's speech? In a fierce rejection of the politics of hate, Warren brought the house down. Video of Warren's speech quickly made headlines and became the topic among morning cable news outlets. In the end, Senator Warren's presence at our event was covered by over 70 media outlets.
There's no doubt about it: we are stronger together. CPD is grateful for the support from our partners and sponsors this year and in past years, and we look forward to building up our network's capacity to make lasting change for our communities nationwide.
Check out photos of the event and see our full list of media coverage:
New York Times: Elizabeth Warren Turns Up the Anti-Donald Trump Volume
Washington Post: Clinton has a new weapon against Trump: Elizabeth Warren
Wall Street Journal: Elizabeth Warren Steps Up Attacks on Donald Trump
USA Today: Donald Trump-Elizabeth Warren feud escalates
Politico: Warren escalates attack on 'small, insecure' Trump
CNN: Warren blasts Trump; he calls her 'Pocahontas'
Associated Press: Elizabeth Warren Goes Off on Trump, Again
Associated Press: Elizabeth Warren Emerges as Potent Clinton Ally, Trump Foil
New York Magazine: Elizabeth Warren Is Playing the ‘World’s Smallest Violin’ for Donald Trump
10. New York Magazine: Picking Elizabeth Warren As Veep Probably Wouldn’t Cost Democrats a Senate Seat
CBS News: Elizabeth Warren trashes Trump as a "small, insecure money-grubber"
CBS News: Trump hits New Mexico governor, calls Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas"
CBS News: Protesters clash with police outside Trump rally in New Mexico
Bill Moyers: Elizabeth Warren, Vowing to Stop Trump, Looms As a Democratic Unifier
PBS NewsHour: Warren, Trump trade barbs on housing crisis, tax returns
The Guardian: Can Elizabeth Warren unite a divided Democratic party to stop Trump?
Time Magazine: Elizabeth Warren Ramps Up Attacks on ‘Insecure Money-Grubber’ Donald Trump
Vanity Fair: Elizabeth Warren Ruthlessly Mocks “Small, Insecure” Donald Trump
Huffington Post: Elizabeth Warren Has Had It With Donald Trump
Boston Globe: Warren, Clinton on the same team when it comes to Trump
Christian Science Monitor: Who is really fighting for the middle class? Trump, Warren trade barbs.
Roll Call: Elizabeth Warren: Donald Trump 'Will Never Be President'
The Hill: Warren: Trump was ‘drooling’ over housing crash
The Hill: Trump: Warren a ‘total hypocrite’ on housing
The Hill: Minority lawmakers bash Trump over housing crisis
The Week: Elizabeth Warren is starting to sound like Hillary Clinton's anti-Trump weapon
Talking Points Memo: Warren Blasts 'Small, Insecure Money-Grubber' Donald Trump
RealClearPolitics: Elizabeth Warren Explodes on "Money Grubber" Trump: Doesn't Care Who Gets Hurt As Long As He Makes Money
Fortune: Elizabeth Warren Just Took Her Attack on Donald Trump to the Next Level
Business Insider: Elizabeth Warren slams 'small, insecure' Donald Trump in most fiery takedown yet
Vox: Watch Elizabeth Warren's epic 10-minute takedown of Donald Trump
Mic: Elizabeth Warren Calls Donald Trump a "Small, Insecure Money-Grubber" at Gala
Fusion: Elizabeth Warren just went after Trump’s manliness
Bustle: Elizabeth Warren's Avalanche Of Donald Trump Criticism Doesn't Mean She Should Be VP
Re/Code: Elizabeth Warren keeps pounding on Donald Trump with his favorite weapon
UPI: Elizabeth Warren attacks Donald Trump: 'small, insecure money-grubber'
Salon: “A small, insecure money-grubber”: Elizabeth Warren delivers a searing anti-Trump speech and brings down the house
Mother Jones: Elizabeth Warren's Anti-Trump Onslaught Looks Like It's Just Warming Up
AlterNet: Watch: Elizabeth Warren Trashes Trump Over 'Money-Grubbing' During Housing Crisis
Daily Kos: 'What kind of a man' is Donald Trump? Elizabeth Warren has answers
Mediaite: Warren Tears Into ‘Drooling Moneygrubber’ Trump Over Being ‘Excited’ For the Housing Crash
Uproxx: Is Elizabeth Warren Openly Campaigning To Be Hillary Clinton’s VP?
The Independent: Elizabeth Warren brands Donald Trump a 'small, insecure moneygrubber' who will 'never be president'
Daily Mail: Elizabeth Warren VILIFIES Donald Trump labeling him 'a small, insecure money-grubber who doesn’t care about people' as she takes her attacks off Twitter and on the road
Los Angeles Daily News: Protests at Anaheim Donald Trump rally result in arrests, unlawful assembly declaration
Boston.com: The 3 harshest shots Elizabeth Warren took at Trump last night
MassLive: Elizabeth Warren: Donald Trump 'will never be president of the United States'
Komo News: Defending the middle class, Warren helps Clinton fight Trump
Washington Times: Donald Trump calls Elizabeth Warren ‘Pocahontas,’ a ‘total failure’
Washington Times: Donald Trump defends past comments on housing market: ‘I’m a businessman’
Breitbart: Elizabeth Warren Attacks Donald Trump: 'Small, Insecure Money Grubber'
Breitbart: Elizabeth Warren: 'Throw Donald Trump Down The Drain'
Washington Examiner: Warren: Trump is a 'small, insecure money-grubber'
New York Magazine: Hillary Clinton vs. Herself
NPR: Talk Softly, Swing A Big Tweet: Elizabeth Warren's Unconventional Messaging
The Nation: Why Hillary Clinton Benefits From a Genuine Convention Debate
The American Prospect: Can Democrats Avoid the Circular Firing Squad?
Christian Science Monitor: Donald Trump vs. Elizabeth Warren: The future of political campaigning? (+video)
Common Dreams: Good News: Turns Out Most People Don't Want to Give Their Business To A Small Insecure Money-Grubber
Salon: The Dems' Lethal Weapon: Is Elizabeth Warren the Only Democrat Who Can Cut Donald Trump Down to Size?
AlterNet: 11 of Liz Warren’s Best Trump Takedowns
Daily Kos: This week at progressive state blogs: Warren kicks ass again; Kasich back to not making Ohio great
Huffington Post: Elizabeth Warren Lays Waste to Donald Trump With This Epic Takedown (VIDEO)
MassLive: From debate back-outs to 'celebrating 1,237': Everything you need to know about the past week in the 2016 presidential race
MassLive: Donald Trump wins delegates needed to clinch GOP nomination; Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren blast news
Inquisitr: Elizabeth Warren Escalates Feud with Donald Trump
Inquisitr: Donald Trump Says Elizabeth Warren Has A "Big Mouth," Plans To "Stop" Her "Shouting"
Gloucester Times: Our view: Cheers, jeers for recent newsmakers
Diane Ravitch's Blog: Elizabeth Warren Rips into Donald Trump
Breitbart: Elizabeth Warren Throws Twitter Tantrum Against Trump: 90 Percent of Tweets Focus on the Donald
Village Sun Times: Trump is counting on Bernie's supporters!
Village Sun Times: Superdelegates should consider Hillary Clinton's email scandal: Bernie Sanders
Global Dispatch: Reporter Informs Donald Trump That Calling Elizabeth Warren ‘Pocahontas’ Is Offensive
In late May, the Texas Organizing Project (TOP), a Center for Popular Democracy partner organization, announced a major transition in leadership as they appointed a new executive director, Michelle Tremillo.
Tremillo, a fourth generation Mexican-American from San Antonio, began her career as a community organizer fourteen years ago registering people to vote at her local grocery store. In an introductory email to TOP members and allies, Tremillo relayed her experience being raised by a single mother who worked multiple low-wage jobs, struggling to make wages to support the family’s basic needs.
When Tremillo entered Stanford University in the 1990s, her formative experiences and their stark contrast with the majority of her classmates’ prompted a political awakening. When California passed anti-immigrant legislation (Prop 187 and Prop 209), it hit home: Tremillo knew that she would commit her life to leveling the playing field for families like hers and fight for the rights of the working poor.
“This is a critical moment in our state and our country,” Tremillo said. “The political environment we live in is increasingly hostile toward the poor and people of color. Just like I was politicized in the mid-'90s in California, millions of people are angry and looking for a way to channel their energy. As the next leader of the Texas Organizing Project, I’m going to make sure we capture that energy and convert it into power in our neighborhoods, cities and the voting booth.”
With Tremillo at the helm, and outgoing ED Ginny Goldman remaining on through 2016 to work on strategic initiatives, TOP is moving forward an ambitious agenda. In the fall, TOP will pilot the first community school in Dallas, putting the city on the path to have 20 community schools by 2020. Additionally, they are poised to win municipal ID ordinances in Dallas and Houston, providing immigrants a layer of protection in dealing with police and accessing essential services.
Heading into the election season, TOP is leading an innovative approach to voter registration, having formed a new coalition in Harris County to address systemic ways to add hundreds of thousands to the voter rolls. Their voter turnout program will launch in September with TOP and core allies targeting more than 500,000 infrequent voters of color in key Texas counties.
Michelle Tremillo is a leader with experience, talent, and verve and CPD welcomes her leadership within our expanding network of partners.
