The AoC Checklist features clear, well-researched actions for Americans who value democracy, equality, voting, and decency. We are a big tent for all people who want a kinder, flourishing nation.
This Week’s Actions
Action 1: Demand an investigation of inhumane border practices in Texas.
Source: AoCC
Join the 68 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact:
The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas at 202-282-8495 or
Secretary of Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security
2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave S.E., MS: 0525
Washington, D.C. 20528
Troy A. Miller
Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., MS: 1345
Washington, D.C. 20229
Patrick J. Lechleitner
Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
500 12th St SW
Washington, D.C. 20536
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [STATE] to express my outrage over Operation Lone Star. OLS officers have been ordered to deny aspiring Americans water in extreme heat, creating barriers along the Rio Grande that cause injury and death and separating families without means of communication. I’m joining over 100 civil and human rights organizations calling on you to investigate Operation Lone Star, cease funding to Texas officials, and immediately reunite families separated by this inhumane program.
Action 2: Protect farm workers from imminent heat-related dangers.
Source: United Farm Workers
Join the 46 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: OSHA at 1-800-321-6742 or by mail at
Attn: Douglas L. Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
200 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20210
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [STATE] to express my deep concern about dangerous working conditions for our farm workers. They are 35 times more likely to die from heat than any other civilian occupation. Most employers are failing to provide safe working conditions, yet few states have enacted policies to protect workers from extreme heat. OSHA must take immediate action to enact and enforce emergency heat regulations to save lives.
Action 3: Prevent cyberattacks on election infrastructure in your state.
Source: Brennan Center
Join the 50 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your state legislators (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m a resident of [ZIP] and I’m calling because I want [STATE]’s 2024 elections to be protected from cyberattacks. I’m asking you to pass legislation that will fund the replacement of outdated election equipment and software, and ensure that election officials can act swiftly in the event of any security breach, following the Brennan Center’s recommendations. Thank you.
Action 4: Advocate for equitable access to nutritious food for growing families.
Source: AoCC
Join the 81 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your one House representative (look up).
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] because I’m concerned about imminent shortfalls in funding for the WIC supplemental nutrition program. These deficits will reduce or deny desperately needed food assistance to 5.3 million young children and pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding adults. Please approve the Biden Administration’s $1.4B emergency WIC funding request, to ensure families won’t lose needed assistance during critical periods of development.
Action 5: Lighten the load for our new neighbors.
Source: BAJI
Join the 23 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
When people exercise their Constitutional right to apply for asylum, the US government leaves many of these families “stranded in cities across the country with little to no support.” Help the local organizations and communities who are filling this gap. The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) want help collecting supplies and monetary donations that ensure people seeking asylum in NYC have their essential needs met.
Donate: Daily living supplies through BAJI’s wish list.
Donate: To support recently arrived Black asylum seekers.
Action 6: Support term limits for Supreme Court justices.
Source: Brennan Center
Join the 95 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your one House representative (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m a resident of [ZIP] asking you to support H.R. 4423, the Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act. This proposal has strong bipartisan support, with two-thirds of Americans across all political affiliations approving of term limits. Passing this bill would improve public trust in our highest court. Thank you.
Action 7: Expand availability of voting materials in non-English languages.
Source: Democracy Docket
Join the 54 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your one House representative (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m a resident of [ZIP] and I believe that all voters should be able to cast their ballots in the language they speak. I am asking [NAME] to support H.R. 5295, the Expanding the VOTE Act, to fund expanded translation of voting materials to further empower participation in democracy. Thank you.
Action 8: Make voting easier for anyone who changes their address.
Source: Democracy Docket
Join the 58 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your one House representative (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] to ask you to support H.R. 5290, the Voters on the Move Registration Act. This bill would require most leases and mortgages to include voter registration information, making it easier for voters to re-register if they move residences. Thank you.
Action 9: Ensure Tribal justice systems are equipped to protect communities.
Source: National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
Join the 56 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] because more than 4 in 5 Native American and Alaska Native women experience violence in their lifetimes. Badges for Native Communities Act, [S. 465 / H.R. 1292], will provide essential resources and upgrades for tribal communities’ protection. Please support this bipartisan effort to rectify historical inequities that have severely hindered tribal law enforcement.
Action 10: Reduce racial inequities around reproductive health research.
Source: blk women’s health
Join the 47 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] because I’m committed to the health of people whose lives have been ravaged by fibroids. Approximately 25 percent of all Black women will suffer from uterine fibroids before their 30th birthday, a tragic inequity that could be remedied through increased research and education. Please support [S. 2303 / H.R. 4572], the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act, to revolutionize our nation’s uterine fibroid care.
Acts of Gratitude
We believe in gratitude as a tool for change. We will print a letter of thanks from Americans of Conscience with your signature and mail it to the recipient. Your information will be removed from this website no later than four weeks after the Checklist’s publication date.
Thank Gov. Brian Kemp (R–GA) for refusing to interfere with District Attorney Fani Willis’s investigative work.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: 206 Washington St., Suite 203, State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334
Thank Garth Brooks for encouraging inclusivity and supporting Dylan Mulvaney’s advertising partnership with Bud Light.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: P.O. Box 881, Nashville, TN 37202
Good News
If you find good news for democracy, equality, and the planet, share it with us here!
Progress on issues previously featured in the Checklist
- SCOTUS upholds the Indian Child Welfare Act, which prioritizes the placement of Native children up for adoption with Native families.
- AZ: Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes seven election-related bills that would have made elections harder to participate in and less secure.
- GA: A federal court partially strikes down a provision that made it illegal to offer food and water to voters waiting in line at the polls.
- IL strengthens the state’s law prohibiting prison gerrymandering.
- MN prohibits the use of Native American names and imagery from being used as mascots or team names of school districts unless approved by all Minnesota-area tribes.
- MS: A federal court blocks a law that would have impeded disabled voters’ rights by limiting who could assist them with their mail-in ballots.
More Good News
- Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon—is designated as a national monument, which will recognize and preserve the ancestral lands of a multitude of Native Nations in perpetuity.
- The Biden-Harris administration proposes new standards, staffing requirements, and funding levels to provide high-quality care for nursing home residents.
- The omnibus funding bill passed in December includes the Retirement Savings Lost and Found Act, which enables workers to track all of their retirement funds across different employers.
- A federal court rules that certain individuals formerly held in immigration detention may pursue a forced labor lawsuit against private prison company CoreCivic.
- AZ: All 911 dispatchers in the state can access unlimited mental health services to address the trauma of the job.
- MA residents over the age of 25 can attend community college for free.
- MS: An appeals court blocks a state ban on voting for people with certain felony convictions.
- NJ will ensure that voter assistance is available for Spanish speakers.
- RI opens one of the nation’s only safe injection sites to prevent opioid overdoses and deaths.
- TX: A federal court temporarily blocks a ban on drag performances from taking effect, finding the ban likely unconstitutional.
- Support from the Galway, NY Central School District community results in keeping two challenged books in the school curriculum.
- A federal court rules against the St. George, UT City Council for denying a permit for a drag performance.
- The nonprofit PSE Healthy Energy and other organizations create a free map identifying potential California locations for resilience centers during extreme weather events.
- A family of seven separated under American immigration policy can finally travel to the U.S. to safely live here together.
- The Thanksgiving Play, written by Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota), debuts on Broadway, making FastHorse the first openly Native American woman playwright to pen a Broadway show.
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