This Week’s Actions
Action 1: Ask what Congress is doing to reopen the government and address food insecurity.
Thank you to the 267 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ , reaching out from [ZIP] to express alarm at the devastating impact on food security, healthcare, and more resulting from the continuing government shutdown. Millions of low-income families who rely on aid from SNAP and WIC are at risk of hunger, especially Black women, children, and elders. What is [Sen/Rep NAME] doing to address cuts to SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and the ACA subsidies essential for affordable health insurance?
Source: Black Women’s Health Imperative, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Little Lobbyists
Action 2: Get ready for elections next month.
Thank you to the 296 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Ensure that you are ready to vote for the more than 100,000 seats up for election in 2025, including governors, municipal governments, school boards, and more.
- Confirm that your voter registration is still valid (or register to vote for the first time by your state’s deadline).
- Update your address or re-register if you’ve recently moved.
- Make a plan to vote by mail or in person, whether early or on Election Day.
- Find out who and what is on your ballot.
- Ask two friends to register to vote or to verify their registrations. Studies show that people are more likely to vote if they are encouraged by someone they know.
Source: 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Action 3: Urge Congress to reinstate DHS reporting on detained mothers.
Thank you to the 181 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m _____ from [ZIP], and I’m deeply concerned that the Department of Homeland Security is not only detaining pregnant immigrants in unsafe conditions, but is no longer required to publicly report how many pregnant, postpartum, and nursing immigrants they are detaining. This transparency requirement—which Congress allowed to lapse in March 2025—is critical to accountability and humane treatment. I urge you to reinstate this requirement immediately to protect the health and rights of mothers in custody.
Source: AoCC
Action 4: Demand DHS end detention of pregnant and nursing immigrants.
Thank you to the 95 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem by phone at 202-282-8495 (voicemail) or by mail at Secretary of Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528.
Script: Hello, I’m _____ from [ZIP], and I’m deeply concerned that ICE is detaining pregnant, postpartum, and nursing immigrants in unsafe conditions. Reports document people enduring abuse and giving birth or miscarrying in custody without adequate medical care. I join with the dozens of senators urging you to release pregnant immigrants and end this inhumane practice immediately.
Source: AoCC
Action 5: End racially discriminatory voter purges.
Thank you to the 132 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ from [ZIP], calling to support The Voter Purge Protection Act (H.R. 5707/S. 2994), which would end the mass purging of “inactive” voters, a practice that disproportionately affects urban and minoritized voters. I don’t want [STATE]’s voters to be stripped of their right to vote by inaccurate voter roll purges. Please support this bill to affirm that voting rights are not use-it-or-lose-it. Thank you.
Source: AoCC
Action 6: Protect the rights of children living with disabilities.
Thank you to the 161 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m _____ from [ZIP], reaching out to oppose the mass firing of Department of Education staff who support the more than 7.3 million children in all 50 states served by the Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Federal enforcement of IDEA is essential to protect these children from exclusion, harassment, and discrimination. Please demand the reinstatement of DOE staff to ensure that all children are empowered to learn, grow, and thrive.
Alternative: Sign the MomsRising Letter (uncheck the box to receive texts).
Source: MomRising
Action 7: Give our neighbors fair and respectful immigration hearings.
Thank you to the 48 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Families across the U.S.—including U.S. citizens—are facing detention, deportation, and permanent separation without legal defense. In 2024, 2.5 million people attended their immigration court cases without legal representation, increasing their risk of deportation. The new Defending Our Neighbors Fund, a partnership between United We Dream, ACLU Nationwide, and Abundant Futures Fund, aims to raise $30 million for trusted nonprofits to provide legal and bond assistance in communities with large immigrant populations, legal deserts, and areas near major detention centers. You can help. AoCC will match your donations up to $500.
Donate: to the Defending Our Neighbors Fund.
Source: United We Dream
Action 8: Spread the word on how to spot misinformation.
Thank you to the 67 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
As election day approaches, misinformation (false information) and disinformation (false information shared with the intent to deceive) are on the rise, eroding public trust in elections. Be an informed voter and resist the tide by spreading awareness via digital literacy tips.
Share: IFLA’s one-page PDF How to spot fake news, and digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield’s SIFT strategy.
Source: AoCC
Action 9: Urge the administration to stop diverting federal officers from critical duties.
Thank you to the 65 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Department of Homeland Security at 202-282-8495 (voicemail) or write to Secretary of Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528.
Script: Hello, I’m _____ from [ZIP], and I’m deeply concerned that federal law enforcement agents are being reassigned to assist ICE. Pressing national issues like terrorism, drug trafficking, and human trafficking cannot be addressed if 30,000 officers—including from the FBI, ATF, and DEA—are assisting ICE with immigration enforcement. I urge you to protect public safety and return these agents to their essential roles. Thank you.
Bonus action: Contact your two senators and one House rep. using the same script (call, write, or email).
Source: AoCC
Action 10: Empower your aspiring American neighbors to know their rights.
Thank you to the 24 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)’s informative Red Cards illustrating how people can exercise these rights are available to print at home in a variety of languages for distribution in your community.
Print: Red Cards using IRLC’s graphics here and distribute them in your community.
Source: Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Action 11: Strengthen democracy through honest dialogue.
Thank you to the 18 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
We don’t need to tolerate anyone causing direct harm. However, with people who share our broader values, including mutual respect and understanding, having open conversations can help rebuild trust at a time when it’s needed most. As more Americans question the current administration’s actions, we become better neighbors through civil debate and active listening. Practicing these skills can help mend the democratic fabric of our nation.
Practice honest dialog: Participate in groups like Braver Angels, Crossing Party Lines, Make America Dinner Again, or Reunited States of America.
Source: AoCC
Action 12: Take credit for showing up in your own community.
Thank you to the 160 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
In the last two weeks, did you volunteer, do service, advocate, or support a local or state cause? It’s our hope that using the Checklist inspires you to become more involved in specific issues and/or local action.Check the box to let us know!
Source: AoCC
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 you to the 50 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Thank your senators if they were among those who visited an ICE facility housing pregnant immigrants and signed an open letter to Kristi Noem asking for their immediate release. List of signatures here.
Thank Attorney General Kris Mayes (D–AZ) for filing a lawsuit seeking to have Representative-Elect Adelita Grijalva sworn into Congress by an authorized federal judge in face of the House Speaker’s stalling.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: Office of the Attorney General, 2005 N Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004
Thank you to the 169 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Good News
If you find good news for democracy, equality, and the planet, share it with us here!
Good news: Wins for democracy, equality, kindness, and planet.
- The Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation and the Fort Peck Sioux Tribes collaborate to revive centuries-old trade routes across the present day U.S.-Canada border as part of a new Indigenous-governed, tariff-free trade corridor.
- A federal magistrate court finds that the state of New York illegally built and continues to operate a Thruway on a portion of the Seneca Nation’s land.
- In approximately 2,600 cities and towns across the country, millions of Americans join in the No Kings protests to rally against the administration’s harmful policies and disregard for the rule of law.
- The president’s pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel withdraws from consideration after disqualifying offensive text messages were made public.
- Arizona’s Attorney General Kris Mayes files a lawsuit seeking to have Representative-Elect Adelita Grijalva sworn into Congress by an authorized federal judge if the Speaker of the House continues to refuse to seat her.
- A federal court temporarily blocks the administration from cutting $233M in counterterrorism grant funds to Democratic-led states.
- CA: From January through July 2025, solar power provided a new record high–39% of electricity generation for the entire state.
- NY passes legislation to provide protections for renters and make homeownership more accessible.
- Indianapolis community members and local government members successfully advocate to restore the city’s immigrant legal services fund, which helps safeguard community members from unjust deportations and attacks on their due process rights.
- Helena Moreno is elected mayor of New Orleans, becoming the city’s first Hispanic mayor and the second woman to hold the position in the city’s history.
- News outlets with audiences from across the political spectrum refuse to sign a demand from the Pentagon that would limit the constitutional right to freedom of the press.
- College track athlete Evie Parts files a federal lawsuit against the NCAA and Swarthmore College for violating her Title IX rights by banning her from the school’s track team because she is a transgender woman.
- MacKenzie Scott donates $70M to the nation’s largest private provider of scholarships to students attending historically Black colleges and universities.Christophe Waggoner collects Halloween costumes from thrift shops, washes and refurbishes them, and offers them for free to Austin area kids each October.
Need inspiration?
- Read the latest message from AoCC’s Founder and Director, Jennifer Hofmann: They Are Us, and We Are Them
- Making It Easier to Keep Going
- Feel What You Feel, but Don’t Go It Alone
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You’re Invited
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The Americans of Conscience 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.
I feel so good about it every time I work my way through the checklist and am able to take most actions. Thank you to Jennifer and all the volunteers who research, write, and assemble the info for us to reach our representatives or support good organizations.
Thank you for this Checklist. It is inspiring and provides me with options for continued involvement.