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: Oppose the censorship of U.S. history.
Source: Stop AAPI Hate
Thank you to the 581 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: The National Archives and Records Administration at 1-866-272-6272 (1-86-NARA-NARA), via email at inquire@nara.gov, or by mail at
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [STATE] because I’m outraged that the U.S. Archives has erased references to Japanese American incarceration from educational materials and removed photos depicting internment camps for being too “negative and controversial.” Such censorship conflicts with NARA’s stated mission and prevents us, as a nation, from understanding and reckoning with our shared history. Please restore these vital materials to ensure that our history of racial injustice is never forgotten or repeated.
Action 2: Increase access to life-saving healthcare for rural citizens.
Source: National Rural Health Association
Thank you to the 322 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
November 21 is National Rural Health Day, a chance to address the health challenges faced by 61 million rural Americans. Since 2010, 149 hospitals have closed or reduced services as rural providers struggle with low patient volumes, geographic isolation, and aging or inadequate facilities. People living in these areas, including veterans, women, and their families, experience higher rates of illness and death. A variety of vital bills are in progress to support the health of rural constituents.
Take Action: Contact your two senators and one House representative via this web form to demand action on a range of critical bills and initiatives (uncheck boxes to receive text alerts and email updates).
Action 3: Support children seeking asylum in the U.S.
Source: The Sidewalk School
Thank you to the 136 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
The number of women and children seeking safety at the U.S.-Mexico border has increased greatly in recent years, leaving tens of thousands of children unaccounted for. The Sidewalk School provides services and resources by giving children a safe place to live and study as they wait on their asylum claims.
Donate: To The Sidewalk School GoFundMe to help to fill in the missing social safety nets.
Action 4: Get dark money out of political campaigns.
Source: Brennan Center
Thank you to the 223 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m one of your constituents from [ZIP], reaching out to ask you to support campaign finance reform. Political donations from secretive sources have increased dramatically since 2020. Please reintroduce and pass legislation that will help make our elections fair and transparent, such as the stalled Honest Ads Act (S. 486 / H.R. 2599) and DISCLOSE Act of 2023 (S. 512 / H.R. 1118).
Action 5: Advocate for term limits for Supreme Court justices.
Source: Brennan Center
Thank you to the 201 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] to ask you to pass legislation that establishes term limits for the Supreme Court, the only branch of government with lifetime tenure. Trust in the nonpartisanship of the nation’s highest court is fundamental to the rule of law, and term limits would mitigate the existing partisan nomination process.
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
- Nevada voters overwhelmingly support banning the practice of involuntary servitude by incarcerated people.
- Nevada passed the first of two measures supporting reproductive rights.
- Seven states pass protections for abortion and reproductive rights.
- The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the U.S. government’s systematic turnbacks of people seeking asylum at ports of entry violates federal immigration law.
- NE: The state’s Supreme Court restores voting rights to people who have completed the terms of their felony convictions.
More Good News
- The United Nations creates a subsidiary body to include Indigenous voices in future nature conservation decisions.
- President Biden’s new cancellation of an additional $4.5 billion in debt for over 60,000 public service workers brings the total to over 1 million.
- The Biden-Harris administration invests $428M in former coal communities, accelerating domestic clean energy manufacturing and job creation.
- 20 states’ Attorney Generals filed a brief supporting the Keeping Families Together federal program that allows the spouses and stepchildren of American citizens to apply for permanent residency from home to prevent separating families.
- AK: Voters approve increasing the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour and requiring employers to provide earned paid sick leave for employees.
- OR: As a result of a dam removal, hundreds of salmon return and spawn for the first time in over a century.
- GA: Georgia state court strikes down seven Election Board rules—including drop box, hand count, and certification rules—declaring them “illegal, unconstitutional and void.”
- NC: A Federal Court dismisses part of an RNC lawsuit attempting to disqualify 225,000 of the state’s voters.
- AK: The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District returns banned books to school library shelves and settles claims regarding the improper removal of numerous books, including several classic literature titles, from its school libraries by agreeing to pay a settlement of $89,000.
Need inspiration?
- Is it possible to climb the mountain ahead?: this week’s inspired message from AoCC’s Executive Director, Jennifer Hofmann
- What we know about thriving through adversity
Support democratic engagement and advance equality
As we grieve the outcome of the recent election, we are also gearing up for the challenges ahead at Americans of Conscience Checklist (AoCC). Our work is to help stressed-out American create the kind of nation we want to live in, one action at a time. We empower citizens to move vital issues forward including voting rights, equal rights, and reproductive choice, but it takes support. Our goal this November is to be fully funded at $4000 per month. Will you join the wonderful group of people already supporting our mission?
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Want to accomplish more?
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Contact your members of Congress
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