The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims, have been born of earnest struggle.

I swear to the Lord I still can't see Why Democracy means Everybody but me .... I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath - America will be!

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The history of the United States is a history of race relations. Racism is the lubricant for an economic machine geared towards profit, and it is the poison that sickens American progress. Democracy has always been the subversive antidote to racial injustice. Read here for resources on race and democracy.

Initiatives

• No More Stolen Elections!
  The national campaign to defend voting rights on and beyond the federal general Election Day, 2008.

Events

• Florida Rights Restoration Coalition Day of Action (April 1, 2008)

  Join hundreds of other Floridians in Tallahassee on April 1 for a rally and lobbying visits.

  Demand that the Florida Legislature and the Board of Executive Clemency make civil rights restoration automatic and remove employment barriers faced by people with past felony convictions.

  People with past felony convictions are especially encouraged to participate.

• Democracy Track at the U.S. Social Forum (June 27, 2007 - July 1, 2007)
  The Democracy Track is a series of sessions and community spaces at the U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta, Georgia, June 27-July 1, 2007. The purpose of these sessions is to centralize democracy in all of our everyday struggles.
• RadFest 2005: Midwest Social Forum
• Progressive Dialogue III
• Midwest Social Forum

Publications/Talks

• Video from the Local Democracy Convention (May 25, 2007)
  Edited video footage from the 2006 Local Democracy Convention is now online, and also available for order!
• Prospects for Participatory Democracy in the U.S.
  "The task . . . is to facilitate the growth of an aggressive democracy movement in the United States."
• Corporatization: An Internal Clash of Civilizations
  Corporatization: An Internal Clash of Civilizations by Ben Manski and John Peck Published in "Beyond the Market: The Future of Public Services"
• Voter Bill of Rights
  The full text of the Voter Bill of Rights.
• Midwest Social Forum Workshop: Building a Democracy Movement in the USA
  Check out a short video from "BUILDING A DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES", a workshop by Liberty Tree Fellows Benjamin, Cobb, Manski, and Robinson, one of about 100 sessions at the 2006 Midwest Social Forum.
• The 2006 Mid-term Elections: Change or Continuity?

Democracy News

• Join the Night of 1,000 Conversations on June 19, 2008 (May 16, 2007)
• Midwest Social Forum, July 6-9 in Milwaukee! (June 21, 2006)

Urgent Action

• Sensenbrenner law threatens basic human rights (SpeakOut! - Institute for Democratic Education)