Dear friends,
One reason that I challenge myself each Tuesday to bring evidence that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice is that it reminds me to take the long view. It is entirely possible to get caught up in the daily dramas of the world and to despair. Not here and not today.
There are some strong themes that run through my posts, which are probably evident if you’re a regular reader. One is that my hope resides firmly with the leadership of young people. This doesn’t mean that I don’t respect and appreciate folks with more experience. I do.
Young people inherit a world they did not create. We did, as did our parents and grandparents before us. Young people are thinking about the future. Their long view is longer than ours, and that is why they must lead and we must listen, learn, and engage in meaningful conversations with them.
In my work with young people, I urge them to identify the issues that matter to them. I hear little enthusiasm for candidates and parties. In “What are young voters looking for?” Michelle Cottle points out that young people are skeptical of institutions and the promises proffered by candidates.
Younger voters’ focus on issues and values rather than candidates and parties raises the question of whether ballot initiatives could be a way to engage them and propel them to the polls. Supporting such measures is more straightforward than embracing candidates. Plus, they have the advantage of not being (or at least not seeming) as entangled with a particular party. They have more of a direct-democracy vibe. (Please refer to: Institutions suck.) How much more satisfying is it to vote for an issue you are passionate about than for some flawed politician with a fake smile making promises you’re pretty sure he won’t keep?
Young people may be skeptical of candidates, parties, Congress, and even voting. Their reasons are both legit and unsurprising. At the same time, they want to have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives and they hold out hope that decision-makers who share their values and ideals can take action to improve people’s lives and secure a better future.
If it seems contradictory, then reflect on the contradictions in the thinking and voting behavior of older voters — or white voters or Black voters or any other category you choose — and remember that people cannot be reduced to some denominator.
Check out these young candidates for Burlington City Council. They are running in three different wards of Vermont’s largest city (which is small) and they ran into one another on Sunday and asked a local to take a picture. One of them is my springling.
Note the genuine smiles!
Dan Castrigano, Joe Kane, and Lena Greenberg, candidates
They are running on platforms that center affordable housing, climate action, and new approaches to public safety.
Click on the links above to find out what these candidates have to say on the issues.
We paid close attention to climate progress and climate struggles during the hottest year ever, so you deserve to read all of this piece:
I’ll just highlight two of the 17 stories covered by Thomas and Pollack:
The US saw the largest expansion of solar capacity ever, “a roughly 50% jump from 2022.” Also, it appears that the goal of tripling the world’s renewable energy capacity by 2030 is realistic, given the pace of change since 2016.
In a year when it seemed that there was an existential threat to people who are trans, it turns out that activists, legislative bodies, a few brave governors, and courts stood up to defend human rights. Erin Reed compiled an annual list:
Again, I will sample a few items from an exhaustive list. Bans on trans health care were vetoed by Ohio’s Governor DeWine (last week!) and Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. In four other states — Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, and Montana — the courts blocked bans on trans care. In 15 states, shield laws protect trans care. Maryland and Oregon expanded health coverage for gender-affirming care.
The uphill battle to secure reproductive rights in the post-Dobbs era is still fraught with obstacles. The indefatigable Jessica Valenti just published her account of what the reproductive justice movement has accomplished this year. I haven’t read it yet!
The relentless focus on the highest court and their lowest moves obscures two good decisions the Supremes made to protect democracy: In Moore v. Harper, SCOTUS rejected a false ‘theory’ that said that state courts could not exercise judicial review of state laws that restricted voting or gerrymandered congressional maps; in Allen v. Milligan, the Court preserved section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, requiring Alabama to draw an electoral map that accurately reflects the size of the Black population.
Democracy Docket also summed up the work of federal district courts to demand fair maps in Louisiana, Georgia, and South Carolina, the decision of New York’s highest court requiring the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission to make a fair congressional map before the 2024 elections, and a host of state court decisions protecting mail-in ballots and voter access.
Check out Democracy Was on the Docket in 2023, and It Won.
When we wake up to the daily news of the astonishing death toll of Gaza’s children, it is important to see the larger picture. This doesn’t diminish the tragic realities we must work to address. It just reminds us that the work is how we make progress.
You and your efforts are the good news. We’ll be back in action on Thursday.
with love,
L