Greg --

The enthusiasm of the political science professor was legitimate. She’d never heard of Move to Amend, but after learning that we were educating and organizing to increase people power by abolishing “corporate personhood” and “money as free speech,” said loudly at the end of a session where she presented: “We need to work together!” 

This pronouncement was a recurring takeaway experienced by Move to Amend Board Member Daniel Lee and Co-Director Greg Coleridge who attended the annual conference of  the Law & Society Association in Denver in early June. 

The “we need to work together” theme arose in numerous contexts during the 4-day conference.

Daniel and Greg were part of a group that sponsored two sessions around the themes of constitutional revolution and popular constitutionalism. Daniel’s presentation was titled, Constitutionalism for the Stateless, the Earth, and Children and Greg's presentation was on The We the People Amendment and the Move to Amend: Lessons and Challenges (slides and paper) The group, composed of individuals from four continents, will continue to work together to research, educate and seek alternative democratic structures.

Greg and Daniel made personal contact with more than 30 college and university professors and other educators. Many had never heard of MTA, but now do. A few knew and talked about Move to Amend to their students. All are being invited to sign our Statement Supporting Ending Corporate Constitutional Rights and Money as Free Speech. This will increase our acceptance and legitimacy among “professionals” – public officials, media contacts and others in academia. 

Additionally, we’ve been invited to speak virtually to a college class over the course of a week this fall, explore how to support one another with multiple professors, and discuss our We the People Amendment with the author of a seminal law review article, “Frankenstein’s Baby: The Forgotten History of Corporations, Race and Equal Protection.”  

Finally, we were invited to share resources, if not collaborate with, the Constitutional Democracy Initiative at Columbia Law School and several other college and university-centered efforts that connect academia and the broader community.

Academicians and activists need each other. Successful social change movements have historically included a range of supporters – workers, people of faith/ethical persuasions, public officials, community leaders, students and “intellectuals."

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Meanwhile, our newest member of the Move to Amend national team, Cole Bennett, attended the American Constitution Society National Convention in early June in Atlanta. In recognition of the various political forefronts that currently exist in Atlanta and the state of Georgia, the convention was held in Atlanta rather than in Washington, D.C. as it had been years prior. 

During the convention Cole was able to attend panels, raise the visibility of the issues associated with corporate constitutional rights, and educate people, including outgoing ACS President Russ Feingold, on the need for the We The People Amendment. 

While there were many good conversations and connections made concerning the We The People Amendment and corporate constitutional rights, it is clear that there are still many, even within the sphere of constitutional law, that are not fully aware of the extent to which our democracy and Constitution have been hijacked by corporate interests and the corrupt lawmakers that serve them. 

As such, one of Move to Amend’s fundamental goals and purposes is and always has been education and figuring out ways “to work together.” We will continue to solidify our presence within these discussions and upon these political forefronts, and work to ensure that the fallacy of corporate personhood ceases its grip over our nation, one conversation at a time to build awareness and solidarity.

In solidarity,

Daniel, Greg, Cole, Alfonso, Jennie, Tara, Shelly, George, Margaret, Michael, Jessica, Katie, Keyan & Jason 

Move to Amend National Team
https://www.movetoamend.org/