As Move to Amend supporters prepare for the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and our upcoming Week of Action, one thing is clear: the movement for authentic self-government is alive and growing in communities across the country.
2026 Cleveland Heights Democracy Day
Exactly one month from today marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Few documents have captured the world's imagination in announcing the creation of a new nation free from centralized rule with such clarity, inspiration and power. Though it reflected, in part, the sexism and racism of the time by the nation’s “Founders” (rich men of property) by stating that only "men are created equal” and describing Indigenous people as "merciless Indian Savages," its listing of 27 grievances was a potent justification for self-determination. It was a declaration to take decisive action for systemic change -- not to reform the monarchy, reduce the lethal force of the Redcoats, or to create a "Code of Conduct" for the Governors of the 13 colonies -- many of which were chartered corporations like the Massachusetts Bay Company that ran the economic and political affairs for the King.
The Declaration also stated that when a long series of government actions seeks tyranny against people, “it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
We face multiple crises today that were unimaginable 250 years ago.
Journalist Chris Hedges summarizes one of them: "The crisis we face is the result of a four-decade-long, slow-motion corporate coup that's rendered the citizens impotent, left us without any authentic democratic institutions and allowed corporate and military power to become omnipotent."
We must Declare our Independence from corporate rule, which is inextricably connected to plutocratic rule (by the superrich) and autocratic rule (by the Trump regime).
Cleveland Heights has declared its collective solidarity against corporate rule for 13 years. The grassroots-driven Issue 32 passed with a 77% yes vote in 2013. It called for ending constitutional rights for corporate entities and for ending money being defined as free speech, which has corrupted our entire political system. These are core elements of the We the People Amendment, HJR54.
Over 700 communities (26 in Ohio) have taken action. More than 800 organizations nation-wide have endorsed. More than 530,000 individuals have supporters. HJR54 has 75 House co-sponsors.
You will hear from testifiers this evening share their modern-day list of grievances and threats to democracy – and solutions, including support for the We the People Amendment.
I wish to lift up the threat of Artificial Intelligence. The numerous dangers of AI include cybersecurity, societal stability, economic structures, and existential human safety. The greatest peril, however, may be AI gaining constitutional “personhood.” Powerful corporate entities, which are shielded by constitutional rights to avoid public accountability, are strong supporters. Constitutional “personhood” for AI is yet another way for corporate entities to avoid potential liabilities caused by their own “intelligent” creations.
If the Citizens United Supreme Court decision was reversed tomorrow, it would have no bearing on corporate AI personhood since corporate constitutional rights include more than just abolishing corporate rights to spend money in elections.
The route to authentic democracy goes beyond ending the Trump Regime, electing better people, passing better laws, reversing Citizen United, or overturning the Supreme Court decision that equates money as free speech. Quite frankly, it’s even more than enacting the We the People Amendment. It’s building a democracy movement to make our Constitution authentically democratic.
True democracy means not only independence from concentrated power – from the government or corporate entities. It means being interdependent – inner and outer. Inner interdependence is developing the ability to reflect in ways that pays attention, slows down, pauses judgement, looks deeply, speaks respectfully and listens carefully. Outer interdependence is acting as if we are all connected – all people and all living things. We must work across divisions and differences to care for one another and for the natural world.
There is no way to democracy. Democracy is the way. This includes enacting the We the People Amendment. But that’s only one step toward authentic systemic interdependent change – of our institutions and ourselves.
https://www.movetoamend.org/2026_cleveland_heights_democracy_day
Photo: Move to Amend Minnesota supporters gather at the Minnesota State Capitol following a legislative hearing. Photo courtesy of Rep. Emma Greenman's office.
Recently, members of Move to Amend Minnesota gathered at the State Capitol to support legislation and engage lawmakers on the urgent need to address the corrupting influence of money in politics and the broader problem of corporate rule. The hearing was another example of the steady, persistent organizing that has defined the movement for years—showing up, educating elected officials, building relationships, and keeping constitutional reform on the public agenda.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, longtime Move to Amend organizer and former National Co-Director Greg Coleridge helped lead the community's annual Democracy Day event. The gathering brought residents together to reflect on the state of democracy 250 years after the Declaration of Independence and to discuss the challenges facing self-government today. Speakers explored a wide range of issues—from corporate influence in elections and the growing power of artificial intelligence, to environmental threats, voting rights, economic inequality, healthcare justice, and the urgent need for constitutional reform through the We the People Amendment. Democracy Day once again demonstrated how local communities can create meaningful public spaces for civic dialogue, education, and action.
Though separated by geography, the efforts in Minnesota and Ohio share a common thread. Both reflect a growing recognition that the challenges we face—whether political corruption, corporate influence, economic inequality, environmental degradation, or threats to democratic participation—cannot be solved without addressing the underlying structures that concentrate power in the hands of corporations and wealthy interests.
That growing momentum was reinforced this month with the addition of a new endorsing organization: Of By For.
Dedicated to strengthening civic participation and building a government that works for everyday people, Of By For joins hundreds of organizations nationwide that have endorsed the We the People Amendment. Their commitment to expanding democratic engagement and empowering communities aligns closely with Move to Amend's vision of a democracy genuinely accountable to people rather than concentrated wealth and corporate power.
Together, local organizers, endorsing organizations, coalition partners, and everyday advocates are helping build the movement necessary to complete the unfinished promise of self-government.
As we approach Independence Day and the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we celebrate the work taking place in communities like Minnesota and Cleveland Heights and welcome new allies like Of By For into the movement. Their efforts remind us that democracy is not something we inherit—it is something we create together through organizing, education, participation, and collective action.
The founders declared independence from a distant power that ruled without accountability. Today, our challenge is different, but the task remains the same: building a political system that derives its just powers from the people and remains accountable to them.
The work continues—and so does the movement.
