Imagine standing in the Supreme Court chambers 169 years ago today, as Chief Justice Roger Taney delivers the infamous ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford. The words hang heavy in the air—words that strip away the very humanity of an entire people. Words that declare, without hesitation, that Black individuals "had no rights which the white man was bound to respect."

Dred and Harriet Scott had dared to dream of freedom, had fought courageously in the courts, and had even tasted victory—only to have it cruelly overturned by the highest court in the land. And yet, their loss was not just personal. It set a chilling precedent: that property rights outweighed human rights, that the expansion of slavery could not be curbed, and that the Constitution itself was never intended to include people of African descent.

We know how this story continued. The abolitionist movement erupted with renewed fury. The Civil War raged. The 13th and 14th Amendments were passed, bringing the legal end of slavery and a promise—however fragile—of citizenship and equal protection under the law.

But what if we told you that the Dred Scott ruling was never formally overturned?

What if we told you that, in 2016, it was still being cited as legal precedent—used in an attempt to deny women their constitutional rights in a Kansas court case? 

At Move to Amend, our strength is in our people—the dedicated grassroots organizers and advocates who bring our movement to life in their communities. This month, we want to celebrate the work of our affiliates and advocates who have been tirelessly pushing forward the We the People Amendment, despite the challenges of winter and the political roadblocks that corporate interests throw in our way. Their persistence, passion, and commitment are what make this movement unstoppable.

Brownsville, Texas: The Last Stand Against Corporate Rule

In the grand tradition of American political theater, there have been many scandals, betrayals, and power plays. But nothing quite compares to the slow-motion hostile takeover of the U.S. presidency by Big Dark Money.

The first month of Donald Trump's second term as President of the United States has unfolded about how we all thought it would. As we at Move to Amend know too well, corruption and bribery have long been ugly facets of American governance. For Trump and his new Gilded Age cronies, however, corruption seems to be the priority.

One of Trump's more recent moves was signing an executive order freezing enforcement of the Federal Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a law prohibiting companies operating in the United States from bribing foreign officials to influence business dealings in those countries. 

Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International said the FCPA made the United States a leader in addressing global corruption - to the point that many countries have since adopted identical statutes. According to Gary Kalman, executive director of Transparency International U.S., Trump's order "diminishes - and could pave the way for completely eliminating - the crown jewel in the U.S.'s fight against global corruption."

The FCPA has been used by the Justice Department to win massive settlements from corporate bad actors such as Glencore, Walmart, and Goldman Sachs. In fact, Trump himself faced FCPA constraints attempting to build a hotel in Azerbaijan over a decade ago. Perhaps most telling, however, is that the FCPA was just recently used to win settlements totaling over $1.5 billion from suppliers and subsidiaries of Tesla, the electric vehicle company infamously run by Elon Musk, Trump's billionaire campaign financier and newest partner in crime.

Trump's order pauses enforcement of the FCPA for 180 days and, in an unusual move, directs new Attorney General Pam Bondi to not only prepare new guidelines for enforcement, but also review current and past actions related to the law to determine whether any FCPA enforcement actions were "inappropriate." Among these prior enforcement actions Bondi is set to review, there are at least four cases that involve Tesla suppliers or their subsidiaries. 

Every day, corporate influence tightens its grip—drowning out the voices of everyday people and shaping policies that put profits over our communities, our environment, and our future. Billionaires and corporate lobbyists flood elections with dark money, drowning out the voices of everyday Americans. Big Pharma blocks lower prescription drug prices while raking in record profits. Oil and gas giants bankroll politicians to stall climate action while wildfires rage and floods devastate communities. Corporate polluters poison our water—just ask the people of Flint and East Palestine—yet they face little to no accountability.

Together, we can change that! Join us for “Organizing for the We the People Amendment” on March 10.
(RSVP below)

The We the People Amendment (H.J.Res. 54) is the solution. It will put an end to corporate constitutional rights and overturn Citizens United, ensuring that our government is led by people, not corporate interests. This amendment will make it clear: only human beings have constitutional rights, and money is not speech.

The anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade serves as a stark reminder that rights once considered fundamental can be stripped away. This devastating decision not only impacts reproductive freedom but also highlights the growing influence of corporate power over our legal system—a system increasingly designed to serve the interests of the few at the expense of the many.

We are witnessing an unprecedented corporate takeover—a full-scale power grab by billionaire elites and their unqualified loyalists, targeting the people, federal agencies, the media, social programs, the rule of law, the U.S. Constitution, and international agreements. But history has shown that moments of extreme repression can also be the tipping point for transformative change.

Cultural Change for the We the People Amendment

[second in the series] 

                                                    - William Myers

Chattel slavery, the system where people are treated as property by being bought, sold, and owned, goes back thousands of years and across “civilizations.” It has often been seen as an unavoidable aspect of human history, where the powerful few force labor upon others.

Enslaved Africans first arrived on the North American continent to present day St. Augustine, FL in the mid 16th century. About 450,000 enslaved Africans ended up being transported to North America.

Friend – 

From the MTA team, we want to wish you a happy Black History Month. In a time where more and more powerful figures wish to hide from this country’s history and erase its diverse voices, it’s more important than ever to uplift, celebrate, and empower Black voices. 

Our struggle to end corporate personhood is intrinsically connected to enriching democracy, and no democracy is complete without working to end oppression. Corporations and the Supreme Court have abused what are meant to protect the marginalized in our communities – such as the wanton misemployment of the Fourteenth Amendment, which was used to establish corporate personhood in the late 19th century, when the Amendment originally intended to enshrine the personhood of formerly enslaved Black people and establish birthright citizenship. Equal protection under the Amendment is used more to protect corporations than Black and other oppressed Americans. Plus, when money is considered “free speech”, those who have been historically disenfranchised and institutionally kept in poverty are more and more shut out of the political process – we are split apart and further pitted against each other by those with power. Division is the enemy of organizing and now is not a time in which we can afford to be divided.