From D.C. Streets to Local Power-Building

Even in a year of furloughs, political chaos, and constant “polycrisis” headlines, our affiliates and advocates have kept the We the People Amendment moving forward — in Congress, in city halls, and out in the streets. This month’s spotlight ties together a powerful moment in Washington, D.C. with the steady, gritty work happening across the country.

In D.C.: End the Regime, End Corporate Rule

Recently, National Co-Directors Jennie Spanos and Katie Karshinski joined the End the Regime actions in Washington, D.C. They spent days in the streets — marching, talking with organizers, and deepening relationships with new and long-time allies.

One especially striking moment came when they were invited to stand behind Rep. Al Green (TX) during a press conference. Right there on camera, Jennie and Katie held up the Move to Amend × AdBusters corporate flag, a vivid symbol of what we’re fighting: a system in which corporations currently enjoy more rights and political power than real people. Without naming parties or echoing partisan talking points, their presence lifted up our core message: we cannot confront authoritarianism, war, or deep inequality without confronting corporate rule.

Their time in D.C. reflects what Move to Amend does best — connecting movements and insisting that any serious path forward must include a constitutional amendment that ends corporate personhood and money-as-speech.

Miami County, OH: “It Felt Like a Slog… Until We Counted”

In Miami County, Ohio, affiliate leader Deb shared something that many organizers will recognize. For most of the year, it felt like they weren’t accomplishing much. But when she sat down to write a year-end summary, the story looked very different.

On paper, the Miami County team had gathered hundreds of petition signatures, secured a new endorsement, attended rallies, reached out to federal, state, and local officials, published letters and op-eds, given public talks, and begun building new solidarity connections. What felt like “a slog” turned into a clear picture of impact and persistence.

It’s a powerful reminder: we are often doing more than we think. When we track our work, we can see just how much power we’re quietly building.

Minnesota: Walking On From the Monahan Legacy

In Minnesota, activists are still drawing energy and inspiration from the 15th Anniversary of the Monahan Walk Across the U.S. Fifteen years ago, Robin and Laird Monahan walked 3,200 miles across the country in response to Citizens United and helped launch Move to Amend.

That story is not just being remembered — it’s being used. Minnesota Move to Amend is using the anniversary to encourage donations, deepen education, and invite new people into the work. At the same time, they’re hosting a series of deeper-dive trainings, including a session on inclusion, and they’re already strategizing for the next legislative session: mapping districts, understanding competing bills, and planning how to out-organize corporate interests.

Minnesota’s work captures the long-haul nature of our movement. A walk that ended years ago is still fueling today’s organizing and tomorrow’s legislative fights.

California: Fighting Corporate Rule on Multiple Fronts

On the West Coast, California advocates are pushing forward in different but complementary ways.

In Sacramento and Central California, Ann reported that their group has been showing “Five Fights,” a documentary narrated by Peter Coyote that explores corporate power and systemic injustice. After YouTube took the videos down for being too “non-vanilla,” organizers moved them to a different platform and are now working to push them out more widely. Their meetings are drawing new faces, including a volunteer skilled in social media who is helping them fight through Facebook’s algorithmic barriers. They have also been meeting with congressional offices, including Rep. Schiff and others, to build support for the We the People Amendment.

Meanwhile, in the Bay Area, Lawrence and others are celebrating a major victory: SB 42 will put a public financing measure for elections on the 2026 statewide ballot in California. This echoes the success of publicly financed elections in Los Angeles, where Mayor Karen Bass was able to win against a billionaire-backed opponent. Next year, they will also revive a “foreign money out of elections” initiative, designed to cut off the flow of election money from foreign-influenced corporations — a backdoor that Citizens United helped open.

Together, these efforts show how state-level campaigns can chip away at corporate power while reinforcing the case for a national constitutional amendment.

Massachusetts: No Kings, New Leaders

In Boston, long-time organizer Raven tabled at the No Kings Day action, where Move to Amend’s table was swarmed for hours. Out of hundreds of petition sheets, dozens were filled completely and many more partially. Raven is now painstakingly entering those signatures into our database, even while recovering from illness — a beautiful example of dedication behind the scenes.

Raven has also brought in a new collaborator, Nikki from Mass 50-51, who organizes onboarding and helps run their newsletter. Nikki is just beginning her journey with Move to Amend and is exploring where her skills fit best. The early plan is a powerful one: Raven continues to anchor in-person tabling and petitioning, while Nikki leans into bird-dogging, communications, and outreach. Together, they’re laying the groundwork for a revitalized Move to Amend presence in Massachusetts.

Montana: Resetting Corporate Power at the Charter Level

In Montana, Sue is working on an ambitious project with national implications: a Transparent Election Initiative that attacks corporate election spending at its roots.

Instead of only arguing in court about whether corporations “have rights,” this approach goes back to the beginning — to corporate charters, where states decide what corporations are allowed to do. Montana’s proposal would rewrite those rules to simply remove the power of corporations to spend money in elections. If a corporation is created by a state, the state can define what it can’t do.

Even if the initiative faces hurdles with signatures, campaigns, or courts, it could become a model for other states. It also opens up a new public conversation: we do not have to accept corporate “rights” as a given. We can rewrite the rules at the charter level.

North Carolina & Youth Organizing: Seeding Young Peacekeepers

In North Carolina, George is holding two realities at once: repression and resistance.

Recently, ICE has been sweeping across the state, arresting hundreds of people, most with no significant criminal record. Local organizations, churches, and community groups have scrambled to offer sanctuary, legal help, and basic support. It’s a painful reminder of how state violence intersects with racialized, profit-driven systems.

At the same time, George is launching a project called “Seeding Young Peacekeepers.” It’s a 12-week program for young people, roughly ages 16–24, that starts with root-cause analysis — colonialism, capitalism, and racism as drivers of poverty and inequality — and then moves toward practice. Small teams will design and carry out a local action of their choice: a teach-in, town hall, protest, or creative event. At the end, each participant receives a stipend, recognizing that their time and labor are valuable.

It’s exactly the kind of leadership pipeline we need: young organizers grounded in systemic analysis and encouraged to act.

Atlanta, GA: From No Kings to City Hall

In Atlanta, Mark, Deanville and their team are turning the energy from No Kings Day into long-term infrastructure.

After their No Kings event, they hosted a follow-up Zoom that, despite some RSVP-link chaos, still drew several engaged participants and added more petition signatures. They’re now tightening and sharpening their presentation so it’s shorter, clearer, and more action-focused.

They’ve also been embraced by a local Indivisible group, which quickly invited them to introduce Move to Amend and explore deeper collaboration. Tiger, along with a growing number of Georgia Tech graduate students are getting involved, bringing tech skills and strong political analysis to the table. During municipal elections, they secured several Pledge to Amend commitments, including from a city council candidate who went on to win. The next step: pressing the Atlanta City Council to renew its resolution supporting the We the People Amendment and exploring Democracy Day-style events that connect local issues to corporate rule.

Atlanta is showing how local endorsements, city resolutions, and candidate pledges can all feed into federal momentum for H.J.Res. 54.

New York, New York: WEBINAR: Your VOTE, Their MILLION$?

Huge shout-out to Kylie for organizing and facilitating an urgent and timely virtual conversation on the New York City Mayoral Race-- WEBINAR: Your VOTE, Their MILLION$?-- already shaping up to be one of the most high-profile contests in the nation this November. With millions pouring in from individual billionaires and real estate power players—and tens of millions more expected from corporate-backed independent expenditures—the stakes couldn’t be higher for our democracy.

Kylie brought us together to grapple with the big questions:
How does the tidal wave of campaign cash distort our elections?
Are everyday people—those without deep pockets—actually being heard?
And what do major political investors expect in return for their outsized influence?

Thanks to Kylie’s leadership, we have a space to dig into what’s really at play—and how we, as a movement, can keep fighting for a democracy that money can’t buy. 

Law and Research Committee: Kudos to John and the Law & Research Committee

Big hat tip to John and the entire Law & Research Committee for their dedicated work in securing two powerful virtual discussions with leading constitutional thinkers. Their persistence and teamwork have opened the door to conversations that will deepen our movement’s understanding of how constitutional change actually happens—and how we, the people, can shape it today.

We were thrilled by the conversation with Professor Wilfred Codrington III, Constitutional Law professor at Cardozo Law School and co-author of The People’s Constitution: 200 Years, 27 Amendments, and the Promise of a More Perfect Union. His talk—It Takes a Social Movement, Stupid! Lessons on how to amend the Constitution and how they apply to today’s constitutional crisis—will illuminate what history teaches about amendments, movements, and the democratic power of sustained public pressure.

We’re equally excited about the conversation with Madiba Dennie, author of The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take it Back. During the program, Our Right and Duty to Create an Equitable Democracy & Constitution, Madiba challenges the dominance of conservative “originalism” and advances a visionary alternative: inclusive constitutionalism—a framework that centers the experiences of marginalized communities and affirms the public’s right and duty to participate directly in defining the Constitution’s meaning today and for generations to come.

Thanks to John’s leadership and the collective effort of the L&R committee, these conversations will help ground our movement in both historical insight and forward-looking constitutional imagination. These are exactly the kinds of discussions that strengthen our work for a truly equitable democracy.

New Advocates, Growing Base

New energy is arriving all the time. In Seaside, California, Jeff Turner is stepping into organizing after several years as a financial supporter. He’s beginning outreach to Rep. Matsui’s office — a past supporter of our work — and is preparing a local presentation to bring the We the People Amendment to his community.

Nationally, we’ve now passed 527,000 petition signatures, with more than 2,100 new signatures added since the last coalition call. Organizational endorsements have climbed past 818, including new partners in Ohio and beyond. Each name, each organization, and each conversation helps widen the base of people demanding an end to corporate rule.

Keep the Momentum Going

This month’s stories share a common heartbeat: bold public action, steady local organizing, and creative experiments that expand what’s possible.

If you’re already an affiliate or advocate, please keep sending in your monthly reports, photos, and short reflections about what moves you to amend. Your stories are fuel for the rest of the network.

If you’re not yet plugged in, this is a great moment to jump in:
host a Movement Education & Empowerment Talk in your community, start gathering petition signatures, or reach out to us about forming or joining an affiliate.

In a time when corporate power is tightening its grip, our work — your work — is proof that another future is still being built, one conversation, one action, and one community at a time.