Affiliate & Advocate Spotlight: Building Power Everywhere
Movements are not built in a single place, nor do they advance through a single tactic. They grow because people, in communities large and small, decide to show up—again and again—and connect what’s happening where they live to a larger structural problem.
Across the country, Move to Amend affiliates are doing exactly that: organizing locally while keeping their eyes on the constitutional crisis at the root of corporate power.
Recent actions in Ohio, Alabama, and Minnesota — now at the center of national attention in the fight to reclaim self-government — reveal what it looks like when communities organize for systemic change.
Minnesota — Bringing a Vision for Democracy Directly to Elected Officials
Members of the Minnesota affiliate of Move to Amend recently met with their two members introducing their state resolution in both their House bodies to share a message that is both urgent and forward-looking: democracy requires more than resistance — it requires vision.
During the meeting, affiliate leader Barbara Gerten delivered a powerful statement titled “A Vision for This Country: We the People Move to Amend,” calling for a renewed commitment to representative democracy grounded in human rights, accountability, and the principle that political power must ultimately reside with people, not corporations.
Barbara spoke to a concern many Americans share — that while crises demand immediate attention, without a clear vision for structural change, democracy itself remains at risk.
“Representative democracy should enhance, not harm, the lives of human people in our communities.”
Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC in 2010, Barbara emphasized that corporate political spending and influence have expanded dramatically, deepening public distrust and weakening democratic institutions. The message to legislators was clear: the country needs leadership willing to imagine and build a democracy that works for everyone.
At the center of that vision is the recognition that the Constitution, as currently interpreted, allows artificial entities to wield extraordinary political power — often exceeding the influence of the human beings whose lives are directly affected by political decisions. The Minnesota State Coalition urged lawmakers to consider the urgency of restoring a human-centered meaning to the words “We the People.”
Move to Amend’s work focuses on advancing a constitutional amendment to establish that money is not speech and that constitutional rights belong to human beings, not corporations or other artificial entities. While no single amendment can resolve every challenge facing the country, Barbara emphasized that it would create a necessary foundation — one that allows representative democracy to function as intended.
Strength, as noted, would come from laws that clearly define the roles and responsibilities of corporations, unions, nonprofits, and political organizations in ways that support, rather than undermine, the well-being of human communities.
The Minnesota affiliate’s meeting reflects what grassroots democracy looks like in practice: ordinary people engaging directly with their representatives, bringing both urgency and solutions to the conversation. Their work demonstrates that rebuilding democracy is not abstract — it happens through conversations, education, and organized communities willing to articulate a better path forward.
In Conclusion, the question facing the country is not only how to address today’s crises, but whether we are willing to build a system where democracy truly reflects the will and needs of the people.
Across the country, Move to Amend affiliates are turning that vision into action.
Miami County, Ohio: Turning Local Concerns into Constitutional Questions
In early December, the Move to Amend Miami County affiliate gathered at a local restaurant for an end-of-year celebration. About twenty people attended—core organizers, prospective members, and community guests—creating space not just to reflect on the past year, but to deepen relationships and recommit to the work ahead.
The gathering served multiple purposes. Organizers recognized their 2025 accomplishments while looking ahead to key anniversaries, including the 16th anniversary of Citizens United. Participants signed greeting and thank-you cards to 24 legislators, including amendment champion Pramila Jayapal and Ohio lawmakers who have sponsored or supported state resolutions calling for an amendment to end corporate personhood and money as speech.
That outreach did not disappear into a void. By the end of the month, the group received a personal thank-you note from Ohio House Resolution sponsor Tristan Rader — an affirming reminder that sustained, respectful engagement still matters.
The momentum continued into January. On the eve of the Citizens United anniversary, Miami County organizers brought the conversation into public view. Six volunteers made statements connecting local concerns — particularly the rapid proliferation of data centers across Ohio — to the broader constitutional problem of corporate power. Seven additional supporters attended in solidarity.
That same week, the affiliate placed an op-ed in Miami Valley Today, arguing that what many communities experience as zoning disputes, infrastructure strain, or environmental risk is often rooted in a deeper imbalance: corporations wielding constitutional rights without democratic accountability.
This is what effective local organizing looks like — linking everyday issues to systemic causes, and inviting the public to think bigger about the solutions required.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Showing Up Where People Already Are
In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Move to Amend organizers have focused on visibility, coalition-building, and meeting people where they already gather.
Rather than holding a traditional October meeting, the Tuscaloosa affiliate devoted its energy to participating in the NO KINGS 2 protest, tabling alongside allied groups and engaging directly with attendees. Over the course of that event — and earlier outreach at the local Pride festival — the group collected more than 50 petition signatures supporting the We the People Amendment.
Those signatures weren’t just numbers. They represented conversations, shared concerns, and new points of entry into the movement.
A key part of Tuscaloosa’s success has been its growing partnership with Indivisible of West Alabama. Through this collaboration, Move to Amend organizers have been invited to table at multiple protests and events, significantly expanding their reach and strengthening ties across the local movement ecosystem.
The affiliate has also taken steps to build sustainability. A donation of $229.25 from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tuscaloosa helped support ongoing outreach and organizing costs — small in dollar amount, but meaningful in what it represents: trust, shared values, and community investment.
From discussing logistics like portable tabling equipment to planning future actions, the Tuscaloosa group continues to balance practical organizing needs with long-term movement goals.
The Bigger Picture
What connects Miami County and Tuscaloosa is not geography or scale, but clarity of purpose.
Both affiliates are:
- Translating local experiences into systemic critiques
- Building relationships with allied organizations
- Showing up consistently in public spaces
- Combining education, visibility, and legislative pressure
This is how a national movement grows — not through isolated moments, but through steady, people-powered work rooted in real communities.
As these affiliates demonstrate, ending corporate rule is not an abstract idea. It is a living, breathing effort shaped by neighbors talking to neighbors, volunteers tabling at community events, organizers writing op-eds, and everyday people insisting that the Constitution should serve human beings — not artificial entities.
The vision is clear.
The organizing is happening.
And it’s happening everywhere.
