Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in an America where “all men are created equal.” His lifelong work to bring ordinary citizens together in service of this great dream continues to inspire the modern-day fight for political equality in this country, which has been further complicated by recent disastrous decisions by the Supreme Court.
Due to Supreme Court rulings such as Citizens United, unrestricted big money floods our elections, drowning out the voices of regular Americans at the polls. This is problematic because when politicians bypass “the people” and are hand-selected by the financially powerful—who tend to bankroll a mostly white, male, and also wealthy legislature—Washington abandons their responsibilities to everyone else. Politicians pursue policies with their patrons in mind over their constituents.
Today more than ever before, politics has become an inaccessible and exclusive game where only insiders get to cash in, then cash out.
This is a systematic danger that can only be corrected by the combined efforts of all Americans from all parts of this country, and political spectrum.
In 2016, hundreds of groups across this country are forming a coalition under the shared goal of defending our republic’s democratic values.
There is the Stamp Stampede campaign, which has unleashed a mass visual demonstration by rubber stamping messages like “Not to be Used for Buying Elections on paper money. In fact, over 65,000 folks have joined this “Stampede,” using the virality of currency to create mini-billboards with their cash--declaring an end to big money in politics.
Other groups—although there is too many to name them all—such as People for the American Way, Public Citizen, Represent.Us, New Hampshire Rebellion, Free Speech for People, Common Cause, Wolf PAC, and Move to Amend have local and nationwide volunteer communities. And this spring, large marches will take place in our nation’s capital to support voters’ rights and campaign reforms.
Our government is supposed to derive its power from the people—not corporations and billionaires—and it is time all of us show Washington the might of this democracy movement.
Not too long ago, Dr. King led a movement that rewrote unjust laws as he showed us that “We the People” are at the center of this nation’s beating heart. He showed us that ordinary citizens could successfully come together and repair a broken system.
One thing is certain: This growing movement is completely indebted to Dr. King’s great teachings and his triumphant lifelong activism.