Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret MeadDear Ralph,
This isn’t like most of the emails we send you. We generally ask you to sign a petition, make a phone call or attend a protest. Those are all incredibly important things to do, and they’ve helped CREDO activists win countless victories over the years, from defending women’s rights to fighting fracking to shutting down dirty coal plants.
Now we’re trying something new: putting the power to fight the right and win progressive campaigns directly in your hands. We recently launched a new people-powered campaign platform called CREDO Mobilize, which lets CREDO activists start their own petitions to fight for progressive change.
CREDO activists across the country have already started using the platform to launch hundreds of campaigns to protect the environment, hold extremist Republicans accountable, fight back against the war on women and much, much more. They’re making a difference by engaging thousands of fellow CREDO activists to build grassroots pressure on key decision makers like their mayors, governors, members of Congress and local companies to do the right thing – and it’s working:
On August 30, 7-year-old Tiana Parker was sent home in tears from her Tulsa, Oklahoma, charter school after being told that her short and tidy dreadlocks “didn’t look presentable.” The school’s prejudiced dress code spelled out dreadlocks and afros, two styles worn almost exclusively by African-Americans with natural hair, as unacceptable. Wagatwe Wanjuki, a CREDO activist and organizer with RH Reality Check, heard the heartbreaking story and started a petition on CREDOMobilize.com demanding the school change its policy and apologize to Tiana. In just five days, over 20,000 CREDO activists signed the petition, stirring up national publicity in outlets like MSNBC, Huffington Post, and United Press International. The school’s independent governing board felt the pressure and quickly voted unanimously to remove the offensive policy regarding hairstyles from its dress code.
On August 14, the City Council of Columbia, South Carolina approved one of the most draconian anti-homeless measures ever proposed in a U.S. city. David Calef, a CREDO activist in Columbia, decided to fight back and worked with friends at the National Coalition for the Homeless to start a petition on CREDOMobilize.com, demanding that the City Council of Columbia suspend its plan to criminalize 1,621 homeless people in Columbia. Within days, hundreds of CREDO activists signed his petition and helped convince the City Council to unanimously rescind the plan.