What to do this week of January 10, 2021

217 weeks down, 10 days to Inauguration Day

The AoC Checklist features clear, well-researched actions for Americans who value democracy, equality, voting, and decency. We are a big tent for all people who want a kinder, flourishing nation.

I value democracy.

With respect and collaboration, we work to create a nation that welcomes all people, expands freedoms, and upholds the Constitution. Each citizen must be able to freely and fairly elect those who represent their values.

Action 1: Advocate for the removal of an unfit president from office. [Sources: 5 Calls, Human Rights First, National Women’s Law Center, Moms Demand Action, NAACP]

Call: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).

Script: Hello, I’m calling from [ZIP] to express my strong support for Donald Trump’s removal from office. His vocal encouragement and support of armed rioters who stormed the Capitol is an act of sedition, and his continued presence in office will only fuel additional violence. I am asking [NAME] to either urge Vice President Pence and members of the cabinet to acknowledge the president as unfit to perform the duties of his office and invoke the 25th Amendment or begin impeachment hearings. Thank you.

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Action 2: Advocate for transparency from our nation’s highest office. [Source: 5 Calls]

Call: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).

Script: Hi, I’m calling from [ZIP] to object to Donald Trump’s efforts to change the outcome of Georgia’s presidential race. His repeated demands that Georgia Secretary of State Raffesnperger “find” additional votes are not only potentially criminal, but an insult to the will of voters and the integrity of our elections. I urge [NAME] to demand an immediate investigation of that call. Thank you.

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Good News

Decent people everywhere are speaking up and working together. Just look. #GoodNews

• Congress overturns a veto on a defense bill that includes a provision to rename military bases and other facilities with Confederate names. 
• Federal military and civilian law enforcement personnel involved in the federal government’s response to a “civil disturbance” must wear visible identification.
• U.S. citizen spouses and children of aspiring Americans will finally get pandemic stimulus checks.
• GA: Rev. Raphael Warnock is elected to the Senate, becoming Georgia’s first Black senator and the nation’s first African-American Democratic senator from a former Confederate state.
• GA: Jon Ossoff is elected to the Senate, becoming Georgia’s first Jewish senator.
• GA: Court dismisses a lawsuit seeking to close runoff election ballot drop boxes after business hours.
• GA: Court implements measures to ensure that mail ballots are delivered in time for the state’s runoff elections.
• IL expunges nearly 500,000 cannabis arrest records.
• NY: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs a gender-neutral bathroom bill into law, making single-stall bathrooms open to people of all genders statewide. 
• VA: Aspiring American residents of the state can drive legally as of Jan. 2, 2021.
• Charleston, SC ceases engagement with federal immigration enforcement.
• Twitter permanently suspends the president’s account for violating its Glorification of Violence policy.
• Facebook and Instagram block the president’s account through at least Jan. 20 following his role in support of a riot at the Capitol.
• PayPal and Shopify remove accounts related to the president, citing policies against supporting violence.
• Several additional platforms, including Twitch, Reddit, and Snapchat, disable accounts owned by or related to the president.
• Voting machine company Dominion Power Systems files a defamation suit after being baselessly accused of election interference. 
• The ACLU publishes a list of civil liberties and civil rights priorities for the Biden-Harris administration to address when they take office. 
• Coach Bianca Smith joins the Red Sox organization, becoming the first Black woman to coach in professional baseball history.
• Incarcerated people raise tuition money to send Sy Newson Green to school following a family medical crisis.
• Argentina legalizes abortion.
• Australia adjusts its national anthem lyrics to better reflect 60,000 years of Indigenous history.
• See more good news at Women in the World, Small Victories, Good Black News, and What Went Right.

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Housekeeping

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