This week's exploration, inspired by Maria Stephan's compelling "Can Multiracial Democracy Survive?" from The Horizons Project, focuses on one of our most vital challenges. The article highlights the intertwined paths of racial justice and democracy advocates, stressing the necessity of a unified front to face today's challenges. It is a call to action for an integrated strategy that doesn't shy away from the tough conversations about racism while strengthening democratic values, and emphasizes the indispensable role of faith organizations in those tasks. Stephan’s piece, along with the diverse narratives from our member resources, demonstrates the obstacles and opportunities in nurturing a multiracial democracy grounded in diversity, equity, and collective impact.

The debate on historical monuments, featured by Divided We Fall, forces us to confront which values we choose to celebrate and the narratives we decide to honor. Through contrasting perspectives on the removal of controversial monuments, Esther Wickham and Sean Fischer engage in a critical dialogue about our collective memory and the potential for education and reconciliation in how we address our history. Both perspectives highlight that these monuments and the stories they tell are inseparable from our struggle to reconcile with our past while charting a path forward that reflects a more inclusive narrative.

The shifting demographics within the political landscape, specifically the loss of non-white voters by Democrats highlighted by the American Values Coalition, also highlight the need for parties to engage with and understand the diverse communities that form the mosaic of American society. Their article suggests that differences in religiosity within the Democratic coalition, which includes a significant number of areligious and religiously diverse voters, may contribute to these changes, underscoring the complex interplay between race, religion, and political alignment. This acknowledgment again ties back to Maria Stephan's reminder that faith-based efforts to combat racism and strengthen democracy have enormous potential to "instill hope and rejuvenate religious imagination for drawing us closer to the Beloved Community. 

The contentious debate on immigration policies in Texas illuminates the friction between state actions and federal oversight and integrates the subject into broader national identity and belonging discussions. Immigration is deeply intertwined with our nation's ongoing dialogue about who gets to participate in our democracy and on what terms. This discussion intersects with the vital challenge of misinformation, particularly the myth of noncitizen voting. This myth, rooted in historical misconceptions, highlights the crucial role of an informed and engaged citizenry in upholding the integrity of our democracy.

Lastly, the "How Do We Fix It?" podcast on DEI initiatives challenges us to consider the depth of our commitment to diversity. It invites a reflection on whether our actions foster understanding and cohesion or merely pay lip service to diversity, equity, and inclusion ideals.

As we interlace these varied narratives, the breadth of the challenge and the imperative for the pro-democracy movement to align with racial justice becomes more evident. Our newsletter only scratches the surface of a multifaceted conversation that demands our collective attention, courage, and determination. We cannot address every aspect of this challenge. Still, we can actively seek areas for alignment between the pro-democracy and racial justice movements, driven by the belief that a vibrant, inclusive democracy is not just possible but crucial for our shared future.

Featured Content

• AllSides (Article) March 21st: Can Texas Create Its Own Immigration Policy?
• American Values Coalition (Blog) March 15th: Why Are Democrats Losing Non-White Voters?
• Ballotpedia (Resource) March 25th: Robe & Gavel: SCOTUS concludes March 2024 sitting
• BillTrack50 (Blog) March 15th: TikTok Bans - In The House, Montana, and Growing in Numbers
• Divided We Fall (Article) March 14th: Historical Monuments: To Remove or Not to Remove
• Horizons Project (Article) March 20th: Can Multiracial Democracy Survive?
• Independent Voter News (Article) March 25th: John Avlon: Our Partisan-Controlled Election System Has Turned Congress into a Body of 'Spineless Cowards'
• Issue One (Press Release) March 25th: NBC News should reconsider its decision to hire former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, NCEI co-chairs say
• RepresentWomen (Video) March 14th: 2024 Democracy Solutions Summit, Day 3-Shifting the Paradigms of Power: A Global Movement

Podcasts

• Ballotpedia (On The Ballot) March 21st: Chaz Nuttycombe on forecasting this Fall's battleground races
• McCourtney Institute for Democracy (Democracy Works) March 25th: Cassidy Hutchison on what comes after January 6
• The Democracy Group (Lethal Weapons) March 25th: Lethal Weapons
• DaviesContent (How Do We Fix It?) March 22nd: Diversity Is Great. DEI Isn't.
• Veterans for All Voters (Vet Our Democracy) March 19th: Election reform: systemic changes to improve how we choose our leaders

Citizen Connect Featured Events

• Crossing Party Lines (March 31st @ 5:00 pm PDT) Conversation: Religious Freedom
• Living Room Conversations (April 3rd @ 7:00 p.m. MDT ) Civic Renewal Conversation
• American Promise (April 3rd @ 8:00 pm EDT) Introduction to Money in Politics
• USC Center for the Political Future (April 4th @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm PDT) Climate Forward Conference 2024
• Unify Challenge (April 9th @ 2:00 pm EDT) Unify Challenge

Featured Fulcrum Articles

• Michael Waldman, March 21st: Mass purges are the new voter suppression 
• Rich Harwood, March 21st: Enough political rallies. It’s time for a civic rally.
• Amy McIsaac, March 22nd: Here are the political terms Americans like
• Drew Pensore & David Daley, March 19th: How a new way of electing the House can change our politics
• David Meyers, March 25th: Democrats take another crack at federal election reform

Members In The News

• Election Reformers Network (The Denver Post) March 25th: Colorado's Jena Griswold faces criticism for anti-Trump advocacy
• American Promise (Newsweek) March 20th: Foreign Entities Are Influencing Our Elections. We Can Stop Them
• RepresentUs (Daily Mail) March 17th: Should Congress be allowed to play the stock market? Campaign to ban lawmakers from trading heats up
• Bipartisan Policy Center (NPR) March 13th: Conservatives are warning about noncitizens voting. It's a myth with a long history