Every month People’s Action shares the latest victories,
campaigns and events from our member groups
A Summer of Power! That’s what Juanita Lewis from Community Voices Heard called for, and that’s what she got – as CVH joined People’s Action groups all across the country to take bold action this season to build their membership and deepen our commitments to build the world we want and need.
Members of CVH’s four chapters – in New York City, and Westchester, Dutchess and Orange Counties – gathered at their headquarters in the Bronx on July 19 to chart the road ahead in the wake of the passage of the Trump budget with deep cuts to essential services, and the rise of authoritarian tactics across the country.
“This year’s theme? Power in numbers,” said Lewis. “We have a lot that’s happening right now, and we gotta be ready to push back and fight back against all this bad stuff.”
Despite the setbacks, CVH members have real reasons to celebrate: there were primary elections in New York in June, and CVH’s endorsed candidates scored victories in Poughkeepsie, Yonkers, Newburgh, Orange County, and in New York City, where they include the frontrunning candidate for mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Lewis – who is also the board chair of People’s Action – also found time to travel to Des Moines to join Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement’s 50th Anniversary celebration on July 25.
“Fifty years of power building, fifty years of building relationships, fifty years of fighting policies to improve the lives of Iowans, and fifty years of winning,” Lewis said in her keynote. “And the reason why there’s fifty years of success is because this organization was built on a solid foundation with a purpose.”
Join us as we celebrate with CCI and West Virginia Citizen Action Group (WVCAG), as both organizations mark their milestone 50th anniversaries this year. We are proud and grateful they are members of the People’s Action family. And with all they have achieved over the years, neither is resting on their laurels – they are more active and effective than ever!
WVCAG, for instance, just filed a lawsuit to stop Donald Trump from deploying West Virginia’s National Guard into the streets of Washington, D.C. and other cities.
Fifty years ago, when CCI and WVCAG were both founded, president Richard Nixon had just resigned – Nixon’s abuses of executive power and “dirty tricks” to punish his political foes had come to light through the Watergate scandal.
Nixon’s resignation, which was demanded by his own party, opened the door to a new era of accountability and transparency in government. With it came landmark victories by our movements for housing and environmental justice, and for working people at both the federal and state levels.
Today, we need a new era of accountability. It’s good to remember that these victories in the past were won by organized people – through the dedication of groups like CCI and WVCAG and their members. And we can win again if we find the strength to come together.
So read on, to learn more about what CVH, CCI, and WVCAG are up to – and all of the ways you are building the power across the country we will need to both meet the challenges of this moment and emerge stronger on the other side. Together we can, and together we will!
in solidarity,
Amanda Weaver
Lead Story
Iowa CCI: Fifty Years of Power, Fifty Years of Purpose
“Fifty years of power building, fifty years of building relationships, fifty years of fighting policies to improve the lives of Iowans, and fifty years of winning,” said People’s Action board chair Juanita in her keynote at CCI’s anniversary celebration. “And the reason why there’s fifty years of success here is because this organization was built on a solid foundation with a purpose.” Read more
Organizing Stories
West Virginia CAG: Fifty Years of Good Trouble
For 50 years, West Virginia Citizen Action Group (WVCAG) has been at the forefront of driving meaningful change in West Virginia, advocating for policies that uplift communities and empower individuals. Read more
Families First! Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland Join Nationwide Protests
The People’s Lobby in Chicago was one of the many People’s Action member groups that organized a Families First! event on July 26, part of a fifty-state, 220-event mobilization to shed light on the harm the Trump administration’s planned $1 trillion in cuts to health, housing and food aid will cause to families. Read more
New Jersey: NJOP Celebrates Victory Against Body Brokering
After a multi-year campaign, The New Jersey Organizing Project is celebrating a major victory with two new laws to curb the practice of “body brokering” – a type of healthcare fraud, through which unscrupulous detox and rehabilitation centers take advantage of those struggling with substance abuse disorder by offering financial incentives in exchange for referrals to clients. Read more
Nevada: PLAN Joins Telemundo Town Hall on Immigrant Rights
The People’s Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) joined the Nevada Immigrant Coalition and Telemundo Las Vegas to host a town hall on July 23, which featured a live “Know Your Rights” training, to ensure community members remain safe amidst escalated and targeted arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the community. Read more
Community Voices Heard: A Summer of Power
“This year’s theme? Power in numbers,” said Community Voices Heard executive director Juanita Lewis, as she launched the New York State organization’s “Summer of Power” campaign at their Bronx headquarters on July 19. Read More
Recent Media
READ: “A Billionaire Budget Boondoggle”
Barb Kalbach, a longtime member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), explains how the Trump administration’s planned $1 trillion in budget cuts will harm rural hospitals, nursing homes and health facilities.
WATCH: The Big Betrayal: How We Fight Forward
Join Sulma Arias, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and more than fifty national organizations for this frank discussion about our road forward as a movement in the wake of the passage of the Big Ugly Budget, and what we can do together to respond.
TAKE ACTION: Labor Day Marches with May Day Strong
Thousands of communities across the country are taking a stand on Labor Day, join us! We will be in the streets, outside the offices of the corporate criminals who are behind the attacks on our freedoms, and at congressional offices. Together, we will demand a country that puts workers over billionaires.
