Yesterday, hundreds of Americans from all walks of life joined together at the American Dream Rally in Washington, DC. We came to support some of America’ s most vital and popular programs; Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Congress is currently debating raising the nation’s debt ceiling and reducing the deficit. Republicans are holding the country hostage in exchange for drastic cuts to social programs that benefit millions of Americans while demanding lower taxes for the wealthiest 2%.
Among the speakers were Van Jones, Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)and Donna Edwards (D-MD) who all gave impassioned speeches defending Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
Think back to April 15th. Remember what it felt like to stand together, 10,000 strong at Power Shift 2011, and feel the collective power of our generation?
Out of all the speakers that weekend, there is one line that keeps echoing in my mind. Van Jones — citing the example of Dr. King, who was 25 years old in Montgomery — told us: “You have to make a decision not to wait your turn. Don’t let anybody tell you you’re going to be the leaders of tomorrow. Tomorrow is not promised. You must be the leaders of today.”
This month we have an opportunity to step up and lead.
Since Power Shift, a new movement has been building. Inspired by Van Jones, this movement is uniting progressives of all stripes against our common adversary: big corporations who are corrupting our political system and jeopardizing the American Dream.
We can’t let these corporate interests overrun our country; we need to keep up the fight to create a country that works for all of us.
That’s why this weekend, July 16-17, a huge coalition of people and organizations are gathering in homes, schools, and community centers across the country to launch a plan to Rebuild the American Dream. These house meetings will shape a new Contract for the American Dream to set our priorities for working together as a movement.
Van Jones spoke at Netroots Nation on Saturday and laid our a vision for the future of the progressive movement. The campaign he announced is not about any one issue or candidate, but about a principle: Rebuilding the American Dream.
We are all fighting to build a better future for our country, but the question that Van posed a question, “Will we fight together? Or will we fight alone?” The goal of the American Dream Movement is to create a banner that all progressives can unite behind, defending the American Dream for everyone.
The American Dream that Van Jones described is simple and universal:
The American Dream, which is simply the idea that hard work should pay in our country. That you should be able to get up in the morning in America, and if you’re willing to and able to work, walk out your front door, go to a dignified job, put in a good day’s work, and come back home with a paycheck you can feed your family with and give your children a better life. That’s the American Dream, that’s what our parents fought for and our grandparents fought for, and we should not let it be taken away from us on our watch.
The common threat all of us face, is that “we have forces now gaining momentum in our country who are committed to one thing and one thing only, they are committed to killing the American Dream”. “Dream killers” have wrecked the American Dream, according to Jones. Rebuilding the American Dream will include shifting the country to a clean energy system, cutting subsidies to big oil, and creating green jobs.
After Power Shift there is ACTION in DC!! After facilitating at Power Shift I was recruited to organize the iMatter march for DC and celebrate Mother Earth on Mother's day!
In a passionate keynote address, green jobs leader Van Jones exhorted the 10,000 youth climate activists at the Power Shift conference in Washington DC to "shift the power" and lead the clean power revolution. He argued that both parties need to be held accountable for their failures, and that activists must explain that the climate movement isn't just about "hippie power" but that it is a vision of liberty and justice for all.
The Energy Action Coalition brought together over 5,000 young people for Power Shift 2007, the first national youth conference to solve the climate crisis. This is me, taking pictures onstage as Van Jones addressed the crowd gathered at the Capitol Building. A year earlier, I graduated from the Greenpeace Semester and was catalyzed into the youth climate movement.
The Greenpeace Semester empowered me with the skills and confidence to tackle my generation's biggest challenge: averting catastrophic climate change. By the following summer, I found myself back in Washington, DC organizing for the largest gathering on climate change the world had ever seen.
"Your generation made the green jobs movement work, made the Obama movement work, and you will make this movement work." -- Van Jones.
Van Jones was on the Power Shift call last night to introduce the "American Dream Movement" and call our generation to action. I don't know about you, but I'm inspired and motivated to hit the ground running and make Power Shift 2011 live up to his expectations. After all, he did call Power Shift "one of the most important events on the planet."
We are the biggest, most diverse generation ever. And we are the ones who will have to bear the burden of climate change, a failing economy, and a lack of jobs, and the health risks of increasing pollution unless we act now.
As Van Jones told us, "You were born to put the system on trial."
And we are. We are making this movement work, campus by campus and state by state. We are not waiting for Congress and President Obama to step up and lead; we are taking action on our own, in our own communities and on our own terms.
Power Shift is gaining momentum and recruitment is kicking into gear! On our last national call, leaders from all across the country jumped on the phone to talk about their best practices and brainstorm ideas for getting you to DC on April 15. Since then, over 1,000 people have registered for Power Shift, youth-led revolutions have spread across the Middle East, and union activists in Wisconsin and Ohio are organizing and taking a stand for their rights.
Ready for another national call? Green jobs champion Van Jones will be joining us on the phone TONIGHT at 9 pm ET to talk about launching the "American Dream Movement." We'll also hear from Greg in Kentucky, who helped organized a sit in at the Governors office to demand action on Mountain Top Removal Coal mining, and Tyer in Florida, who is rallying the entire state to come to Power Shift.
The Energy Action Coalition brought together over 5,000 young people for Power Shift 2007, the first national youth conference to solve the climate crisis. This is me, taking pictures onstage as Van Jones addressed the crowd gathered at the Capitol Building. A year earlier, I graduated from the 
"Your generation made the green jobs movement work, made the Obama movement work, and you will make this movement work." -- Van Jones.
Power Shift is gaining momentum and recruitment is kicking into gear! On our last national call, leaders from all across the country jumped on the phone to talk about their best practices and brainstorm ideas for getting you to DC on April 15. Since then, over 1,000 people have registered for Power Shift, youth-led revolutions have spread across the Middle East, and union activists in Wisconsin and Ohio are organizing and taking a stand for their rights.
