About We Choose Us

What We Believe

America was founded on a promise of democracy, rooted in freedom and equality. But in reality, power, agency and even voting rights were only given to a white, wealthy few. Over the last two centuries, social movements have fought to bring the rights of citizenship and the vote to more and more people. Despite the victories of these movements, power and agency still resides in the hands of a select few. We have a lot of work still to do if we want to realize the promise of democracy for us all. 

We also understand that our current system of democracy, flawed as it may be, is in crisis. Corporate and wealthy interests regularly defy our country’s founding principles of fairness, equity and accountability, driving all of us towards a possible constitutional catastrophe. 

In Minnesota, we have seen the introduction of laws that make it harder for voters to gain access to the ballot, part of a coordinated national effort to undermine the will of the people. We have seen the outsized influence of money in our local, state and federal elections, and elected officials who respond to special interests, instead of the people.

To realize a truly multi-racial democracy, we must protect the institutions we currently have from the growing threat of authoritarianism. But we also need to imagine something we’ve never had before: a democracy where all people have a voice in decision-making structures and a government that is responsive to our needs rather than corporations and wealthy special interests. In order to do this, we need to make sure peoples’ material needs are met so that we can participate in a culture of holistic civic engagement. Through conversation and connection, we will also learn from one another about the opportunities we currently have to affect change and come to a shared understanding about the changes we still need to make until we see government as something that can, does, and must work for us.

Our ability to strengthen our democracy and civic participation doesn’t lie in the hands of experts or politicians alone. Our power resides with the people, because those of us who feel the repercussions the most are the ones who have the clearest solutions. Our goal is to lift up the voices of Minnesotans across the state who are working to empower one another and come together to fight for a shared vision for a more just and thriving multiracial democracy.