Today, across Indigenous reservations, you will find the resistance and resilience of Indigenous people who have fought for their culture, lands, language, and traditions for centuries against white supremacy colonialism.  

That resistance and resilience have enabled me to succeed as a young Black Indigenous leader from the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin & Lac Courte Oreilles Band who finds himself leading the Alliance for Youth Action. The Alliance is a nationwide network of youth organizations that create and inspire a more just and equitable country every single day. I see the resistance and resilience of young people of color within our network as they organize towards access to higher education, abortion access, holding government institutions accountable for failing Black and Brown communities, and much more. 

The resistance and resilience that runs through Indigenous people catalyze the rebellion against modern-day colonialism. The ideals of manifest destiny are deep-rooted in the American psyche through folk tales of the beautiful founding of our country. We all know the story; you know the one. The myth of the Pilgrims landing on Indigenous land and immediately becoming friends with the Indigenous people and nations. 

We must confront the institutionalized teaching of Indigenous people that rewrites history so it can avoid the uncomfortable grip of guilt that plagues White Americans. Many people have never had a meaningful interaction or friendship with an Indigenous person, have an Indigenous coworker or boss, or are aware that the city, county, or state they live in has its namesake from an Indigenous language. The knowledge gap between Indigenous history and modern-day problems is a bridge we must build if we want future generations of Indigenous people to thrive on their traditional homelands.

This is not just about broken treaties; it is about the institutionalized legislative and budget decisions to remove wealth and health from Indigenous communities and promote legalized discrimination. In 1887, the Dawes Act, also known as General Allotment Act, was passed to force Indigenous Communities to “assume a capitalist and proprietary relationship with property.” Tribal nations lost another two-thirds of their land, or about 90 million acres, after already losing over a billion acres of land via genocidal warfare, manipulation, and dubious treaties.

It was just 98 years ago that all Indigenous People were granted citizenship in this country through the Indian Citizen Act of 1923, and we waited another 44 years after that for the passage of the Indian Civil Rights Act to receive many of the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. But it does not stop there; 70 years after being granted citizenship, the passage of the amended American Indian Religious Act gave Indigenous people the right to use all traditional medicines in ceremonies. These are just a few of the laws that accentuate the long injustices and fight for fundamental human rights Indigenous communities have had to endure. 

Today, an epidemic of murdered and missing Indigenous women highlights the continued violence against Indigenous women perpetuated for centuries. Four out of five Indigenous women experience some form of violence in their lifetime. Indigenous women face murder rates more than ten times the national average. In 2016, the National Crime Information Center reported that there were almost 6,000 Indigenous women and girls missing, while the US Department of Justice’s federal missing person database only logged 116 of those cases. Indigenous women have to face some of the highest rates of violence in this country, and law enforcement agencies also ignore it. 

Across reservation and urban cities, Indigenous people face a crisis in health equity. Indigenous people have a life expectancy of five and half years less than all other races in the United States and continue to die at higher rates of preventable illnesses. One of the primary drivers of this is the consistent underfunding of the Indian Health Service agency responsible for providing healthcare to more than 570 tribal nations in the United States. Without action, we will continue to see Indigenous communities have disproportionate preventable death rates. 

The centuries-long systemic racism and attempted eradication of my people from history have a lasting impact on much more than the violence against women or health disparities. More than a quarter of Indigenous people live in poverty, the highest rate in the nation. Indigenous households have 8 cents of wealth for every average White household. For the last 25 years, Indigenous people have had the lowest education achievement rates. This demands attention and action immediately, but we are continuously ignored in mainstream political debates while in a crisis and fighting for survival. As the midterm election approaches, I have yet to hear a plan for Indigenous communities and our health. To constantly be left out of the conversation, or placed with the ‘other’ box on statistics, is erasure and aids this country in eliminating the “Indian Problem.”

Simply put, Indigenous lives have been in a state-manufactured crisis for centuries. We continue to resist colonial white supremacy by speaking our languages, practicing our traditions, and refusing assimilation as a way of survival. Our resilience will ensure the next seven generations continue the legacy of their ancestors and chart their path of Indigenous greatness. 

Every Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a call to action for those who consider themselves allies or co-conspirators to Indigenous people. We need those not a part of our communities to uplift our community and the crisis we live in daily. If you are privileged enough to have Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a day off, take some time to learn more about Indigenous issues and take action.

How to Support Indigenous People

Be attentive to the language you use

• “Low man on the totem pole/climbing the totem pole” 
  • Totem poles are very sacred items to Indigenous people. Figures carved on totem poles represent familial legends, clan lineages or notable events. In some Indigenous communities, being low on the totem pole is actually a higher honor than being on the top.
• “We should get together and have a powwow about that”
  • Powwows are social gatherings for ceremonial and celebratory purposes and are conducted under strict protocol. Using this phrase to refer to a quick business meeting denigrates the long, cultural significance of the powwow. 
• “Off the reservation”
  • Implies you are not thinking or functioning properly, that you are crazy or stupid. This dates back to when the US Military would forcibly prevent Indigenous people living reservations, they must be stupid to challenge the military.

Join Campaigns

Take action with the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women

Donate

• Advance Native Political Leadership
• Center for Native American Youth
• Illuminative
• Native Organizers Alliance  
• Native Americans in Philanthropy

As the temperatures are dropping and leaves are changing, we’re looking back on the incredible work Alliance youth organizers did these past few months to develop strong leaders in their communities and organize in the field for big primary wins, while still taking time to rest up before election season.

This year, the Alliance Network isn’t only focused on voter turnout. We’re also working on fostering the civic education of young people in our communities to ensure they grow into strong leaders that will carry on this work beyond us.

Here’s how network orgs used the summer season to build the next generation of youth organizers.

Developing Strong Leaders

This year the Alliance Network has fostered the development and civic education of over 90 young people through internships, fellowships, and other programs!

Staff and volunteers at New Era Colorado joined forces to learn more about young people’s priorities — what they’re calling the Youth Agenda — for the relaunch of their leadership development program. The launch of this restructured program renewed focus on building a political home for Colorado’s young people by providing political education, hands-on organizing experience, and supporting them in becoming change-makers in their communities.

This summer Forward Montana had a cohort of fellows across Billings, Missoula, and Bozeman. Fellows hosted voter registration and community events, and participated in a weekly fellowship class that focused on organizing and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) topics. 

Minnesota Youth Collective’s summer fellowship recruited eight fellows who focused on community organizing, civic engagement, and issue advocacy. Fellows canvassed community events to register and pledge voters, organized their own educational events, and are currently working on a zine highlighting issues important to young people in the Twin Cities area.

Loud Light runs a large-scale leadership development program every year, focusing on educating young people about the legislative process in Kansas and community organizing. So far this year they’ve trained 24 fellows. Throughout the program fellows learned about testifying in the legislature, educating the community about different bills and processes, and testifying in court as Loud Light continues to fight back against multiple voter suppression bills.

We’re so proud of how the Alliance Network spent fostering and developing the skills of young people to take action by learning how to effectively fight for progressive policies that will help our people thrive.

This is how we build a movement that is truly of young people, by young people, for all people.

Happy Civic Holiday season, Alliance Fam! 🥳

National Voter Registration Day is one of the most important (and one of our favorite) days of the year, and this year we are celebrating TEN years of NVRD!! 

Did you know that the Alliance co-founded the holiday? Ten years ago we realized millions of people were not casting a ballot because they missed a voter registration deadline. So, with a coalition of partners, we formed the first-ever National Voter Registration Day! Youth organizers in the Alliance Network have always dominated the voter registration game. And they showed up and showed out yet again during this year’s 10th anniversary of National Voter Registration Day (NVRD). Check out what some of the Alliance Network youth organizers were up to last week. 👇🏽

NVRD in the Alliance Network

Loud Light stayed busy on NVRD with League of Women Voters Kansas at their court of appeals hearing on their voter suppression lawsuit!

Forward Montana celebrated by tabling in the Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, and Kalispell communities with some awesome prize giveaways.

Detroit Action hosted a National Voter Registration Day BBQ for their community, and shared their DA Be A Voter hub to make voting that much easier for Detroit residents.

One APIA Nevada brought back their NVRD petting zoo while also having a showing of the hit film Everything Everywhere All At Once and music from local DJ, Miss Joy.

The Washington Bus Education staff hosted four events across the state to get young people pre-registered and registered to vote for this upcoming election.

Campus Takeover

Campus Takeover is a nationwide effort to mobilize students around elections and to create a culture of civic engagement on college campuses by facilitating celebratory events during the Civic Holidays. This year, we saw some incredibly creative, innovative, and engaging National Voter Registration Day events hosted by our Campus Takeover partners where hundreds were registered to vote.

Alliance Network orgs like MOVE Texas and Engage Miami joined in on the fun by celebrating NVRD all week long with partners Pizza to the Polls and Levi Strauss Co. on college campuses across their communities to get young people vote ready for the midterms.

Here are some highlights from Campus Takeover 👇🏽

ICYMI: Highlights from Youth For The Win–A Livestream Event

Young people will decide the midterm elections. You know it, I know it, so this year let’s make sure the world knows it. 

The Alliance is the premier youth organizing and power-building network in the country, with 20 organizations turning out the youth vote across 18 states ensuring the issues young people care about are heard loud and clear. And now, we invite you to meet some of the youth leaders in the Alliance Network from coast to coast who are building youth power in their communities and getting young people vote ready for the midterm elections.

Meet the Speakers

Take Action With Us

Check out other ways to take action with the Alliance on our Take Action page. Join our campaigns, get #VoteReady, and learn how you can help protect democracy ahead of the midterm elections. We also recently wrapped up our Democracy Done Right Week of Action highlighting how the Alliance Network is strengthening our democracy.

Watch the highlights on social media:

The Alliance Network works year-round to protect our democracy and expand voting access for young people, and that includes fighting hard for primary elections! After a not-so-off-year, election prep is in full swing again for states with early primaries. Here’s a glimpse of some of the organizing happening in the Alliance Network in the weeks ahead.

A Summer of Primaries

Loud Light

Next Up

Over the course of their primary election season, Next Up completed 55,587 calls including volunteer recruitment. Until Election Day on May 17th Next Up organizers were texting and making phone calls to folks who they either helped register to vote, or voters who have pledged to vote since 2018.

In support of their endorsed candidates they completed:

• 11,073 calls for their Multnomah County slate of candidates
• 14,211 calls for their Washington County slate of candidates
• 18,303 calls for their Clackamas County Slate

Leaders Igniting Transformation

LIT has knocked 23,547 doors this year, with 10,333 of the doors happening between August 1st and Election Day (August 9th). LIT mainly focused on door knocking in 3 Aldermanic Districts in Milwaukee with the highest % of youth voter voters and the lowest turnout. On Election Day, the LIT team made 3,813 calls and staff participated in election protection efforts to support voters who’s polling places were moved. 

Mississippi Votes

During this year’s primary season, the Mississippi Votes team had Twitter town halls to let Mississippians know what was on the ballot, what they’d need to bring with them to the polls, and answering any questions they had about the election.

Outside of the Twitter town halls, they monitored seven precincts and provided snacks at the polls for voters as they waited in line. The MS Votes team also helped and worked the Election Protection Hotline with One Voice answering any calls voters had about their polling place or any issues or questions about voting.

Minnesota Youth Collective

Ahead of the Minnesota on August 9th, MNYC campus organizers had been door knocking in the neighborhoods surrounding the University of Minnesota and gearing up for welcome week at the U of M, Augsburg, Carleton, and St. Olaf. Campus Organizers at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities campus also hosted an informational voter event ahead of the Primary Election to keep students engaged. Additionally, MNYC tabled at two Open Streets events: Franklin Avenue & East Lake St, engaging with hundreds of Minneapolis residents ahead of the Primary Election. 

The Washington Bus

This year, The Washington Bus endorsed 11 candidates total in their all-party primaries, and 10 advanced to the general election ballot, with over half getting the most votes total! Endorsements were made by the Youth Endorsement League, a group of young Washingtonians which was supported by WA Bus staff and Board to research, interview, and endorse a field of candidates.

Chicago Votes

May 2022 Primaries

MOVE Texas

MOVE Texas worked in House District 28 to help turn out voters in the Democratic runoff between Jessica Cisneros and Henry Cuellar (the last anti-choice House Democrat). Through phonebanking, texts, and a weekend of door knocking, MOVE turned out as many people as possible for Jessica Cisneros in a tight race with a 177 vote difference that is still too close to call. 

Early Spring Primaries

Legislative Updates

Stay #VoteReady

✅ Make sure you’re prepared for your state’s first election this year by visiting our #VoteReady hub! 

✅ Stay up to date on voting rights legislation and take action – How to Protect Our Freedom to Vote 

✅ Check back to stay posted on local organizing in the Alliance Network

Over time, America has become a big, brilliantly diverse nation. So why is our voting system still fit for the 19th century white landowner? Join our Democracy Done Right (DDR) campaign to help us modernize our voting systems for the 21st century.

When a modern nation has outdated registration and voting systems, it wastes millions of dollars, undermines voter confidence, and denies eligible citizens their sacred right to democracy. Democracy Done Right is about fixing all that! Gen-Z and Millennial voters are the largest and most diverse voting bloc in our nation’s history, and we deserve a voting system that reflects the America we are today. We believe that when more people participate in our democracy, the better it works. And for more people to participate in our democracy, we must build voting systems for the modern voter.

Take Action

The Alliance is taking action to build a voting system that works for all Americans. Check out our lineup of events and actions to see how you can get involved. 👇🏽

Sign the Petition

We want a voting system for modern America. So, what does democracy done right actually look like?

• Every eligible citizen is automatically registered, and up-to-date via agencies like the DMV
• Every eligible citizen can freely choose the best voting option for them
• No citizen ever loses their voting rights

We are calling on our elected leaders to support us in creating a voting system that reflects the America we are, right now. Join the Democracy Done Right campaign by signing the petition!

Learn more about Democracy Done Right with our new video

Celebrate democracy wins across the Alliance Network

What does Democracy Done Right look like in action? Alliance youth organizers are turning ideal, innovative voting reforms into viral, inevitable policies across the nation. From the first Automatic Voter Registration to the first polling place in a county jail — young people are re-imagining what our voting system can look like.

Read what some of our network orgs have done already to transform our voting system.

Stay posted on the primaries

After a busy summer of primaries ahead of the November midterm election, we’ve got more updates for you! Stay posted on how Alliance organizers got their communities #VoteReady for their primary elections.

Shining a light on our Hometown Heroes

There are hundreds of youth organizers in the Alliance Network fighting to build a better future for their communities. And for many of them, those communities are where they grew up! There is something so special about the folks who choose to invest their time and talent back into the community they were raised in. In the latest installment of our Youth Organizer Spotlight series, we are shining a light on some really special youth organizers who are building a brighter future in their hometowns.

Check out our latest poll

in collaboration with Civiqs, we polled young people ages 17-39 across the political spectrum in battleground states on their top policy priorities and issues driving them to the polls this November, their feelings about politicians and government institutions, and their opinions about the 2022 midterms.

Check out our findings!

Share on social media

The power of the youth vote has been the driving force behind electoral wins since the 2018 midterm elections. And with many congressional seats up for grabs this November, it is essential for candidates to address the issues young people care about most. 

In January, our sister organization, Alliance for Youth Organizing, polled young voters across the political spectrum on their views about the country’s future, what policies the Biden Administration should prioritize, how they plan to engage this year in the midterm elections, and more. The results made it clear that political leaders in Washington need to focus on young people’s policy priorities ahead of this year’s midterms.

This month, in collaboration with Civiqs, we polled young people ages 17-39 across the political spectrum in battleground states on their top policy priorities and issues driving them to the polls this November, their feelings about politicians and government institutions, and their opinions about the 2022 midterms.

Here’s What We Found

When asked what issues are motivating them to vote this November, young voters in battleground states heavily focused on two issues: bringing inflation under control, and protecting abortion access. 

For progressive young voters (Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents), over 60% felt that safeguarding abortion access was an issue elected officials need to be working on right now. Approximately one in four Democrats also list their top policy priorities as replacing private insurance with Medicare for All, canceling student loan debt, and bringing inflation under control. Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are prioritizing economic issues this November.

We also found that young voters’ policy priorities are what’s driving them to the polls this year. A large majority of Democratic voters under 40 say that protecting abortion access is one of the top issues motivating them to participate in the midterm election. They also indicated democracy reform and voting rights, affordable healthcare, gun violence, and climate change as key issues leading them to vote. 

In contrast, young Republican voters are sharply focused on the economy and inflation, with 80% mentioning this issue as a motivating factor.

When broken down by race, white, Black, and Latinx voters are all driven to vote by concerns about inflation and the economy. Many more young white voters are motivated by protecting abortion access, compared to Black voters and Latinx voters.

Young People are Motivated to Vote this November

The overwhelming majority of young people in these key states say they plan to get involved in the 2022 elections with 86% saying they will turn out to vote. 

We asked young voters, “If the November 2022 election was held today, would you vote for the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate for congress?”  While a tight majority of young voters in battleground states said they would vote for the Democratic candidate, it’s crucial to note Independent voters favor Republican candidates, 49% to 41%. When divided by race, Latinx youth in these states favored the Republican candidate over the Democrat.

Young people are ready to change the narrative that they aren’t turning out to vote. Half of battleground state youth voters said they think young people are voting enough, but it’s up to elected officials to take action on important issues that matter to young people. However, young Democratic voters are more likely to say that if more young people vote, electeds will address issues they care about.

Political campaigns are contacting young battleground state voters, but there is room to increase outreach to young Black and rural voters  

Methodology

Civiqs interviewed 2,332 registered voters under the age of 40 in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin from August 11-15, 2022. The survey was conducted online, among selected members of the Civiqs research panel. Sampled individuals were emailed by Civiqs and responded using a personalized link to the survey at civiqs.com. The survey results are weighted by state, gender, race, education, and party identification to be representative of the population of registered voters under age 40 in these states. More information about Civiqs can be found online at civiqs.com/methodology.

You can find more from this poll including the memo, slide deck and press release on the Alliance Website

Share the Results

The Youth Organizer Spotlights is a digital storytelling project that focuses on the individual narratives of youth organizers who drive the collective local organizing power in the Alliance Network. This series is ongoing and will be featured on our social channels, in our email program, and through regular updates to this blog post.

The Alliance Network’s Hometown Heroes

There are hundreds of youth organizers in the Alliance Network fighting to build a better future for their communities. And for many of them, those communities are where they grew up! There is something so special about the folks who choose to invest their time and talent back into the community they were raised in. For this iteration of our Youth Organizer Spotlight Series, we are shining a light on some really special youth organizers who are building a brighter future in their hometowns.

Meet Alliance Rural Organizers

59.3 million people live in rural areas, including youth voters. Youth voters in rural areas are more likely to face barriers to casting their ballot by mail or have to travel further to their polling location. We talked to Alliance organizers working in rural areas of Mississippi and Wisconsin to tackle common misconceptions around organizing rural youth, and how it may differ from working in urban areas.

Black Futures Month 2022: Celebrating Black Alliance Organizers

On Wednesday, August 24th, 2022 President Biden made his announcement on his plans for canceling student debt. This decision is the biggest step a president has ever taken to address the student debt crisis.

And this decision did not happen overnight. Thanks to the work of student debt advocates, many of them in the Alliance for Youth Action network, and people like you, we put the pressure on the Biden Administration to take action. Over the past year we have attended rallies, signed petitions, shared our student debt stories, and even met with the Biden Administration. Organizing works! 🎉

But let’s be clear. $10k is not enough to address the racial wealth gap exacerbated by the student debt crisis, and the income cap will add a burdensome hurdle for borrowers to prove their earnings. Let’s take a moment to celebrate, while continuing to pressure Biden to dream bigger than $10k. 

Tell Us What This Means For You

We’ve collected stories and heard first hand from people what canceling student debt would mean to them. After President Biden’s announcement today, we want to hear what this means for you! What are your feelings on Biden’s current cancellation plan? Why do you think $10K isn’t enough? What would more relief do for you?

Tell us on social media!

Read Our Statement

While we are pleased with President Biden’s decision, canceling some student debt is just the start of building a higher education system for all. In our Dreams Not Debt campaign, we are calling for all student debt to be canceled, a reform of the student loan program, and free college for all.

This is a major step in the right direction and there is still a lot of work to do to ensure all people can pursue higher education free from student debt. Today, we celebrate and tomorrow, we keep pushing forward.

The 2022 Alliance Monthly Donor Competition is officially here! 

July 25th-31st, eleven Alliance Network organizations went head to head in a nationwide match to grow their monthly donor programs, build towards more sustainable and people-powered organizations, and unlock matching grants in return. 

This eight-year tradition has helped our network laser-focus on local grassroots giving. If there’s anything these challenging years have taught us, it’s how critical it is to be able to count on a steady, predictable stream of funding. Monthly dollars allows youth-led organizations to continue their work no matter what while building financial independence. Monthly donors are vital in powering our movement year-round to win the future we deserve.  

Keep Up on Social Media

Participating organizations competed in two separate leagues. Here are the top three organizations that raised the highest percentage of their budget in the competition.

Meet the Players

Here are the Alliance Network organizations competing in the Monthly Donor Competition this year! Want to get in the game? Become a monthly donor today!