Moments ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of an Ohio gay couple in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, ruling that marriage is a fundamental constitutional right, protected by the Fourteenth Amendment, that extends to same-sex as well as opposite-sex couples. Responding to the decision, Anna Galland, executive director of MoveOn.org Civic Action, issued the following statement, cheering the Supreme Court for expanding marriage equality nationwide:

“In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed that all couples—regardless of sexual orientation—are entitled to all of the fundamental rights and dignities that come with marriage. This is a monumental and incredibly meaningful decision for millions of American families. Millions of MoveOn members across the country will be celebrating today.

“This decision, which correctly interprets the Constitution, is a momentous step toward a society of greater freedom and equality for all.”

The post MoveOn members cheer nationwide marriage equality appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

• Cristina Jimenez, co-founder of United We Dream, the nation’s largest immigrant youth-led organization, which was instrumental in winning executive action from President Obama;
• Heather McGhee, president of Demos, a progressive public policy shop working for an equal say and an equal chance for all;
• Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) who currently serves on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations—and has been one of the leading voices in the Senate for a progressive foreign policy; and
• Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, a leader in the national movement for racial justice.

These passionate thought leaders helped deepen our analysis and sharpen our strategies, inspiring us to move boldly forward to meet the pressing challenges and opportunities of this social and political moment.

Please watch and share this round-table recording with family and friends.

The post MoveOn’s all-star progressive round table appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

For more information, check out this op-ed by NARAL’s Ilyse Hogue, who explains:

Gone are the days when conservatives could marginalize abortion access as a social issue and claim elections hinge on economic matters, especially with women driving the margin of victory in so many elections. Women in this country know that our economic security depends on our ability to decide when and with whom we have families. More and more middle-class families dependent on two incomes viscerally understand the inextricable connection between access to family planning and their economic outlook.

You can make a difference. Volunteer today to make get-out-the-vote phone calls to prevent a Republican Senate takeover.

The post Robert Reich: a GOP Senate would harm women’s economic security appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

When the Koch brothers-backed group Americans for Prosperity mailed false voter registration information to hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians, MoveOn members fought back, chipping in to correct the misinformation by running ads and contacting voters.

This full-page ad correcting the misinformation will run this Sunday in North Carolina’s four largest newspapers. The newspaper ads feature Riziki Omonde, a 20-year-old college student at Appalachian State University, who has advocated to protect voting rights for students.

In addition, MoveOn is running a radio ad on the music-streaming site Pandora starting this weekend. Click here to listen to the radio ad.

The post MoveOn fights back against voter suppression in North Carolina appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

And share this link and this graphic with everyone you know, so that everyone gets registered! Use the buttons to the right or below. And in the comments below, share your story of a new voter who registered to vote because you reminded them today!

The post Today is National Voter Registration Day! Get registered! appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

In August 2013, Montana Judge G. Todd Baugh sentenced a former high school teacher to just 31 days in prison for the repeated rape of a 14-year-old student. Disturbingly, Baugh argued that the victim was “older than her chronological age” and “as much in control of the situation” as her 49-year-old rapist. That’s why Billings, Montana, resident Kate Olp started a MoveOn Petition urging Judge Baugh to resign. Last month, Baugh announced plans to retire, claiming his decision was unrelated to the rape case. More than 59,000 MoveOn members signed Kate’s petition, and on Monday, the Montana Judicial Standards Commission filed a complaint against Baugh, recommending formal discipline for the district court judge.

The post VICTORY: Judge Reprimanded for 31-Day Rape Sentencing appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

S. 1975, a new election modernization bill in Massachusetts, would allow early voting, online voter registration, and preregistration, as well as other updates to make voting more fair. These reforms are vital for making elections accessible to as many Bay Staters as possible. That’s why Sara Brady of the organization MassVOTE started several MoveOn Petitions to the legislature, encouraging them to pass the bill. Thousands of MoveOn members signed the petitions—and on the day of the vote, members also generated a ton of phone calls to their senators, asking them each to support the bill. On Thursday, the bill passed the Massachusetts Senate with a vote of 37-1.

This bill is only the beginning. Last year, the Supreme Court gutted the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. Since then, Republicans across the country have raced to implement new restrictive laws that would do exactly what the Voting Rights Act was meant to protect against. But MoveOn members are fighting back on the national, state, and local level.

The post VICTORY: Voting Rights in Massachusetts appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The post Watch Hillary Go To Battle With The GOP Over Abortion And Women’s Rights appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

Racism turned Taylor into a villain instead of a hero — and now that he’s finally free, he can’t sue anyone for his wrongful conviction.

Angry? Frustrated? Shocked?

Sign this petition to give Taylor justice, and pass this on!

The post This Man Was Wrongly Imprisoned for 40 Years. Help Him Get Justice. appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

In response to North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory calling her “a prop for liberal groups,” Kimrey says, “I am not a prop! I am part of the new generation of suffragettes, and I will not stand silent while laws are passed to reduce the amount of voter turnout by young people in my home state.”

Source: The Everlasting GOP-Stoppers, via Genevieve Hunter

The post 12-Year-Old Madison Kimrey Stands Up to North Carolina’s Governor appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

Lindon Pronto, Bison Fire in Nevada, July 2013

If you haven’t heard about this issue before, you’re not alone — but Pronto is working to change that. He’s started writing about this issue and recently started a MoveOn petition urging Congress to enact H.R. 2858, the Wildland Firefighter Protection Act. Pronto answered a few questions for MoveOn.

Q: So you’re a federal firefighter, but you’re paid less than state or local firefighters and you don’t have the title “firefighter”? Why?

A: Federal firefighters are actually called “forestry and range technicians.” This dates back to when firefighting was a tertiary duty of federal employees. Over the past few decades, climate change has lengthened and intensified drought periods, shifted fire regimes, and lengthened peak burning periods, among other things. You add a population explosion…[and] a century of mismanagement of fire suppression, and suddenly fighting fires, ensuring public safety, and ecosystem balancing has become more than a full-time job.

Unfortunately, for political reasons, our job titles never changed with the times. It is also fiscally convenient to downplay both the title and the scope of responsibilities of federal firefighters.

As to why so many other non-federal firefighters receive better treatment, well, I imagine that may have much to do with image and public pressures…The media cannot enter into our hazardous work areas to document our work and job conditions. This leads to misinterpretation and mischaracterization, [so] the public remains largely ignorant.

Lindon Pronto, Bison Fire in Nevada, July 2013

Q: How is the government shutdown affecting you?

A: I’ve been working as an “essential” employee for over two weeks now without pay. It costs me $100 per week and 2.5 hours per day to commute to my duty station; my family’s living costs are usually greater than my base salary of $1,800/month. I am REQUIRED to show up for work or risk being fired, but with..the shutdown… and as the primary provider for my family, I’m starting to get pretty worried. A couple of my coworkers can no longer afford to drive to work.

Q: What can people do to make sure you’re fairly compensated and recognized?

A: You can sign my petition to show our elected officials that the public thinks we deserve better. You can raise the issue with their local media. Otherwise, maybe when you see the “green pants” folks [forestry technicians], ask them about what their jobs entail — you may be surprised what you learn.

Lindon Pronto, Bison Fire in Nevada, July 2013

Q: What advice would you have for others who see injustice but feel like they can’t make a difference?

A: Speak up! People who have made this world a better place didn’t accomplish anything by ignoring the problems. Be tactful and respectful, but stand your ground, because that kind of integrity will speak for itself.

Thanks for your time and all you do, Lindon!

The post This Guy Fights Fires — So Why Isn’t He Called a Firefighter? appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

Some quick highlights:

• Before the ACA, 1 in 5 women ages 15 to 44 were uninsured
• Now almost 13 million uninsured women in that age range will be able to get health insurance
• There are now no copays for preventative care, if you have Medicaid or private insurance
• Insurers can’t charge women more than men anymore

Share if you’re excited about how Obamacare helps women!

Via Jules Frakes

The post Ladies, Here’s Why You Should Be Psyched About Obamacare appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bOyPtIpgq0

Via Occupy Democrats. Found on Brave New Films’ YouTube Channel.

The post You Won’t Believe What Some Anti-Immigrant Groups Will Do To Stop Immigration Reform appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

Is that check still bouncing 50 years later?

Part of “I Have a Dream” was a cry for equal job opportunities for everyone, regardless of race. But decades later, the disparity between unemployment rates for African Americans and whites  doesn’t seem to have improved. Research by Robert W. Fairlie and William A. Sundstrom published in The American Economic Review [PDF] reveals the unemployment rate in 1960 was about 8% for black men and only 4% for white men:

Today, the unemployment rate for African Americans is still substantially higher than that of white people; at times it’s twice as high:

The graph is from an excellent CNN interview with civil rights activist Maya Wiley. “Despite the tremendous gains we’ve made,” Wiley says, “we haven’t completely finished cashing that check that Martin Luther King talked about — which means investing in the kind of opportunity that means we all get to feed our families.” The following graph from the Bureau of Labor Statistics breaks down unemployment rates by race even further:

Clearly the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. are just as important today as they were 50 years ago.

Found on CNN’s YouTube Channel.

The post The Disparity in Unemployment Rates Between African-Americans and Whites Remains Mostly Unchanged 50 Years Later appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The post What Do Women’s Equality Week and Immigration Reform Have to Do with Each Other? appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The post MoveOn’s Youngest Leader, Madison Kimrey appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

Watch:

The speech was delivered 50 years ago today — August 28, 1963 — as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It gave a powerful boost to the Civil Rights Movement and helped lead to passage of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act.

Can’t watch video at work? Read the speech here. (PDF)

Found on Sullen Toys’ YouTube Channel.

The post ‘I Have a Dream’ Will Still Give You Chills, 50 Years Later appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The post 1.7 Million Signatures Delivered to DOJ in Response to Trayvon Martin Murder appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The post 92-Year Old Woman Serves Up A Powerful Message To The GOP Who Want To Restrict Her Voting Rights appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.