SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
For Immediate Release
April, 11 2016, 12:00pm EDT
Contact:
Contact: Angela Bradbery, Public Citizen, abradbery@citizen.org, w. (202) 588-7741, c. (202) 503-6768
Laura Epstein, People For the American Way, lepstein@pfaw.org, w. (202) 467-2386, c. (301) 325-4538
Democracy Awakening: At Mass Convergence on Washington, D.C., People Demand Government of, by and for the People
April 16-18 Mobilization Features Teach-ins, Rally, March, Civil Disobedience; Speeches by the Rev. William Barber II, Dolores Huerta, Sandra Steingraber, Others
WASHINGTON
WHAT: Thousands of activists from around the nation will stream into the nation's capital April 16-18 for Democracy Awakening, a three-day event featuring a rally, march, teach-ins, lobbying and civil disobedience. Democracy Awakening plans to fight back against business as usual in Washington, D.C., and demand a democracy that works for everyone, not just corporations and the wealthy. The message: On voting rights, money in politics and the vacancy on U.S. Supreme Court, Congress is failing to do its job and ignoring the will of the people.
More than 260 organizations have signed up to support or attend the landmark mobilization. It is a broad coalition of organizations representing the labor, peace, environmental, student, racial justice, civil rights and money in politics reform movements. Lead organizations include the American Postal Workers Union, Common Cause, Communications Workers of America, Democracy Initiative, Every Voice Center, Food & Water Watch, Franciscan Action Network, Greenpeace, NAACP, National Nurses United, People For the American Way, Public Citizen, Sierra Club, Student Debt Crisis and U.S. PIRG.
Democracy Awakening is part of a broad movement aimed at gaining democracy reforms. The action started April 2, with Democracy Spring, an event that features a march from Philadelphia to Washington D.C., followed by five days of sit-ins at the Capitol starting Monday, April 11. The Democracy Spring marchers set out in the rain this morning to travel 16 miles to Baltimore. A day after Democracy Spring ends, Democracy Awakening will begin.
Media should RSVP by emailing or calling one of the people listed above. Please also contact the people listed above to schedule an interview with one of the local or national leaders participating.
DETAILS:
Saturday, April 16 - Teach, Learn, Transform
Saturday will feature teach-ins, workshops and non-violent direct action trainings by leaders from around the country.
Where: All Souls Church Unitarian, 2835 16th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
When: 1-1:50 p.m.: Kickoff Panel: Voting Rights, Money In Politics United in Struggle
Panelists include Marge Baker (People For the American Way); Ari Berman (The Nation)
2-2:50 p.m.: 1st Workshop Block
Workshops will be held on the environment and democracy; attacks on unions, voting rights and campaign finance laws; the role of money in politics as it relates to the military, and D.C.'s struggle for voting rights.
3-3:50 p.m.: 2nd Workshop Block
Workshops will be held on criminal justice reform; building youth power; boosting small donor involvement in elections; digital tools used in grassroots activism; and bringing this national movement to district elections.
4-4:50 p.m.: Solutions
Activists will learn about key campaigns for protecting and expanding voting rights, curbing money in politics and assuring a Supreme Court nominee is confirmed.
5-5:50 p.m.: State/Local Breakout Sessions
Facilitators will outline winnable efforts for voting rights and money in politics reforms in various states.
7-9 p.m.: Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films presents Making a Killing: Guns, Greed and the NRA
Sunday, April 17 - Rally for Democracy
On Sunday, thousands of people will participate in a rally and march at the U.S. Capitol.
Where: The events will take place in front of the U.S. Capitol, at Third St. NW in front of the Capitol reflecting pool between Madison Drive NW and Jefferson Drive NW.
When: 12:30-1 p.m.: Music and Gathering (Funk band Aztec Sun will perform)
1-3 p.m.: Rally for Democracy
Featured rally speakers include: The Rev. William Barber II, leader of the N.C. Moral Monday Movement; Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers; radio commentator Jim Hightower; environmental activist Sandra Steingraber; and civil rights activist David Goodman. See a complete list of speakers, presenters and panelists.
3-4 p.m.: March around the Capitol
4:30-5:30 p.m.: Faith Rally in Columbus Circle
Monday, April 18 - Congress of Conscience Day of Action
Activists will be on Capitol Hill for a day of non-violent direct action and advocacy.
Direct Action: 9-9:30 a.m.: Rally in Columbus Circle in front of Union Station
9:30 a.m.: Walk to the Capitol for civil disobedience
Advocacy: Local and national leaders will join Democracy Awakening participants to lobby members of Congress to protect and expand voting rights, enact money in politics reforms and fill the Supreme Court vacancy.
Where: The Capitol
When: 12:30-4:30 p.m.
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power and work to ensure that government works for the people - not for big corporations. Founded in 1971, we now have 500,000 members and supporters throughout the country.
(202) 588-1000LATEST NEWS
Pope Leo Delivers 'Rebuke' of Pete Hegseth With Anti-War Palm Sunday Sermon
"This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war."
Mar 29, 2026
Pope Leo XIV used his Palm Sunday sermon to take what appears to be a shot at US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
In his sermon, excerpts of which he published on social media, the pope emphasized Christian teachings against violence while criticizing anyone who would invoke Jesus Christ to justify a war.
"This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," Pope Leo said. "He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them."
The pope also encouraged followers to "raise our prayers to the Prince of Peace so that he may support people wounded by war and open concrete paths of reconciliation and peace."
While speaking at the Pentagon last week, Hegseth directly invoked Jesus when discussing the Trump administration's unprovoked and unconstitutional war with Iran.
Specifically, Hegseth offered up a prayer in which he asked God to give US soldiers "wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy," adding that "we ask these things with bold confidence in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ."
Mother Jones contributing writer Alex Nguyen described the pope's sermon as a "rebuke" of Hegseth, whom he noted "has been open about his support for a Christian crusade" in the Middle East.
Pope Leo is not the only Catholic leader speaking against using Christian faith to justify wars of aggression. Two weeks ago, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said "the abuse and manipulation of God’s name to justify this and any other war is the gravest sin we can commit at this time."
“War is first and foremost political and has very material interests, like most wars," Cardinal Pizzaballa added.
Keep ReadingShow Less
As Trump Prepares Iran Ground Assault, Expert Warns He's 'Run Out of Options' for Victory
"Trump’s problem is that whatever the claims he might make about the damage to Iran’s nuclear and military capacity, which is substantial, the regime survives, the international economy has been severely disrupted, and the bills keep on coming in."
Mar 29, 2026
President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to launch some kind of ground assault on Iran in the coming weeks, but one prominent military strategy expert believes he's heading straight for defeat.
The Washington Post on Saturday reported that the Pentagon is preparing for "weeks" of ground operations in Iran, which for the last month has disrupted global energy markets by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz in response to aerial assaults by the US and Israel.
The Post's sources revealed that "any potential ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops" that could be used to seize Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub, or to search out and destroy weapons systems that could be used by the Iranians to target ships along the strait.
Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Military and Security Studies Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the Post that taking over Kharg Island would be a highly risky operation for American troops, even if initially successful.
“I just wouldn’t want to be in that small place with Iran’s ability to rain down drones and maybe artillery,” said Eisenstadt.
Eisenstadt's analysis was echoed by Ret. Gen. Joseph Votel, former head of US Central Command, who told ABC News that seizing and occupying Kharg Island would put US troops in a state of constant danger, warning they could be "very, very vulnerable" to drones and missiles launched from the shore.
Lawrence Freedman, professor emeritus of war studies at King's College London, believes that the president has already checkmated himself regardless of what shape any ground operation takes.
In an analysis published Sunday, Freedman declared Trump had run "out of options" for victory, as there have been no signs of the Iranian regime crumbling due to US-Israeli attacks.
Freedman wrote that Trump now "appears to inhabit an alternative reality," noting that "his utterances have become increasingly incoherent, with contradictory statements following quickly one after the other, and frankly delusional claims."
Trump's loan real option at this point, Freedman continued, would to simply declare that he had achieved an unprecedented victory and just walk away. But even in that case, wrote Freedman, "this would mean leaving behind a mess in the Gulf" with no guarantee that Iran would re-open the Strait of Hormuz.
"Success in war is judged not by damage caused but by political objectives realized," Freedman wrote in his conclusion. "Here the objective was regime change, or at least the emergence of a new compliant leader... Trump’s problem is that whatever the claims he might make about the damage to Iran’s nuclear and military capacity, which is substantial, the regime survives, the international economy has been severely disrupted, and the bills keep on coming in."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Critics Blast 'Clueless' New York Times for Dismissive Coverage of Historic No Kings Protests
"The NY Times saves its harshest skepticism for progressives," said one critic.
Mar 29, 2026
The New York Times is drawing criticism for publishing articles that downplayed the significance of Saturday's No Kings protests, which initial estimates suggest was the largest protest event in US history.
In a Times article that drew particular ire, reporter Jeremy Peters questioned whether nationwide events that drew an estimated 8 million people to the streets "would be enough to influence the course of the nation’s politics."
"Can the protests harness that energy and turn it into victories in the November midterm elections?" Peters asked rhetorically. "How can they avoid a primal scream that fades into a whimper?"
Journalist and author Mark Harris called Peters' take on the protests "predictable" and said it was framed so that the protests would appear insignificant no matter how many people turned out.
"There's a long, bad journalistic tradition," noted Harris. "All conservative grass-roots political movements are fascinating heartland phenomena, all progressive grass-roots political movements are ineffectual bleating. This one is written off as powered by white female college grads—the wine-moms slur, basically."
Media critic Dan Froomkin was event blunter in his criticism of the Peters piece.
"Putting anti-woke hack Jeremy Peters on this story is an act of war by the NYT against No Kings," he wrote.
Mark Jacob, former metro editor at the Chicago Tribune, also took a hatchet to Peters' analysis.
"The NY Times saves its harshest skepticism for progressives," he wrote. "Instead of being impressed by 3,000-plus coordinated protests, NYT dismisses the value of 'hitting a number' and asks if No Kings will be 'a primal scream that fades into a whimper.' F off, NY Times. We'll defeat fascism without you."
The Media and Democracy Project slammed the Times for putting Peters' analysis of the protests on its front page while burying straight news coverage of the events on page A18.
"NYT editors CHOSE that Jeremy Peters's opinions would frame the No Kings demonstrations and pro-democracy movement to millions of NYT readers," the group commented.
Joe Adalian, west coast editor for New York Mag's Vulture, criticized a Times report on the No Kings demonstrations that quoted a "skeptic" of the protests without noting that said skeptic was the chairman of the Ole Miss College Republicans.
"Of course, the Times doesn’t ID him as such," remarked Adalian. "He's just a Concerned Youth."
Jeff Jarvis, professor emeritus at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, took issue with a Times piece that offered five "takeaways" from the No Kings events that somehow managed to miss their broader significance.
"I despise the five-takeaways journalistic trope the Broken Times loves so," Jarvis wrote. "It is reductionist, hubristic in its claim to summarize any complex event. This one leaves out much, like the defense of democracy against fascism."
Journalist Miranda Spencer took stock of the Times' entire coverage of the No Kings demonstrations and declared it "clueless," while noting that USA Today did a far better job of communicating their significance to readers.
Harper's Magazine contributing editor Scott Horton similarly argued that international news organizations were giving the No Kings events more substantive coverage than the Times.
"In Le Monde and dozens of serious newspapers around the world, prominent coverage of No Kings 3, which brought millions of Americans on to the streets to protest Trump," Horton observed. "In NYT, an illiterate rant from Jeremy W Peters and no meaningful coverage of the protests. Something very strange going on here."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular