If you’re from Canada email the government here.

Moving Forward from War to Peace

Russia’s war in Ukraine — like the USA’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — should be understood as barbaric mass slaughter. The actions by the Russian government are causing death and suffering, and will further destabilize global security while rendering institutions like the United Nations even more powerless. As always, in this instance Russia has couched its aggression by claiming to act in defense, as the U.S. government often has. 

At this extremely dangerous moment in world history, the only sane course of action is a commitment to genuine diplomacy with serious negotiations, not military escalation – which could easily spiral out of control into nuclear war. 

Fueling a conflict between the two nuclear superpowers is insanity.

In the process, the perilous history of NATO’s eastward expansion and the threat of further expansion must be faced. Rather than dismissing out of hand the Russian Federation’s current insistence on a written guarantee that Ukraine will not become part of NATO, the U.S. government should agree to a long-term moratorium on any NATO expansion. The U.S. must also continue to reject calls for a No-Fly zone over Ukraine which would result in direct military confrontations between the U.S. and Russia — countries with 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons. We can also show solidarity with anti-war efforts in Russia, condemn the U.S. media for promoting ever more war, and recognize that the suffering people in Yemen, Palestine, Libya, Somalia, and other countries not in Europe have not received the attention Ukraine has… attention that is long overdue.

Diplomacy — not warfare — remains the only hope.

New to foreign policy? Read the RootsAction Education Fund Primer on Foreign Policy for U.S. Congressional Candidates to build a smart foundation.

President Biden has the power to cancel all student debt with an executive order. On the campaign trail, he promised to partially cancel student debt, but has taken little action on this critical issue.

Student loans have kept generations of borrowers mired in debt, forcing millions to forgo starting families, achieving financial stability, and building stronger and more secure lives for themselves and their families. Student loan debt falls disproportionately on people of color and women, with borrowers at HBCUs graduating with tens of thousands of dollars more in debt than white college graduates. 

President Biden should deliver on his campaign promises and support the constituencies who got him into the White House: people of color, women, and younger voters. In this critical midterm year, President Biden can’t afford to stall anymore: he needs to cancel all student debt, now!

Take action now and share what you would do #withoutstudentdebt:

Discredited former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will soon face a vote in the Senate to become the next U.S. ambassador to Japan — despite his horrible record with communities of color, including his administration’s cover-up of the Chicago police murder of Laquan McDonald and his closures of an unprecedented numbers of public schools and mental health clinics in neighborhoods mostly populated by racial minorities.

Take Action Now to #RejectRahm using the tools on this page.

Find your senators’ contact information HERE.

Hello Senator __________

My name is _____ and I am a constituent in _____ .

I am calling to urge you to publicly reject Rahm Emanuel’s nomination for Ambassador to Japan.

Emanuel is not at all diplomatic. And as mayor he was a disaster for Chicago — especially for black and brown communities.

His administration covered up the police murder of Laquan McDonald. Emanuel was openly hostile to teachers and he cruelly closed unprecedented numbers of public schools and mental health clinics in neighborhoods mostly populated by racial minorities.

Like Congressman Jamaal Bowman said, “Rewarding Rahm Emanuel’s cover up of Laquan McDonald’s murder with an ambassadorship is not an act that reflects a value of or respect for Black lives.”

As your constituent, I urge you to announce that you will vote against the confirmation of Rahm Emanuel. Thank you.