Change can start right at your inbox

The Overton window is a funny thing. In American discourse, we tend to imagine the Overton window as a range of politically acceptable ideas for the mainstream population sliding up and down a one-dimensional line stretching from the Left to the Right. There was a time when I was confident that I knew what “Left” and “Right” meant and where I sat on that line. As the foundation of political discourse shifted around me, the foundation of my political identity shifted out from under my feet as well.

Over the weekend of July 17-19, Mass 50501 participated in Good Trouble’s national weekend of action honoring the late congressman John Lewis. Throughout his life, Lewis worked tirelessly for civil rights and particularly for equal access to voting rights. Our country’s history of voting rights is messy, complex, at times painful, and—importantly—still being written.

The Freedom250 celebration in D.C. was marred by a barricaded National Mall, ominous National Guard presence, and prolonged military aircraft flyovers. These shows of force were antithetical to celebrating democracy and independence; An outsider looking in saw it for what it was: a prop the regime is using to normalize military presence and build oppression.

In the week leading up to the United States Semiquincentennial, thousands of people participated in Seven Days in DC, a weeklong series of civic engagement activities, public demonstrations, and cultural events designed to encourage direct participation in the democratic process. This was a massive undertaking organized by dozens of organizations and individuals and Mass 50501 was proud to head to D.C. and spend the holiday week fighting for our country.