Throughout this election cycle, there has been a lot of conversation about what it looks like to build collective strength and shift power. We know that this cannot happen without a legislative process that allows for meaningful input from members of the public. We have to make sure that the people we elected pay attention to the challenges facing our communities, and that they listen to our lived experiences and respect our calls to action.
The Womxn Project is proud to bring together a diverse and robust set of groups to call on our state legislators to update their structures and systems in order to ensure accountability and allow for an open, transparent, and accessible process. Check out the letter to ALL members of the General Assembly released earlier today.
We have the opportunity and the obligation to reimagine how participatory democracy works in our state. Now is the time to ensure the legislative process is inclusive of all voices, and that the people who are the most marginalized – Black, Indigenous, and people of color, disabled people, low-income families, immigrants – are centered in these discussions about how the General Assembly should conduct business.
Join us in demanding that the General Assembly develop and fully implement a plan and improved set of processes that ensures and encourages public participation, especially among Rhode Island’s most marginalized people.
(1) Add your name to the petition.
(2) Contact YOUR lawmakers to urge them to take real and concrete steps to improve the transparency and ensure the public can participate in a process that has huge impacts on our lives!
- Sample Message: “I am writing to join The Womxn Project and a wide range of organizations who are asking the Rhode Island General Assembly to create a plan that allows for meeting of the General Assembly that adheres to public health guidelines, including changes to the hearing processes and remote participation. The legislative process will be improved with more voices and connections, and that Rhode Islanders will benefit from a more open, accessible, and transparent process.”
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The pandemic has created and exacerbated many challenges facing Rhode Islanders. An open, accessible, and transparent process is critical. Decisions that impact our lives should be made in public not behind closed doors! We cannot dismantle systematic and institutional racism if we exclude people from the legislative process. We urge our state lawmakers to do all they can – and frankly to do better – in making sure our legislative process is safe, open, accessible, and transparent!