Rights & Democracy Education Fund Inc

RADEF IS ORGANIZED TO INFORM AND EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS UNDER STATE, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LAW, AND TO PROMOTE DISCUSSION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHARACTER OF AN EFFECTIVE AND ROBUST DEMOCRACY WITH RESPECT TO POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND TO ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE.

JOBS JUSTICE & CLIMATE (JJC)IN 2021, WE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED VERMONT RENEWS AND NEW HAMPSHIRE RENEWS, THE STATEWIDE COALITIONS FOR WHICH RDI SERVES AS THE ANCHOR ORGANIZATION, TO ADVOCATE FOR JUST AND EQUITABLE POLICIES. THE STATE COALITIONS ARE CONSTITUENTS OF THE REGIONAL COALITION RENEW NEW ENGLAND, WHICH WAS COFOUNDED BY RDI. OUR JJC WORK CONTINUED TO ADDRESS THE INTERSECTIONS OF THE PANDEMIC'S IMPACTS WITH THE RACIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC CRISES WE ARE CONFRONTING. WE HELD COVID RELIEF TOWN HALLS AND EVENTS ACROSS BOTH STATES TO RAISE AWARENESS OF AND BUILD BROAD SUPPORT FOR COVID RELIEF POLICIES. RDI PUT SIGNIFICANT CAPACITY TOWARD MOVING PUBLIC OPINION IN FAVOR OF A BIG AND BOLD BUILD BACK BETTER. WE LED OR CO-LED MULTIPLE ACTIONS IN 2021, INCLUDING BLOCK PARTIES BOOSTING BBB AND ITS KEY CLIMATE/SOCIAL/ECONOMIC JUSTICE MEASURES. WE CONVENED A RENEWS BIPOC COUNSEL IN VERMONT TO ENSURE GREATER EQUITY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLIMATE ACTION PLANS. RDI CONTINUED TO ENGAGE AND ORGANIZE AROUND OUR JJC PRIORITY ISSUE AREAS - CLIMATE JUSTICE, GREEN JUSTICE ZONES, AND HOUSING JUSTICE - WITH REGULAR COALITION AND WORKING GROUP MEETINGS TO PLAN OUR WORK. WE HELD STORYTELLING AND NARRATIVE TRAININGS FOR OUR COALITION PARTNERS, STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS TO GROUND OUR WORK IN A SHARED VISION.HOUSING JUSTICE: OUR TENANT ORGANIZING WORK HAS CONTINUED TO FLOURISH. WE HAVE HELD REGULAR TENANT MEETINGS, KNOW-YOUR-RIGHTS TRAININGS, AND HOUSING FOR ALL PUBLIC EVENTS.GREEN JUSTICE ZONES (GJZ): WE HELD INFORMATION SESSIONS AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF GJZS AND THE OPPORTUNITY THEY PRESENT TO MITIGATE ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICES, AND BEGAN OUTLINING A GJZ POLICY FRAMEWORK. WE IDENTIFIED STRONG CADIDATE GJZ PILOT COMMUNITIES IN NH.CLIMATE JUSTICE: WE SUPPORTED AND COORDINATED A CAMPAIGN TO CLOSE THE BOW POWER PLANT, THE LAST COAL-FIRED PLANT IN NEW ENGLAND, CONDUCTED OUTREACH AND HELD PUBLIC EDUCATION EVENTS ABOUT THE CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS BILL AND THE PUC BILL (REQUIRING PUC TO CONSIDER CLIMATECHANGE IMPACTS WHEN SETTING FEES AND RATES), AND HELPED TO SUPPORT AND COORDINATE SIX CLIMATE STRIKES THROUGHOUT NH.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENTWHILE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IS INTEGRATED INTO ALL OF RDI'S AREAS OF WORK, IN 2021, WE LAUNCHED TWO COHORT-BASED TRAINING PROGRAMS.CATALYST LEADERSHIP WAS CREATED TO DEVELOP AND SUPPORT EMERGING LEADERS FROM THE MOST IMPACTED COMMUNITIES ACROSS NEW HAMPSHIRE AND VERMONT, WHO ARE COMMITTED TO A BOLD AGENDA FOR EQUITY AND JUSTICE. ITS FLAGSHIP YEAR HAD TWO COHORTS: A BISTATE COHORT AND A PLACED-BASED COHORT IN SOUTHERN VERMONT. GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY IS AN EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW GENERATION OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS INTERESTED IN GROWING THEIR SKILLS TO ADVANCE HUMAN RIGHTS. RACE-CLASS ACADEMY RDI LAUNCHED AN ONGOING GUIDED COURSE TO ACQUAINT PARTICIPANTS WITH RACE-CLASS MESSAGING AS AN ORGANIZING STRATEGY. WE HELD A CONDENSED TRAINING IN FEBRUARY WITH 63 ATTENDEES AND A FOUR-PART SERIES IN MAY AVERAGING 50 PARTICIPANTS PER SESSION.

RURAL ORGANIZING RURAL ORGANIZING CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR AREA OF WORK AS WE ENGAGE WITH OUR COMMUNITIES ON A BROAD RANGE OF ISSUES. IN ADDITION TO OUR RENEWS ISSUE AREAS, WE WORKED HEAVILY ON EDUCATION JUSTICE AND HEALTHCARE JUSTICE IN 2021. EDUCATION JUSTICEIN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR AFFILIATE, RACE FORWARD, WE LAUNCHED PILOT CAMPAIGNS IN NH FOR HEAL TOGETHER (HONEST EDUCATION ACTION & LEADERSHIP), A NEW NATIONAL INITIATIVE TO ORGANIZE AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT LEVEL TO UNITE COMMUNITIES IN THE FACE OF THE CULTURE WARS EXPLODING ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE HELD VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON EVENTS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF SCHOOL BOARD, SCHOOL BUDGETS, AND THE ISSUE OF POLICE IN SCHOOLS.HEALTHCARE JUSTICEOUR HEALTHCARE WORK WAS CRUCIAL IN 2021 AS THE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC HIGHLIGHTED THE NEED FOR EXPANDED MEDICAID. WE LAUNCHED A STORY COLLECTION CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS OF BARRIERS TO MEDICAID ACCESS, AS WELL AS A CAMPAIGN TO SECURE MORE FUNDING FOR HOME AND COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE SERVICES.WE HELD MEDICARE FOR ALL RALLIES, WORKSHOPS, AND LISTENING SESSIONS, AND EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH ON HARM REDUCTION INITIATIVES AND THE OPOID CRISIS

PHI (VACCINE OUTREACH) A SPECIAL RDI PROJECT IN 2021 FOCUSED DOOR-TO-DOOR OR SITE-BASED CANVASS PROGRAM TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE VACCINE IN COMMUNITIES WITH HIGH RATES OF VACCINE HESITANCY, LOWER INCOME COMMUNITIES, AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.THIS TACTIC WAS USED TO HAVE MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THEIR PERSONAL BELIEFS, EXPERIENCES, AND OPINIONS ON COVID VACCINATION.