This is it: the last Resistance Roundup of the year! As 2019 comes to a close, we want to take a minute to reflect on what has been a pivotal year for us—and our democracy.
While we’ve accomplished so much this year, we want to highlight a few of our favorites.
In 2019, we trained almost 300 future candidates and campaign leaders—our highest amount ever! Our newest alumni are 64% women and 98% people of color; bringing us closer to closing the representation gap across the country. We look forward to building this community in 2020!
We’re growing even more in 2020—be sure to check out the full schedule and apply!
In addition to our trainings, we’re focused on supporting our New American Elected Officials Network with educational trips (check out the highlights from our civil rights trip and trip to the U.S.-Mexico border), and policy ideas that dismantle barriers to fair representation and build a stronger America. We’re proud to stand with these elected officials fighting to create a democracy that represents and works for all of us.
Whew, y’all have been busy shaking up the status quo this year! If we gave each of you the shout outs you deserve, we’d be here all day. So we don’t hold you up, check out three of the top New American Heroes we honored earlier this year and then drop us a line to let us know your accomplishments this year—we’ll be sure to give you a shout out online! Thank you for all you do!
From showcasing our trainings and highlighting your accomplishments to spotlighting our growing political power, we’re making sure that everyone knows that #PeopleLikeUs are the future of our democracy and the antidote to the rising hate our country faces.
The good news? People are getting the message. In 2019, New American candidates won big on Election Day: Of the 264 candidates we tracked in 2019, 67% of first generation Americans who ran for office in the general election won, while 74% of second generation Americans who ran in the general election won. And in the news, we’ve changed the conversation to show that new citizens make up the margin of victory in swing states and pushed 2020 candidates to include #PeopleLikeUs in their policy and grassroots programs.
More than anything though, we’re proud of the community you’ve helped us build. None of this would be possible without the generous support of our funders, partners, and the many #PeopleLikeUs across the country hustling and grinding to create a more inclusive democracy. Thank you for being a part of our movement to create a democracy that works for all of us!
Happy holidays, and we’ll see you in the new year!
The NAL Team
