Mission / Values
Mission
Our mission is to grow a broad representative base of committed voters, volunteers, and leaders who work together across Washtenaw County to elect Democrats who champion policies that reflect our values. We commit to living these values in our work together and to being a resource for Democratic allies.
Values
- America must promote and defend democracy. “Democracy” means “people” (demos) “power” (kratos). We believe it is the only form of government in which, working together, we the people hold the power to achieve our common good. Defending democracy is a moral and strategic imperative.
- Our freedoms are foundational. All Americans have the right to vote easily and securely, knowing our votes count equally; to peacefully speak and protest; to control our own bodies; to love whom we wish; to nurture our children as we see fit; to practice religion – or no religion – without hate; and to freely determine the course of our lives.
- Government is the work we do together that we can’t do individually. Our government is “We, the people,” a joint project for the common good. We need each other to build and sustain our nation. We must work together in good faith while respecting our differences: this is what it means to be citizens in a democracy.
- Our government should promote human thriving. Through our government, we should ensure ready access to a living wage; the right to organize through unions; safe housing; high quality health care; healthy food; clean air and water; safe neighborhoods for families; and sound public education throughout the lifespan. We should ensure that we can care for our loved ones; live in dignity in our old age; and be protected against the threat of violence from inside and outside our nation’s borders.
- Pooling our resources is a fundamental way we get our work done. Our government’s ability to function depends upon a fair system of taxation. Everyone, including corporations and our wealthiest citizens, must pay their fair share in taxes to advance our public good.
- Our diversity is our greatest strength. We are committed to celebrating America’s rare, beautiful, and powerful diversity, to ensuring that every voice is included, and every perspective heard, as we work together toward a more just, inclusive, and peaceful union. We must root out the white supremacist ideology that has threatened our democracy since our founding.
- We are urgently responsible for reversing climate change. Human-caused climate change is an existential threat to life on earth. We are committed to promoting awareness of this threat, and to dedicating the assets required to protect life on our beautiful, irreplaceable planet.
- Our legal system should provide justice for all. We support humane and equitable law enforcement; efforts to prevent violent crime that address underlying causes such as systemic, often racist, disinvestment in communities; and redemptive and restorative justice. White-collar crime that quietly destroys thousands of lives should be prosecuted with as much fervor as violent crime.
- We have the right to move freely about our country without fear of gun violence. Weapons of war do not belong in private hands. We support universal background checks, licensing, mandatory safety training, and other common-sense, constitutional measures to regulate gun ownership and protect our absolute right to personal safety.
