Justice can only be achieved through understanding the connections between systemic racism, chronic poverty, environmental devastation, and war economics. The Democratic Party must address social, economic, and racial justice by adopting the principles of The Poor People’s Campaign. Below are demands made in their policy study, “The Souls of Poor Folk,” after contacting tens of thousands of American people and gathering testimonies from hundreds in poverty.

•We demand immediate, complete restoration and expansion of the Voting Rights Act, an end to racist gerrymandering and redistricting, early registration of 17- and 18-year-olds, the implementation of automatic registration to vote at the age of 18, early voting in every state, same-day registration, the enactment of Election Day as a holiday, and a verifiable paper record. We demand the right to vote for the formerly incarcerated.

•We demand the reversal of state laws preempting local governments from passing minimum wage increases, and the removal of Emergency Financial Management positions that are unaccountable to the democratic process.

•We demand an end to placing persons on the federal bench who have a record of standing against voting rights.

•We demand statehood, voting rights, and representation for the more than 690,000 people in Washington D.C.

•We demand a clear and just immigration system that strengthens our democracy through the broad participation of everyone in this country. This includes providing a timely citizenship process that guarantees the right to vote. It also requires protecting immigrants’ abilities to organize for their rights in the workplace and in their communities without fear of retribution, detention, and deportation.

•We demand that First Nations, Native Americans and Alaskan Native people retain their tribal recognition as nations, not races, to make substantive claims to their sovereignty.

•We demand the immediate implementation of federal and state living wage laws that are commensurate with the 21st century economy, guaranteed annual incomes, full employment, and the right of all workers to form and join unions.

•We demand an end to anti-union and anti-workers’ rights laws in the states.

•We demand equal pay for equal work.

•We demand fully funded welfare programs for the poor and an end to the attacks on SNAP, HEAP, and other vital programs for the poor.

•We demand equity in education, ensuring every child receives a high-quality, well-funded, diverse public education. We demand an end to the re-segregation of schools. We demand free tuition at public colleges and universities and an end to profiteering on student debt. We demand equitable funding for historically black colleges and universities.

•We demand the expansion of Medicaid in every state and the protection of Medicare and single-payer universal health care for all.

•We demand fully funded public resources and access to mental-health professionals and addiction and recovery programs.

•We demand reinvestment in and the expansion of public housing, ensuring that all have a decent home to live in.

•We demand equal treatment and accessible housing, health care, public transportation, adequate income, and services for people with disabilities.

•We demand public infrastructure projects and sustainable, community-based and -controlled economic initiatives that target poor urban and rural communities.

•We demand fair and decent housing for all and the end to the rolling back of fair housing protections at HUD.

•We demand relief from crushing household, student, and consumer debt. We declare Jubilee.

•We demand that the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of our country’s urgent needs around decent and affordable housing, free public education, a robust social safety net, and social security.

•We demand the repeal of the 2017 federal tax law and the reinvestment of those funds into public programs for housing, health care, education, jobs, infrastructure, and welfare for the poor.

•We demand that the nation and our lawmakers turn their immediate attention to passing policies and budget allocations that would end child poverty. This includes a public hearing on the federal and state institutions charged with child safety and protection, including on how their resources are used to take children away rather than strengthen families