The People is the place where Americans who want to work together to create a more accountable and responsive government can meet, organize, and take action. We have many options for you to get involved with our work depending on your interests, skills, and time availability.
What do we do and who are we?
We seek to address the root causes of government ineffectiveness, not just symptoms. We work to produce truly non-partisan solutions in all we do. We do not seek to advantage one party or the other, but instead aim to reduce the unproductive effects of the current two-party political system. We entrust and empower the people of our country to lead government reform efforts and support their agency in all we do. We contribute to (re)building relationships and a sense of community across our country through our work together.
Our Beginning
Spurred on by the vitriol and division of the 2016 election, conservative pollster Frank Luntz, social activist Andrew Shue, and TV producer Patty Wolfe set out to see if the American people had irreconcilable differences. Meetings were held in nine states across the country with over 200 citizens from all backgrounds and political beliefs coming together. Questions were put to conservatives and liberals alike: Can we fix our broken political system? Do you take responsibility for our future? Can you stop blaming others and work together with people from the other side to fix our broken politics? The answer was a resounding YES!
Determined to do something to help heal a divided America, Andrew connected with democracy entrepreneur Katie Fahey. Having successfully led over 14,000 volunteers on a non-partisan ballot initiative to end Gerrymandering in Michigan, Katie was the doer to get it done. With the knowledge that Americans were committed to healing our divide, and with Katie at the helm, a call was put out to try and recruit a diverse, representative group of citizens to see what could be done. This led to 100 individuals from all 50 states showing up in the nation’s capital, at the first National Assembly. After an intense three day marathon of dialogue, the assembled group agreed to ratify a joint declaration and officially launch “The People” – an organization devoted to finding common ground and taking action, together, to better our democracy.
The People’s declaration is emphatic: we must take responsibility; no one is coming to save us; we are all in the same boat and we must pull together if we are to survive. If we can do this, we can create the government Lincoln imagined – of, by, and for the people.
Why fund our work?
The People seeks to address the root causes of government ineffectiveness, not just symptoms. We work to produce truly non-partisan solutions in all we do. We do not seek to advantage one party or the other, but instead aim to reduce the unproductive effects of the current two-party political system. We entrust and empower the people of our country to lead government reform efforts and support their agency in all we do. We contribute to (re)building relationships and a sense of community across our country through our work together.
Some of our core initiatives are featured below.
How do we measure success?
The People has been committed to working together to find common ground since the beginning - here are some highlights of the previous work we have done.
Where do we work?
We work with people from all over the United States to have events in their communities and work together across the country!
Why are we featured in Strengthening Civic Spaces? Tell me more!
We work specifically with communities trying to give them voice, resources, and build out their civic spaces.
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