Heroes of the Week: The Guardians of American Democracy

2020 has tested our country in ways we could never have imagined a year ago.  But what has been remarkable during these challenging times is how so many Americans have stepped up.  Doctors and nurses and first-responders in our health care system continue to work tirelessly under dangerous conditions to care for COVID patients.

And now, thousands of poll workers and vote-counters have worked around the clock to safeguard this election in more ways than one.  COVID numbers kept escalating, not to mention threats of voter intimidations, as the election drew nearer — they might have bowed out. Thousands of election volunteers showed up across the country and made it happen.  They donned masks, adapted polling places with plastic shields and sanitized them, enforced the distancing rules, and kept tens of millions of Americans safe so that we could exercise our most sacred responsibility — to vote. Some were badly harassed by Trump supporters – describing the atmosphere as being like a “war zone.” Because of them, Americans were able to cast ballots in record numbers. Now that the votes are in, it’s the vote counters who are enduring harassment and intimidation in places like Phoenix and Detroit, which are deciding the election. These amazing Americans are steadfast and undeterred, counting and counting and counting.

We are all indebted to all of them for upholding our democracy during this most crucial election.  

Up Next

States Are Beginning to Enact Environmental Justice Laws

States Are Beginning to Enact Environmental Justice Laws

With the Trump administration rolling back environmental protections and exacerbating environmental inequalities, the burden had landed on states to take up measures to protect minority and poor communities.

Why This Matters:  Environmental Justice (EJ) was still not well known in 2019 when Senators Cory Booker, Tammy Duckworth, and Tom Carper created the first EJ Caucus in the Senate in 2019. And as with climate, state governments are leading the way.

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Mending the Arctic Council After Trump Administration’s Climate Denial

The Trump Administration wreaked havoc on the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum that brings together eight nations and six Arctic Indigenous organizations to discuss issues impacting the melting top of the globe.

Why this Matters: With the Arctic warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe, it’s especially imperative to have international collaboration on how to navigate the changing realities.

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Inauguration Countdown–Biden Announces Additional Climate Plans/Staff

We have no time to waste when it comes to getting this virus under control and building our economy back better. Tune in as I announce my American Rescue Plan. https://t.co/4YAg0nhJMn — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 15, 2021 Yesterday, President-elect Joe Biden announced his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan which he described as “a two-step […]

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