Fighting for a justice-driven democracy in Colorado.
American democracy, and Colorado’s democracy, were built upon the exclusion of Black Americans, Indigenous tribes, and immigrants. We aren’t restoring an ideal democracy that we are longing to get back to; we are working to build an equitable, justice-driven, truly people-powered democracy for the first time.
Colorado Common Cause’s staff and Board of Directors are committed to the fight for racial justice and equity. Through our program work, we strive to dedicate our capacity to the biggest barriers to participation and fair representation that Colorado communities of color face. We are accountable to our BIPOC-led partners, with whom we are deeply committed to collaborative, co-conspirative work that pushes our state to become more equitable, inclusive, and people-powered.
Colorado Common Cause works to ensure that Colorado’s government and political processes serve the public interest. We recognize that we won’t be able to create systemic, long-term solutions to unaffordable healthcare, climate change, education inequality, and growing economic injustice if the foundations of our democracy don’t work. At the root of these interconnected issues are the interlocking oppressions of anti-Black racism, patriarchy, xenophobia, and wealth extraction. We aim to create a democracy that is truly by, of and for the People because we know that we cannot solve the most deeply rooted problems facing our state, and American society, without those most harmed by these systems at the center of decision-making.
In 2020, Black staff and other staff of color at Common Cause presented recommendations to the organization’s leadership to more deeply commit the organization to racial equity and justice, across a variety of internal and external challenges experienced by staff of color. The Racial Equity Advisory Group was formed to support the implementation of these recommendations. Colorado Common Cause stands with REAG and the whole Common Cause team in the ongoing work that it takes to embed equity in the DNA of our organization, from hiring and management, to fundraising and development, to our pro-democracy campaigns.
We urge our members, partners, donors, funders, volunteers, and political allies to commit with us to the ongoing and critical work that it takes to build an anti-racist democracy. We commit to holding ourselves accountable as an organization to these commitments in goal setting and campaign planning, how we show up for our partners, how we solicit and respond to feedback, how we evolve our internal practices, and in all other areas of our work. When we fall short, it is our hope to reflect, respond and reset accordingly.
Onward we press toward a democracy that works for all.