Happy birthday to MoveOn! We’ve officially reached 25 years of people-powered progress! This past weekend we hosted the MoveOn 25 Member Summit in Atlanta to celebrate MoveOn’s 25th anniversary, while connecting and organizing for the 2024 elections. It was the first time we came together in person for 5 years and we took full advantage of the opportunity to celebrate our work together and build the power we need to win the White House and Senate, and take back the House in 2024.
And we couldn’t have done it without You—your actions and support have made the collective victories of the last 25 years possible.
We had 25 sessions, 50 speakers and hundreds of MoveOn members in attendance for this monumental moment in MoveOn history. We even brought our forbidden bookmobile!
Watch the video below to see what our members, special guests, partners and staff did during the summit. You’ll witness some of our favorite moments and get a sense of the electricity that was in the air throughout the weekend.
Here are some other highlights:
The opening session
During Saturday’s opening session, members were surprised with a youth drum line to get everyone excited. Rahna Epting, Executive Director of MoveOn, said: “Members like you are the heart and soul of this vibrant community. We, the people, are the reason we are powerful. Why we are effective. And why we have been able to have such an impact over the last 25 years. Because when we come together, millions of us, to take collective action, that’s power, people.
We couldn’t have said it better! We had some amazing guests who spoke to educate and inspire our members, including Maurice Mitchell with the Working Families Dayformer lieutenant governor of Wisconsin. Mandela Barnes, president of American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten, Marisa Kanof and Ani with VoteRevElyssa Feder with Organizers on the riseGiovanna Negretti with OPENJess Weldon and Jessica Angima with Arena, and more. We also had sessions led by prominent members alongside MoveOn staff. Angie Thomas, author of The hate you giveand Erick Allen, president of Cobb County Democratsspoke to an enthusiastic crowd at our Banned Bookmobile event, where we gave away pizza, cupcakes, and best of all, 1,000 banned books!
Saturday evening entertainment
We envision a future in which we can all thrive. Building relationships and sharing joy is therefore just as essential as training and education. During Saturday night’s show, drag artist Trinity K Bone’t kicked off the celebration. Members from different backgrounds and generations danced together and applauded in a large dance circle. Rapper Common shouted MoveOn (multiple times) and surprised us all by bringing a member on stage! Our host, Chris Percy, MoveOn’s Director of Member Learning, literally had the crowd laughing and cheering his name by the end of the weekend.
MoveOn members share their key takeaways:
To build the power of our movement, we all need to be educated, organized, and connected to each other. And that’s why MoveOn members, partners and staff organized sessions to invest in members, to develop, train and share experiences that we will need to gain in 2024. The sessions provided expertise on many topics including artificial intelligence (AI), LGBTQ+ campaigns, organizing tactics and even TikTok dances, all with the goal of defeating MAGA and winning the House, Senate and White House in 2024.
We asked members about their key takeaways from the Summit: here’s what they had to say:
“I really can and have made a difference.” –Carol G.
“We are in this together. Our collective voices have power!! –Bonita T.
“I am not alone. And together, we can win elections, because our progressive policies and ideas are also the ideas of the vast majority of Americans.” –Patrick C.
“I am prouder than ever to be a member of MoveOn.” –Guillaume A.
A huge thank you to our members who sacrificed their time and energy to attend the summit, to the dedicated volunteers who worked tirelessly to make the event run smoothly, to our partners and guest speakers for sharing their experiences to helping us build the power of the movement, and our generous donors and sponsors who have made it all possible.
The work continues
Let’s be clear: we have a lot of work ahead of us to make our vision of the future a reality. MAGA Republican attacks on our communities and freedoms continue to threaten our democracy. But as Maurice Mitchell of the Working Families Party said last weekend: “Where they have money, we have people power.” And the power of our people is infinite.
Although the power of our people is infinite, we can only make an impact when we are organized and choose to exercise it collectively. That’s why MoveOn is starting our election program earlier than ever. Join us by register now to mobilize votes to defeat MAGA and win the House, Senate and White House in 2024.