What does it mean for our democracy when nearly 90% of all state legislators are paid less than their state’s median household income and fewer than 2 percent hold working-class jobs? Or when nearly 8 in 10 of our nation’s 7,383 state lawmakers are white, though people of color represent roughly 40% of adults in the US? From our nation’s founding, state legislatures have been exclusive institutions designed to uphold the interests of the wealthy and well-connected elite. If we are to build an irresistible future, we also need to level the playing field in state legislatures, where the rules of the game are currently rigged in favor of corporate interests and far-right extremists. In this workshop, participants will reimagine state legislatures as the People’s House—democratic institutions designed to center community voices and power.
