Democracy is in danger—and not just here in the United States. All around the world, authoritarian regimes are seizing power even in countries once thought to be strong democracies. In state legislatures, extremists have taken pages straight from an authoritarian playbook to quash political dissent by silencing duly elected state lawmakers. From Montana to Oklahoma, to the Tennessee Three, state lawmakers have been practicing new models of resistance in legislative chambers to stand firm alongside their communities and against power grabs. As state legislators continue to be subjected to anti-democratic abuses of power by their colleagues, what can we learn from global movements in our continued struggle for democracy?
Rep. Justin Jones is the youngest Democratic lawmaker in the state of Tennessee and proudly represents House District 52. He was expelled in April 2023 advocating for common sense gun laws and democracy, but was restored to his seat just three days later. He also serves as the Policy... Read More →
Hon. Jessie Ulibarri is SiX’s Co-Executive Director. As a queer person of color, as a parent, and as someone who grew up in a trailer park, Jessie viscerally understands the demands the progressive movement makes of our elected officials for radical, transformative change. As a... Read More →
Neha Patel is SiX’s Co-Executive Director. Growing up in the Midwest (Indiana/Michigan) as the child of immigrants, she believes fiercely in the American Dream—where opportunity exists only if we fight for it on behalf of all of us. This foundational belief led Neha to a lifelong... Read More →
Keyanna Jones Moore is a Political and Social Justice Activist and Community Organizer from Atlanta, Georgia. She currently works as a Chapter Organizer with Sierra Club Georgia Chapter, where she emphasizes the need for Black People to understand how the environment impacts their... Read More →
Paula Ávila-Guillen is a Green Wave movement leader, international human rights lawyer, and Executive Director at the Women's Equality Center (WEC). She has helped lead the fight to decriminalize abortion in her home country of Colombia, and has supported the efforts that led to... Read More →
Tara Houska is a mother, a land defender, a sundancer, an attorney and founder of Giniw Collective. She is committed to building a better world while protecting what remains of the sacred.
Former Colorado State Representative and SiX/SiX Action Board Member
Joe is an indigenous Coloradan. He was the first in his family to go to college. He graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1993. In 2003, he graduated from the University of Denver College of Law.In November 2012, Joe was elected to the Colorado State House of Representatives... Read More →
Pushkar Sharma is the founder of SACRED (the South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy), an action research and advocacy organization focused on advancing democracy and countering supremacist movements within the South Asian American community in Illinois. Prior to founding... Read More →
