As many in this country were, I was incredibly disappointed with the results of the presidential election. Our world is full of hate and bigotry, lacking compassion and empathy for others. I personally believe, President Donald Trump is not the right person for this position, especially the state our society is in. I understand that he is the president and that’s how things have just turned out, however, I refuse to accept that there’s nothing we can do. I refuse to stand by and just accept that we live in a corrupt oligarchy that allows for the majority of the people in our nation to live being underrepresented. I want to do something. I want to live in a society run by the people, for the people.

On January 23, 2017, the Justice Democrat movement was launched as a “hostile takeover of the democratic party from progressives within the party who want real change.” As of February 8, 2017, nearly $500,000 had been raised, and not a cent donated by corporations or billionaires. By ensuring donations are not coming from big money, it demonstrates their push for a campaign finance reform. In our current system, if you’re able to donate a large sum of money toward a campaign, the chances of a policy that could benefit you being passed double, if those voting are in favor of said policy. Meanwhile, without a large donation, chances of it being passed remain essentially fixed. That means policies are being passed to benefit the top 1 percent of the United States and corporations, rather than the working class that makes up the majority of our country. How is it acceptable that we claim to have built our nation with the ideals that we need to work for the people, yet the majority is not represented?

Since I began to learn more about our society and how our government has worked, I haven’t agreed with a lot of our systems and how our society is run. The Justice Democrats platform has progressive goals to really make a difference. For example, the healthcare system in the United States is ranked at 37 in the world. We are the only developed nation in the world to not have universal healthcare, which is unacceptable. Healthcare should be a human right, and it is in every developed nation in the world. It is not fair that if a U.S citizen gets incredibly sick, they’re at risk to go bankrupt to pay for outrageous medical bills, even with insurance. In fact, medical bills are the number one reason for people to go into bankruptcy. Not to mention that 45,000 Americans die every year due to a lack of basic health care, meanwhile in nations with universal care, no citizens die because they can’t access healthcare.

The above arguments are only a small portion of what this movement is about. The Justice Democrats genuinely are run by the people, for the people. The propositions in the platform are what many people of our country want but don’t have the voice, or rather, the funds, to express. The Justice Democrats’ platform has really given me hope that we can make a difference and create a nation that genuinely cares for the people.

I am a Justice Democrat because I believe we can bring change and light into the world.

I am a Justice Democrat because I want to do something instead of just accept our fate.

I am a Justice Democrat because I have the right to live in a nation where my rights and needs are truly met.

So far, there are nearly 3,000 nominations for running as a Justice Democrat in 2018 to run in primaries to overtake the opposing corporate democrats, and over 115,000 people have signed up to support the movement. If you would like to nominate someone, sign up to follow and support the movement, donate, or learn more about the platform and what the Justice Democrats stand for, you can visit https://justicedemocrats.com/