Organizing like our democracy depends on it.
Groundwork supports local community organizers in places where the fight isn't over one candidate or one election but over the survival of American democracy itself. From the Deep South to Appalachia and the Plains: We show up in the states too often written off and invest in the local leaders working year-round to secure justice, equity and democracy for all.
Current Groundwork States
Alabama
Alabama’s rich grassroots history features some of the most world-changing local organizing of the Civil Rights era, as well as our most stark setbacks to racial justice. Reckoning with that legacy, and the disenfranchisement that persists to this day, offers a path to a more just and equitable state.
Mississippi
For all of modern history, Mississippi has been at the epicenter of our most consequential fights for voting rights, racial justice and democracy itself. Today is no different. And local leaders are primed to meet the moment, investing deeply in the civic infrastructure needed to overcome generations of segregation and suppression.
West Virginia
The roots of American populism and organized labor run deep through West Virginia. But those at the top today have spent decades wrestling power away from everyday citizens. To build back people power, we have to build back trust, with a largely rural electorate that feels left behind.
Oklahoma
With deep wells of anti-democracy power and the lowest voter turnout rate in the country, the road ahead in Oklahoma is difficult. But the state’s grassroots organizing ecosystem is rising high, connecting communities across race, class and geography, to write a new story, together, for Oklahoma’s future.