Happy 25th Anniversary, MoveOn! Highlights from our Member Summit in Atlanta
MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting shares the election plan for 2024. Credit: MoveOn
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 birthday while also connecting and organizing ahead of the 2024 election. It was our first time coming together in person in 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 wins of the past 25 years possible.
We had 25 sessions, 50 speakers, and hundreds of MoveOn members in attendance for this monumental moment in MoveOn’s history. We even brought our Banned Bookmobile!
Check out the video below to see what our members, special guests, partners, and staff got up to over the course of the summit. You’ll witness some of our favorite moments and get a feel for the electricity that was in the air throughout the weekend.
Here are some more highlights:
The opening session
The youth drumline surprises members at the opening session. Credit: MoveOn
At Saturday’s opening session, members were surprised with a youth drum line to get everyone fired up. MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting shared, “Members like you are the heart and soul of this vibrant community. We, the people—we are why we are powerful. Why we are effective. And why we have been able to be so impactful over the last 25 years. Because when we come together, millions of us, to take collective action—that is power, folks.”
Credit: MoveOn
We couldn’t have said it better! We had amazing guests who spoke to educate and inspire our members, including Maurice Mitchell with the Working Families Party, former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten, Marisa Kanof and Ani with VoteRev, Elyssa Feder with Rising Organizers, Giovanna Negretti with OPEN, Jess Weldon and Jessica Angima with Arena, and more. We also had some stellar members lead sessions alongside MoveOn staff. Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give, and Erick Allen, Chair of Cobb County Democrats, spoke to an enthusiastic crowd during our Banned Bookmobile event, where we gave away pizza, cupcakes, and, most importantly, 1,000 banned books!
A crowd gathers outside the Banned Bookmobile event. Credit: MoveOn
Saturday night’s entertainment
We envision a future where we all can thrive—so building relationships and sharing joy are just as essential as training and education. During Saturday night’s show, drag artist Trinity K Bone’t kicked off the celebration. Members from many different backgrounds and generations danced together and cheered in a big dance circle. Rapper Common shouted out MoveOn (multiple times) and surprised us all by bringing a member onto the stage! Our emcee, MoveOn Director of Member Learning Chris Percy, literally had the crowd laughing out loud and cheering his name by the end of the weekend.
Rapper Common performs. Credit: MoveOn
Drag artist Trinity K Bone’t takes the stage. Credit: MoveOn
Rapper Common serenades MoveOn member Jewel Nunley on stage. Credit: MoveOn
Members laugh together during the Saturday celebration. Credit: MoveOn
MoveOn members share their main takeaways:
To build power for our movement, it takes all of us educating, organizing, and connecting with each other. And that’s why MoveOn members, partners, and staff hosted sessions to invest in members—to develop, train, and share experiences that we’ll need to win in 2024. The sessions provided expertise across many topics, including artificial intelligence (AI), LGBTQ+ campaigning, organizing tactics, and even TikTok dances—all with the goal to defeat MAGA and win the House, Senate, and White House in 2024.
Members brainstorm ideas with sticky notes at a breakout session. Credit: MoveOn
Members show off their new manicures at the Nail the Vote booth. Credit: MoveOn
Speakers take the mainstage. Credit: MoveOn
Members dance together during the breakout session, “MoveOn Shuffle: How to Create a Tik-Tok.” Credit: MoveOn
We asked members about their main takeaway following the Summit; here’s what they had to say:
“I really can make 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 the elections, because our policies and progressive ideas are also the ideas of the vast majority of Americans.” –Patrick C.
“I am more proud than ever to be a member of MoveOn.” –William A.
A huge thank-you to our members who sacrificed their time and energy to attend the summit, the dedicated volunteers who worked tirelessly to make the event run smoothly, our partners and guest speakers for sharing their experiences to help us build power for the movement, and our generous donors and sponsors who made it all possible.
The work continues
Members gather around a table during a breakout session. Credit: MoveOn
Members dance and cheer at the closing session. Credit: MoveOn
Let’s be clear—we have a lot of work ahead of us to make our vision for the future a reality. MAGA Republicans’ attacks on our communities and freedoms continue to threaten our democracy. But like Maurice Mitchell from the Working Families Party said last weekend, “Where they have money, we have people power. And our people power is endless.”
While our people power may be endless, we can make an impact only when we are organized and choose to collectively exercise it. That’s why MoveOn is starting our election program sooner than ever before. Join us by signing up now to be a vote mobilizer to defeat MAGA and win the House, Senate, and White House in 2024.
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