The Opportunity Agenda

Anniversary of Passing: Ruth Bader Ginsburg
2024-09-18
Today marks the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A graduate of Harvard Law School and the founding director of the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU, Ginsburg’s legacy re-wrote the rules on gender discrimination and upheld key protections on a full range of civil rights issues. Her impact transcended courts and made her a cultural icon. Her judicial record was mixed on issues of race and criminal justice, with particularly damaging decisions impacting indigenous rights. Cite the values of Voice, Equality, and Opportunity when discussing her legacy.

National Voter Registration Day
2024-09-17
On National Voter Registration Day, encourage your audiences to register to vote, the most powerful tool we have for making our voices heard. The onslaught of voter restriction measures introduced and passed since the 2020 election affirms how critical expanding access to the polls is to our democracy. Cite the value of Voice and Equality.

Citizenship Day
2024-09-17
Today is Citizenship Day, the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. This is also known as Citizenship Week. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services encourages us to use this week to “reflect on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and what it means to be a U.S. citizen.” It’s a good time to remind your audiences of our deeply held values around citizenship like Community and Voice.

Occupy Wall Street Anniversary Protest
2024-09-17
On this day in 2011, Occupy Wall Street protesters called out the nation’s economic inequality in the United States with a takeover of Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. Their campaign spurred a national conversation and provides an opportunity to talk about economic injustice. Cite the values of Voice, Community, and Economic Security when talking about this anniversary.

Anniversary of Bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church
2024-09-15
On this day in 1963, white supremacists bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, killing four young girls. The event was a turning point in the civil rights movement. It’s an important reminder of our nation’s deep-rooted history of white supremacist resistance and violence in response to progress toward true racial and economic justice. When talking about this anniversary, refer to the values of Community, Voice, and Equality.

National Hispanic Heritage Month
2024-09-15
September 15 – October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, which honors the contributions made by Hispanic and Latinx Americans to the United States. Use this month to discuss Community, Opportunity, and Equality.

Anniversary of Forced Sterilizations at Ice Detention Center
2024-09-14
On this day in 2020, a harrowing whistleblower complaint revealed immigrant women were allegedly subjected to forced sterilizations at a for-profit ICE detention center. Dawn Wooten, a nurse employed at the Irwin County Detention Center, detailed an alarming pattern of non-consensual medical procedures and negligence in protecting people at the facility from COVID-19. When discussing this event cite the values of Human Rights, Equality and connect it to the United States’ larger history of coercive sterilizations and medical experiments on vulnerable populations, particularly Black, Indigenous and Latinx women.

Welcoming Week
2024-09-13
Observed since 2012, Welcoming Week is an initiative of Welcoming America that lifts up the work of local communities to become more welcoming places for all, including immigrants. Use this week to discuss Community, Opportunity, and Equality.
Take Action: See the Welcoming Week Toolkit for messaging guidance, social media assets, tips for hosting an event and sample proclamations or resolutions for state and local governments.

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
2024-09-13
On this day in 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which set the tone for relying on incarceration to solve social problems. Ongoing activism to end money bail is a step away from such punitive legislation, towards a more rehabilitative approach. Discuss this anniversary by citing the values of Redemption and Voice.

Anniversary of Attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon
2024-09-11
Twenty-three years have passed since the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. In addition to remembering and honoring those who lost their lives, we must continue to rise above hate and anti-Muslim racism. Cite the values of Community and Voice when discussing this anniversary.

Anniversary of Attica Uprising
2024-09-09
The Attica Uprising in New York State occurred on this day. From September 9-13, 1,300 incarcerated men took control of the Attica Correctional Facility and made a series of demands to prison administrators. In the assault by state police to retake the prison, 39 people were killed. Use this anniversary to talk about the need for decarceration, made more urgent by the threat of COVID-19 to the health of people incarcerated in inhumane facilities. Cite the values of Voice, Equal Justice, and Redemption.

Larry Itliong and the Agricultural Workers Strike
2024-09-08
On this day in 1965, Larry Itliong and the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee led 1,000 Filipino workers to strike against Delano, California grape growers. They demanded the federal minimum wage and the right to form a union. When the farmers hired Mexican workers rather than give in to the strikers demands, Itliong partnered with Cezar Chavez’s National Farm Workers to come up with a plan that benefited both groups. Itliong and Chavez combined their organizations to form the United Farm Workers Union. Cite the values of Equality, Voice, and Economic Security when discussing this anniversary.

National Food Bank Day
2024-09-06
Hunger Action Month continues with National Food Bank Day when communities recognize the importance of fighting hunger. Use this day to extend the conversation to focus on the underlying economic injustices that create hunger. Cite the values of Economic Security and Community.

Birth of Jane Addams
2024-09-06
The “mother of social work,” Jane Addams, was also born on this day in 1860. Use this news hook to talk about the role of our nation’s public welfare programs in reducing poverty. Cite the values of Economic Security and Community.

NFL Season Starts
2024-09-05
Today, the National Football League (NFL) kicks off its regular season. When former quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the 2017 NFL season, he transformed the playing field into a platform for change, sparking a national dialogue about police brutality and racial inequity. His courageous stand—and the price he paid for it—demonstrated how cultural influencers can shift narratives and inspire movements. Use this day to discuss the power of cultural influencers in sparking conversations that lead to lasting change. Cite the values of Voice and Equality.

Adamson Act
2024-09-03
On this day in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Adamson Act, which established an eight-hour workday, with additional pay for overtime work for railroad workers. The Act was the culmination of organizing by railroad workers and the first federal law to regulate the hours of workers in private companies. Discuss the importance of unions and worker rights on this anniversary, and cite the values of Economic Security, Voice, and Community.

Labor Day
2024-09-02
Labor Day honors the contributions of American workers and the labor movement (the people who brought you the weekend, the eight-hour work day and improved working conditions). Use this holiday to highlight the importance of worker rights, including the right to organize and join a union.

National Recovery Month
2024-09-01
September is National Recovery Month, which raises awareness about mental illness and substance abuse disorders. It also provides the opportunity to talk about harm reduction, alternatives to incarceration, and the need for health insurance and federally-supported programs to expand access to treatment and housing. Cite the values of Redemption and Community.

Hunger Action Month
2024-09-01
September is Hunger Action Month when Feeding America and the nationwide network of food banks spread the word and take collective action on the hunger crisis. As a result of the pandemic, more than 42 million people face food insecurity nationwide. Use this hook to discuss the need to address underlying economic injustice that creates hunger. Cite the values of Economic Security and Community.

Food Stamp Act
2024-08-31
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Food Stamp Act, which formalized the federal program now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Use this hook to discuss protecting a program that supports the economic security of families and protects the American values of community and economic opportunity

Hurricane Katrina
2024-08-29
On this day in 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi. The humanitarian disaster that followed laid bare racial and economic inequities and served as a precursor to the disparate impacts of recent natural disasters. Use the anniversary to discuss the need for equitable infrastructure spending and emergency assistance. Cite the values of Community and Economic Security.

“I Have a Dream” Speech
2024-08-28
Also on this day during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Use this anniversary to remind your audiences about the importance of reaffirming our values and our commitment to winning liberation. Cite the values of community, voice, and equity.

Emmett Till
2024-08-28
On this day in 1955, African-American teenager Emmett Till was abducted for allegedly offending a white woman. His brutalized body was found a few days later. Historical markers recognizing Till’s death are regularly torn down and shot at by vandals — a symbolic reminder of the ongoing threat of racism against Black communities. Cite the values of voice, equity, and community when discussing this anniversary.

19th Amendment
2024-08-26
On this day in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was formally adopted. While this served as a groundbreaking accomplishment to extend the right to vote to white women, Jim Crow laws would prevent many women of color from exercising this right for decades. Cite the values of equity and voice when talking about this anniversary.

Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
2024-08-25
On this day in 1925, A. Philip Randolph and colleagues launched the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP). The union was the first labor organization led by African Americans to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor and played a vital role in U.S. labor and civil rights movements. Discuss this anniversary by citing the values of voice and economic opportunity.

Bill of Rights Anniversary
2024-08-24
On this day in 1789, the first U.S. Congress passed the Bill of Rights. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution enshrine many of the values we share as a nation. Even so, the Second Amendment is being widely discussed in light of mass shootings and gun violence. Cite the values of Voice and Equality when discussing this anniversary.

Marsha P. Johnson's Birthday
2024-08-24
Today is the birthday of LGBTQ activist Marsha P. Johnson. Born in 1945, Johnson grew up to be a prominent figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. She was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) along with Sylvia Rivera. When discussing Marsha P. Johnson’s birthday, cite the values of economic opportunity, community, and voice.

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
2024-08-23
Today, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizes the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. Use this day as another opportunity to demand the United States reckon with its history of racial oppression. Cite the values of voice, equity, and community when talking about this event.

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
2024-08-22
On this day in 1996, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, known as “Welfare Reform.” The act created Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). In recent years, most states have severely weakened supports for low-income families, with a disproportionate impact on children in communities of color. Use this anniversary to talk about the need for safety programs and the values of economic opportunity and community.

National Prison Strike
2024-08-21
In 2018, men and women incarcerated in prisons across the nation declared a National Prison Strike in response to the riot at the Lee Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in South Carolina, where seven people lost their lives. The strikers demanded “humane living conditions, access to rehabilitation, sentencing reform and the end of modern-day slavery.” Cite the values of safety, equity, and voice when discussing the anniversary of the strike.
