Demand Equity Now…

…the network of advocates, organizers, community builders, and others fighting for economic and social equity in America

…an online database of equity resources with the ability to connect to campaigns across the country, find and share skills, best practices, technical assistance, and support

DEN emerged from the 2008 PolicyLink equity summit in New Orleans, where over 1,700 people participated in workshops and plenary sessions and in conversations over meals, in the hallways, and in late night informal sessions. Participants were enthusiastic about holding on to the sense of connection to issues, ideas, actions, and people engagement experienced throughout the summit.

The summit was the place to talk, share tips, describe campaigns, solicit support, and arrange technical assistance from one another. Everyone wanted to know: How do we keep this going? How do we build and expand this network? How can we support each other—our work, our campaigns, our advocacy?

The answers were simple: We needed a viral solution and a name that defines the goal:

Demand Equity Now.org
Today, nearly 500 organizations (see map for names and locations) are part of Demand Equity Now, representing policy advocacy, faith-based, communications, organizing, regional equity coalitions, movement-building, legal services/litigation, research, and service groups all across America. At Equity Summit 2011: Healthy Communities, Strong Regions, A Prosperous America, November 8-11, in Detroit, the network will grow exponentially. Be there, be part of the network: Demand Equity Now!

Click map to see list of organizations

Questions? Contact Kisasi Brooks, kisasi@policylink.org

What the DEN Network offers:

 Organizational profile
 your work
 your campaigns
 your leadership
 services you can provide
 what others can do to help advance your effort
 
 Notices about opportunities and special events
 Conferences
 Webinars
 E-advocacy campaigns
 Calls for assistance
 
 Peer-to-peer technical assistance
 Let others know about skills you can deliver
 Ask for skills you need
 Share advocacy and organizing tools
 Provide and receive guidance on campaign strategy, partnerships, and cooperation

DEN Actions So Far
2009: Coordinated a national conversation among equity stakeholders as the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds were being released , helping dozens of place-based coalitions place equity front and center in local projects.

2010: Helped organize One Nation Working Together, a march and rally of 200,000 labor, civil and human rights advocates in Washington, DC, for jobs and equity2010: Joined with national partners and economists to release Report and Recommendations of the Citizens’ Commission on Jobs, Deficits, and America’s Economic Future. The report argues for an alternative to cutting our way out of this recession, instead asking members of Congress to “return our economy to healthy, sustainable growth, while taking action to reduce deficits and debt.”

2010: Polled regional equity advocates on strategies to ensure that the equity provisions of the Sustainable Communities Initiative of HUD/DOT/EPA included both governance and budget for equity organizations.

2011: Partnered with The Food Trust and The Reinvestment Fund to advocate for a national Healthy Food Financing Initiative. These efforts led to $45 million in federal funding to seed healthy food retail projects across the country.

2011: Organized a national coalition of nearly 500 organizations working to pass legislation to make Promise Neighborhoods a federally authorized program in 2012