What We Are Fighting For
The following demands are not negotiable. They are the minimum conditions for a just society.
If our collective economic power—nearly $2 trillion in Black spending power—can bring the current system to its knees, then we will use that leverage to demand these changes.
We do not make these demands as supplicants begging for favors. We make them as people who have the power to disrupt the system that oppresses us.
When the oligarchs and politicians feel the pressure, they will have a choice: bend to the will of the people, or watch the system collapse faster.
I. Democracy & Political Power
Demand 1: End Gerrymandering
What we want: An end to the practice of gerrymandering—drawing electoral maps to deliberately dilute the voting power of Black communities, and other communities of color.
How it works: All redistricting must be done by independent, nonpartisan commissions using publicly available data and transparent criteria. Maps must be subject to judicial review for racial and partisan fairness.
Enforcement: Any map found to be gerrymandered shall be struck down, and a special master shall redraw the map for the next election cycle.
Demand 2: Restore the Voting Rights Act
What we want: Full restoration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, including the preclearance requirement struck down by the Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder (2013).
How it works: Any jurisdiction with a documented history of voting discrimination must receive federal approval before changing voting laws. This includes voter ID requirements, polling place closures, purges of voter rolls, and reduction of early voting or mail-in voting.
Enforcement: Violations shall be subject to federal court oversight, with automatic appointment of a federal monitor for any jurisdiction with two or more violations within a decade.
Demand 3: Free and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots and Audits
What we want: Every vote must be verifiable, countable, and auditable.
How it works: All federal elections must be conducted using hand-marked paper ballots (not touchscreen voting machines with no paper trail). Every election must be followed by a mandatory, public, risk-limiting audit to verify the accuracy of results. Voters must be able to verify that their vote was counted as cast.
Enforcement: Any jurisdiction using non-compliant voting equipment shall be ineligible for federal election funding and shall have its results subject to automatic challenge.
Demand 4: Overturn Citizens United
What we want: Reversal of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision through any available legal means.
How it works: Unlimited corporate spending on elections has flooded our political system with dark money, allowing billionaires and oligarchs to buy elections and drown out the voices of working people. Money is not speech. Corporations are not people.
Enforcement: We demand new legislation, a constitutional amendment, or a future Supreme Court ruling that restores the ability of federal, state, and local governments to limit corporate spending on political ads and require full transparency of all political donations.
Demand 5: Ban Stock Trading by Members of Congress
What we want: Members of Congress and their immediate families prohibited from trading individual stocks while in office.
How it works: They must place their assets in a blind trust or diversified index funds for the duration of their service. No lawmaker should profit personally from the laws they write.
Enforcement: Violations shall result in a fine equal to 100 percent of profits from prohibited trades, forfeiture of office, and a permanent ban on holding federal office.
Demand 6: Lifetime Lobbying Ban for Former Officials
What we want: A lifetime ban on former presidents, vice presidents, cabinet members, and members of Congress becoming lobbyists.
How it works: The revolving door between public service and private influence must be permanently closed.
Enforcement: Any violation shall be a federal felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and forfeiture of all lobbying income.
II. Economic Justice
Demand 7: Livable Wages
What we want: A minimum wage of at least $25 per hour for all workers, indexed to inflation so it never loses value again.
How it works: No person who works full-time should live in poverty. This applies to all workers—including domestic workers, tipped workers, and gig economy workers.
Enforcement: Employers who violate the minimum wage shall be subject to triple back pay for each affected worker, automatic fines, and debarment from government contracts.
Demand 8: Affordable Healthcare
What we want: Healthcare that is free at the point of service for all Americans.
How it works: Whether through a single-payer system, expanded Medicare for All, or another mechanism, the goal is the same: no one should go bankrupt because they got sick. We specifically demand fully funded community health clinics in every ZIP code that is more than 30 percent Black.
Enforcement: Any jurisdiction that fails to provide adequate community health clinics shall have federal health funding redirected to nonprofit and community-based providers.
Demand 9: Affordable Housing and a Path to Homeownership
What we want: Housing recognized as a human right, not a commodity.
How it works:
- A national rent freeze for 24 months in gentrifying areas to prevent displacement
- Right of first refusal for Black residents when a rental property is sold
- Low-interest (0–3 percent) mortgages for first-time Black homebuyers
- A massive expansion of Community Land Trusts (CLTs) to remove land from the speculative market and keep housing affordable permanently
Enforcement: Local governments that fail to adopt CLT-friendly zoning and funding mechanisms shall be ineligible for state and federal housing grants.
Demand 10: Affordable Groceries and Fair Prices
What we want: Antitrust enforcement to break up monopolies in the food and grocery industry that allow corporations to inflate prices.
How it works: We also demand price caps on essential goods (food, gasoline, utilities) during declared emergencies or periods of high inflation.
Enforcement: Corporations found to have engaged in price gouging shall be subject to fines of triple the amount of illegal profits, with executives personally liable.
Demand 11: End Predatory Extraction
What we want: An end to the industries that extract wealth from Black communities.
How it works:
- A ban on payday lending (interest rates capped at 10 percent)
- A ban on for-profit bail and private prisons
- A ban on overdraft fees charged to accounts with balances below $500
- Criminal penalties for banks found to have engaged in redlining or discriminatory lending
Enforcement: Violations shall be enforced by a newly created Consumer Protection Division with independent investigative and prosecutorial authority.
III. Protection of Black Communities
Demand 12: Black People as a Protected Class
What we want: Black Americans explicitly designated as a protected class under federal and state law, similar to how certain species are designated as protected to prevent their extinction.
How it works: This designation would trigger enhanced legal protections, stricter penalties for hate crimes and discrimination, and affirmative obligations on government agencies to prevent harm to Black communities.
Enforcement: Any government agency that fails to meet its affirmative obligations to protect Black communities shall be subject to court-ordered remedial plans and potential receivership.
For a full deep dive on this demand, including the model local ordinance and advocacy guide, download the companion PDF: Black People as a Protected Class (Demand #12 Deep Dive)
Demand 13: Local Black Community Protection Acts
What we want: Every city with a significant Black population to pass a Black Community Protection Act making anti-Black discrimination a local civil rights violation with enforceable penalties.
How it works: These local laws would remain in effect even if federal enforcement is weak or hostile. Penalties include fines, injunctions, and revocation of business licenses.
Enforcement: Local governments that refuse to pass or enforce such acts shall be subject to state-level legal action and community-led ballot initiatives.
Demand 14: Community-Based Grievance Systems with Real Power
What we want: Civilian review boards with subpoena power, the ability to levy fines, and the authority to order remedies for police misconduct, housing discrimination, gentrification, employment discrimination, and illegal evictions.
How it works: These boards must be funded by redirecting a portion of local tax dollars (including police budgets) and must be staffed primarily by community members, not law enforcement or political appointees.
Enforcement: Failure to comply with board orders shall result in automatic referral to a special prosecutor and potential withholding of state funding.
Demand 15: End Qualified Immunity
What we want: Elimination of qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that shields police officers and other government officials from civil lawsuits even when they violate clearly established constitutional rights.
How it works: When officials break the law, they must be personally accountable.
Enforcement: Legislation abolishing qualified immunity shall include a private right of action, allowing any person whose rights were violated to sue directly. Government employers shall be prohibited from indemnifying (paying the settlement for) officers found liable.
IV. Institutional Power: Building Our Own
Demand 16: Funding for Black-Owned Banks and Credit Unions
What we want: Federal and state governments to deposit a percentage of public funds (e.g., state pension funds, municipal operating accounts) into Black-owned banks and community credit unions serving Black neighborhoods.
How it works: This would increase lending capacity in communities that have been systematically starved of capital.
Enforcement: A public dashboard shall track deposits annually. Any government entity that fails to meet minimum targets shall be subject to public reporting requirements and potential budget restrictions.
Demand 17: Reparations – A Binding, Time-Bound, Enforceable Process
What we want: Full reparations for the descendants of enslaved Africans in the United States. Unlike previous commissions that studied the issue indefinitely and produced nothing, this process must have teeth, a deadline, and a fallback enforcement mechanism.
How it works:
- Composition: No less than 50 percent of commission members shall be descendants of enslaved Africans selected by Black-led community organizations, not appointed by politicians.
- Public hearings: The commission must hold public hearings in no fewer than 10 cities with significant Black populations within the first 12 months.
- Deadline: The commission must issue a final report with specific compensation recommendations within 24 months.
- Required contents: The final report must include a calculation of total economic harm, a specific per-capita compensation amount, a payment schedule, and recommendations for non-monetary remedies.
- Trigger legislation: Within 90 days of the final report, the President shall submit legislation to Congress implementing the recommendations.
- Reverse referendum: If Congress fails to pass such legislation within one year, all Black descendants of enslaved Africans shall automatically receive a $50,000 per capita tax credit, enforceable in federal court, funded by a surcharge on wealth above $50 million.
- Judicial enforcement: The commission’s enabling legislation shall include a private right of action, allowing any eligible descendant to sue in federal court to compel compliance.
Why this has teeth: If the government can find billions for bank bailouts, war, and corporate subsidies, it can find billions for reparations. The only question is whether we have the power to make them pay.
Demand 18: Land Restitution
What we want: Return of land that was stolen from Black farmers and landowners through violent expropriation, discriminatory lending (USDA discrimination), and eminent domain abuse.
How it works: Where return is impossible, we demand compensation at fair market value plus interest, to be used for Community Land Trusts and Black-led agricultural cooperatives.
Enforcement: A Land Restitution Tribunal shall be established with authority to compel land transfers and award damages. Its decisions shall be final and not subject to political appeal.
V. Accountability & Transparency
Demand 19: Paper Ballot and Audit Requirement
What we want: Because democracy cannot function without trust in elections: all federal elections must be conducted with hand-marked paper ballots followed by mandatory, public, risk-limiting audits.
How it works: No exceptions.
Enforcement: Any jurisdiction that fails to comply shall have its electoral results automatically voided, and a special election shall be conducted by federal monitors.
Demand 20: Structural Anti-Corruption
What we want: An end to the corrupt alliance between billionaire oligarchs and elected officials through multiple structural reforms.
How it works:
- Ban stock trading by members of Congress and their families (see Demand 5)
- Lifetime lobbying ban for former officials (see Demand 6)
- Overturn Citizens United (see Demand 4)
- Recall elections for federal officials – A constitutional amendment allowing recall elections for the president, vice president, and members of Congress when a sufficient percentage of voters petition for it. If an official is corrupt, incompetent, or has lost the confidence of the people, the people should have a mechanism to remove them before the next scheduled election.
- Independent ethics enforcement – A new, independent Office of Public Integrity with authority to investigate and prosecute corruption by federal officials, free from executive or congressional control.
Enforcement: The Office of Public Integrity shall have subpoena power, independent funding, and the authority to refer criminal charges to a specially appointed independent counsel.
How These Demands Will Be Enforced
We do not expect politicians to grant these demands out of the goodness of their hearts. They will only act under pressure.
Our leverage is our collective economic power—nearly $2 trillion in Black spending power—and our ability to disrupt business as usual.
When our economic boycotts and coordinated actions cause enough pain to the billionaire class, they will pressure their elected officials to negotiate.
At that moment, these demands will be on the table. Nothing less will be accepted.
A Final Note
This list is not exhaustive. It will grow and evolve as the Blueprint Council meets, as communities organize, and as we learn from our own actions.
What is written here today is a starting point—not a final word.
But one thing is not negotiable: We are done waiting. We are done begging. We are building our own power, and we are making our demands known.
Download Other Resources
- Bank Fee Escape Checklist – Step-by-step guide to leaving big banks
- Black People as a Protected Class (Demand #12 Deep Dive) – Full guide with model ordinance
- 12-Month Calendar – What to do, month by month
- How to Attend a City Council Meeting – First-timer’s guide
- Why an Economic Boycott? – One-pager for skeptics
Disclaimer
This document is for educational and informational purposes only. We are not financial advisors, attorneys, or certified professionals. Consult with a qualified professional before making any financial, legal, or banking decisions. By using this information, you assume all risks and agree that neither the author nor the publisher is liable for any losses or damages.
You are free to: Share, print, and distribute this guide non-commercially.
You must: Keep this disclaimer and attribution intact.
You may not: Sell this guide or remove the author’s name.
