Claiming the 14th Amendment’s Power

What this episode covers

What if the most powerful tool for democracy has been in our hands all along? In Episode 8 of In the Making, host Baratunde Thurston joins PolicyLink President Ashleigh Gardere and CEO Michael McAfee to explore how the 13th and 14th Amendments are living tools for us to build a democracy for all—not just 150-year-old texts reserved for lawyers and judges.  Policies and programs alone can't create lasting change because they can be dismantled by the next election or court ruling. But grounding movement work in constitutional law offers a path to durable progress that can't be easily reversed. Instead of treating the Constitution as static or irrelevant, they reframe the 13th and 14th Amendments as underused tools that belong to all of us. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and established that "all must mean all," while the 14th Amendment guarantees equal protection and requires government's affirmative duty to deliver safe water, excellent schools, healthcare, and good jobs for everyone.  They imagine how we could become "14th Amendment people" who build collective identity around fairness for all—similar to how First Amendment and Second Amendment advocates have rooted their movements in constitutional identity. This is about demanding what the Constitution already provides, and making change permanent because the people won't accept anything less. About "In The Making" Hosted by Baratunde Thurston and featuring PolicyLink President Ashleigh Gardere and CEO Michael McAfee, "In the Making" explores how we redesign the nation to serve all. About PolicyLink PolicyLink is a national research and action institute working to redesign this nation so that it governs for all. Subscribe for more conversations on how to design our democracy to serve all. #InTheMaking #PolicyLink #RacialEquity #EconomicJustice #America250 #WeAreTheFounders #GoverningForAll

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