UPDATE: Unrig Summit is now the American Democracy Summit.
MARCH FOR OUR LIVES’ EMMA GONZÁLEZ, NASHVILLE MAYOR DAVID BRILEY JOIN SPEAKING LINE-UP FOR UNRIG, NATION’S LEADING SUMMIT TO FIX DEMOCRACY
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 22, 2019) – Activist and March for Our Lives organizer Emma González and Nashville Mayor David Briley will join leaders from across the political spectrum and anti-corruption group RepresentUs at their annual Unrig Summit 2019. Briley will open the Summit, the largest democracy reform event of the year, and Emma will take the stage to discuss the NRA’s undue influence and the power of youth organizing to inspire other young people to make their voices heard. The premier right-left summit to solve America’s political crisis, Unrig Summit will be held March 29-31, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn.
As the premier right-left summit to solve America’s political crisis heads to Nashville, Mayor Briley will welcome attendees to the city and open the Summit to this cross-partisan group of activists, advocates, celebrities, grassroots organizers, and voters united to tackle the deep dysfunction and gridlock defining today’s political landscape.
Additionally, González will speak to the outsized influence of lobbyists and political donors to issues that matter most to young Americans. At this seminal moment in history, young voters are increasingly alienated from a political process that does not serve their interests. While youth voters turned out in record numbers for the 2018 midterms, a 2018 Harvard poll showed that 68 percent of Millennials place blame on money in politics as the root of America’s problems.
Briley, who took office in 2018, and González, an outspoken activist on gun reform following the February 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., join America’s most visionary leaders, expert trainers and entertainers from across the political spectrum to address the corruption in American politics head-on.
Additional confirmed speakers include:
- RepresentUs board member Jennifer Lawrence
- Actor, comedian and singer Ed Helms
- Actress and comedian Sasheer Zamata
- ‘Pod Save the People’ host and activist DeRay McKesson
- Former Starbucks CEO and independent presidential candidate Howard Schultz
- Professor and “Corruption in America” author Zephyr Teachout
- U.S. House Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Tim Burchett (R-TN)
- Harvard Law School professor and Equal Citizens founder Lawrence Lessig
- United Nations Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights Katie Gilmore
The full list of current speakers can be found here.
Backed by the nation’s leading left-right anti-corruption group RepresentUs, Unrig focuses on addressing the systemic structural failures in election, ethics, and campaign finance policy at the root of political dysfunction. In addition to speeches and panels, Unrig Summit provides attendees with solutions-oriented panels, hands-on-trainings and workshops, opportunities to connect and collaborate, and top caliber music and entertainment. For example, high school and college-aged organizers and budding activists can:
- Discover how corruption makes its mark on issues they care about, and how their peers are tackling corruption in politics via the Youth Engagement panel
- Learn from successful leaders like #VoteTogether Director Angie Jean Marie on the Spark Stage
- Connect with fellow organizers and activists with the Student Caucus/Youth Meet Up track
- Receive hands-on training in organizing, with the ‘How to Run for Office’ and ‘How to Start a Local Group’ workshops.
An early look at the program is available here.
“Americans are suffering because special interests and lobbyists have rigged the system against regular people,” RepresentUs co-founder and director Josh Silver said. “We are looking forward to bringing our solutions-oriented, fun, and creative approach to Nashville with the help of Mayor Briley.”
On González, Silver said:
“Emma is a shining example of a younger generation with deep investment in our political future — and a recognition that the two-party status quo isn’t working. Emma has mobilized teens across the United States to get involved and take action to fix a system that is no longer working for them. Unrig Summit 2019 will build on this movement and spark creative ways to address the corrupt culture that has left too many people behind.”
Journalists, members of the press, and independent writers and bloggers are invited to join RepresentUs for this historic conference. Contact press@represent.us for information regarding 2019 Unrig Summit System press credentials.
CONTACT
Contact unrigpress@represent.us or (413) 333-5651 for more information regarding 2019 Unrig Summit or obtaining press credentials.
RESOURCES
Unrig the System Facebook Event
Find us on social media: @RepresentUs
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Unrig Summit 2019 is supported by Leadership Council members Issue One, Unite America, National Vote from Home Institute, American Promise, and RepresentUs. RepresentUs is the nation’s leading right-left anti-corruption group, bringing together conservatives, progressives and everyone in between to pass anti-corruption laws in cities and states around the country