Justice for All Party Platform
Preamble:
The Justice for All Party stands in an unwavering commitment to the tripartite pillars of Truth, Justice, and Love, guided by a moral vision of justice for all. We draw inspiration from generations of freedom fighters and movement-builders who spoke truth to power and demanded a society that honors the dignity of every human being. This platform is both a moral declaration of our values and a practical roadmap to remake our society. It is rooted in the prophetic tradition that calls us to uplift the oppressed and heal the wounds of injustice, and it reflects the cries for change echoing from grassroots movements across this nation.
Grounded in love for all people, a passion for the truth, and an uncompromising demand for justice, we present a comprehensive vision for America’s future. Each plank of this platform is movement-driven yet actionable – pairing bold principles with concrete policies and pathways for implementation. We address every dimension of injustice: social, economic, racial, environmental, and political. In doing so, we seek nothing less than a paradigm shift: a society that centers human needs and democratic power over profit and oppression. This is a living platform, born from the struggles of the people and meant to galvanize a broad coalition for transformative change. Together, we affirm that justice is what love looks like in public, and we invite all who share this vision to join us in building a new America where truth reigns, love drives out hate, and justice is realized for each and every one of us.
Black American Justice
In the spirit of our ancestors’ resilience and with a clear-eyed acknowledgment of America’s original sin, the Justice for All Party enshrines Black American Justice as a core pillar of our platform. We recognize that the freedom struggle of Black American descendants of enslaved Africans is central to the quest for democracy in the United States. From the shackles of slavery and the ravages of Jim Crow to the structural racism of today, Black Americans have endured unique and egregious injustices. This pillar is a promise to confront those injustices with policies as sweeping and deep as the harms done. It is a commitment to repair and restore — economically, socially, and politically — the damage of centuries, and to ensure that freedom, self-determination, and thriving communities are the birthright of Black Americans. Our vision is a nation redeemed through justice: one that finally pays its debts, tells the truth about its history, and empowers Black Americans to determine their own destiny. The Black American Justice Pillar is built on the following commitments:
Comprehensive Reparations Program: We acknowledge the immeasurable debt owed to the descendants of enslaved Africans for the wealth extracted from Black labor and the terror of racial apartheid. We commit to a sweeping reparations program to repair the lasting harms of slavery and Jim Crow, including direct financial compensation, expansive investments in Black communities, and guarantees of educational and housing opportunities. This program will be enacted with urgency and rigor — we will establish a federal Reparations Commission (as proposed in H.R. 40) to formally study and design reparative measures, but we will not wait for endless studies to act. Like the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 that provided reparations to Japanese Americans interned during World War II (Civil Liberties Act of 1988 - Wikipedia), our reparations policy will be backed by legislation and resources to deliver material justice. This includes targeted debt relief, trust funds for Black education and business development, and other means of eliminating the racial wealth gap (today, the median White family has roughly 7 to 8 times the wealth of the median Black family (The Black-white wealth gap left Black households more vulnerable)). Through reparations, America can begin a process of truth and reconciliation, acknowledging that justice delayed is justice denied.
Ending Mass Incarceration and Police Terror: We will dismantle the systems of policing and punishment that have criminalized and destroyed Black lives. Black Americans are incarcerated at nearly five times the rate of white Americans (Race and Criminal Justice | American Civil Liberties Union), and are roughly 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police than their white counterparts (Police: Sixth-leading cause of death for young Black men | University of Michigan News) – a moral abomination that must end. Our policies will end mass incarceration through sweeping sentencing reform, abolition of draconian laws, and a halt to the school-to-prison pipeline that funnels Black youth into cages. We will abolish private prisons and overhaul punitive sentencing (including eliminating mandatory minimums and the death penalty), emphasizing restorative justice and rehabilitation over retribution. At the same time, we will end police brutality and racially biased policing by demilitarizing police forces, establishing strong civilian oversight and accountability for misconduct, and banning practices like chokeholds and qualified immunity that shield officers from consequences. Funding will be redistributed from over-policing to community-based safety programs, mental health services, and violence prevention. We support the creation of community-led public safety initiatives that protect Black lives and de-escalate conflict. No longer will Black neighborhoods be treated as occupied zones — we seek a future where public safety means safety for the public, including those who have for too long lived in fear of those sworn to protect them.
Education, Historical Truth-Telling, and Cultural Restoration: We commit to an honest reckoning with America’s history and a celebration of Black Americans’ contributions. This begins in our schools: we will ensure that curricula at all levels include the full truth of slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, redlining, and the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the countless achievements of Black Americans. We vehemently oppose any whitewashing of history or bans on truthful education. Preserving and teaching Black history is not an option but a necessity for our national healing. We will invest in educational equity for Black students, including targeted funding to predominantly Black public schools and support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges (TCUs), recognizing these institutions as vital reservoirs of heritage and empowerment. Culturally, we will launch a National Initiative for Black Cultural Restoration: protecting important Black historical sites, supporting Black-led museums and arts programs, and returning stolen cultural artifacts to their communities of origin. We will remove symbols of white supremacy — such as Confederate monuments — from places of honor, replacing them with memorials that truthfully acknowledge the struggle and honor Black freedom fighters. By confronting the past with honesty, we empower future generations to build a nation that cherishes Black life and culture.
Health Equity and Black Maternal Justice: We recognize that racism is a public health crisis that has produced egregious disparities in Black health outcomes. Our platform demands equitable, culturally competent healthcare for Black Americans as a matter of justice. This means fully addressing the Black maternal health crisis – Black women are about three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women (Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality | Women’s Health | CDC) – through targeted policies (as detailed in our Black Maternal Justice Pillar below) to ensure safe, respectful maternal care for Black mothers. It also means tackling chronic health inequities: from higher Black infant mortality, to the impacts of environmental racism like toxic water and pollution in Black communities, to disparate rates of diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. We will ensure that universal healthcare (Medicare for All and beyond) actively works to eliminate these gaps, for example by funding community health centers in underserved Black areas, recruiting and training Black medical professionals, and requiring anti-bias training for all healthcare providers. We champion a Maternal Morality Review Board and related measures to hold our health system accountable for the lives of Black mothers and babies. Additionally, we support mental health and trauma recovery services in Black communities heavily impacted by violence and systemic neglect. Our health justice vision is one where race is no longer a predictor of health, and every Black American has access to the compassionate, high-quality care they need to thrive.
Land, Housing, and Community Restoration: A just America must restore what has been stolen from Black people – not only in wealth, but in land and community. We will tackle the intertwined injustices of housing discrimination, displacement, and land theft that have systematically undermined Black stability and prosperity. This includes enforcing and expanding fair housing laws to uproot persistent housing discrimination and predatory lending practices. We will invest in affordable housing and homeownership programs for Black families, including down-payment assistance and urban homesteading initiatives in formerly redlined neighborhoods. Where Black communities were dispossessed of land – from the Jim Crow era appropriation of Black-owned farms to the urban renewal programs that razed Black neighborhoods – we will pursue reparative justice. Our administration will support the Justice for Black Farmers Act, providing land grants, financial assistance, and technical support to Black farmers to reclaim their rightful place in American agriculture (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will also identify and rectify cases where Black families had land seized or stolen (such as via tax schemes or racial violence), returning land or providing just compensation. In cities, we champion a policy of Community Reinvestment and Restoration: directing federal funds to rebuild infrastructure in neglected Black neighborhoods, supporting Black-owned businesses, cooperatives, and local hire programs, and ensuring long-time residents can remain in place and benefit from development (through measures like rent stabilization and community land trusts). From the Greenwood district of Tulsa to rural Black towns, we seek to restore the thriving communities that white supremacy sought to destroy. Every Black American deserves a safe home and a vibrant community, and we will devote the resources needed to make that a reality.
Political Power and Self-Determination: We affirm the right of Black Americans to full political representation and self-determination. The Justice for All Party will relentlessly fight voter suppression that targets Black (and other minority) communities. We will restore and strengthen the protections of the Voting Rights Act – effectively undoing the damage of the Shelby County decision – to end racist disenfranchisement schemes (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This includes instituting uniform federal standards to prevent discriminatory voter ID laws, purges, gerrymandering, poll closures, and intimidation tactics that have resurged in recent years. We support automatic voter registration, extended early voting, mail-in voting, and making Election Day a federal holiday (as detailed in the Voter Justice pillar) to ensure every Black vote is cast and counted. But political justice goes beyond voting. We strive for Black self-determination in governance: supporting Black-led political organizations and third-party efforts, increasing the representation of Black voices at every level of government, and empowering Black communities to have a direct say in policies that affect them. This could involve community control boards (for example, giving local residents oversight of police departments and school boards in majority-Black cities), as well as statehood for Washington D.C. – a majority-minority city denied full representation – as a matter of civil rights. Additionally, we will enforce civil rights laws to ensure fair representation in electoral districts and push for proportional representation mechanisms that amplify rather than dilute Black political power. By elevating Black leadership and agency, we honor the principle that those closest to the pain must be closest to the power. Our aim is a truly inclusive democracy in which Black Americans, after centuries of exclusion, are architects of their own destiny and co-authors of the American story.
Together, these policies form a sweeping program of Black freedom, empowerment, and redress. The Justice for All Party understands that America’s moral and democratic integrity depends on achieving justice for Black America. We hear the echoes of ancestors who fought for liberation against all odds, and we refuse to betray their legacy. This Black American Justice pillar is more than policy – it is a sacred covenant with a people who have given so much to this country and received far too little. By fulfilling it, we move closer to an America that fully embodies Truth, that administers Justice with love, and that truly provides Justice for All. Join us in making real the dreams of emancipation and equality – for in the struggle for Black freedom, we secure the freedom of the nation itself.
Black Maternal Justice
In the spirit of justice and with a profound commitment to the sanctity of life, we present the Black Maternal Justice Pillar. This policy is an acknowledgment of the grave injustices faced by Black mothers in the United States, who endure disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity. (Black women are roughly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women (Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality | Women’s Health | CDC).) It is a moral imperative to confront and dismantle the systemic racism and inequities embedded within our healthcare system that betray Black women during one of the most pivotal experiences of their lives. The Black Maternal Justice Pillar is built upon the following foundational commitments:
Comprehensive Funding Increase: We vow to significantly amplify funding for maternal health initiatives tailored to the needs of Black women. This encompasses bolstering the resources of hospitals and clinics in underserved Black communities and investing in research that identifies and promotes the most effective strategies for eradicating the maternal mortality crisis among Black women.
Cultural Competency and Bias Training: We mandate that all healthcare professionals in obstetrics and gynecology undergo thorough cultural competency and implicit bias training. This policy ensures that Black women are met with the respect, understanding, and high-quality care they deserve, free from prejudice and discrimination at every step of their maternity journey.
Community Health Worker Programs: We champion the expansion of community health worker programs, recognizing their critical role in bridging the gap between Black pregnant women and the healthcare system. These programs will offer vital prenatal and postnatal education, support, and advocacy, ensuring Black women are empowered and supported through every stage of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.
Data Collection and Research: We commit to enhancing data collection on maternal health outcomes for Black women and to supporting research into healthcare models that demonstrably improve these outcomes. This initiative is essential for illuminating the depth of disparities and informing targeted, effective interventions. With better data, we can hold health institutions accountable and measure progress in saving Black mothers’ lives.
Access to Midwifery and Doula Services: We affirm the right of all Black women to access the care of midwives and doulas, whose presence has been proven to significantly improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. These services, offering culturally competent support, will be made widely available and covered by all health insurance plans (including Medicaid), ensuring that every Black mother can benefit from their invaluable assistance regardless of income.
Policy Oversight Committee: We will establish a national oversight committee dedicated specifically to Black maternal healthcare. This body – comprising Black healthcare experts, maternal health advocates, and members of affected communities – will monitor the execution of these policies, evaluate their effectiveness, and recommend additional measures to enhance Black maternal health and well-being. It will serve as a vigilant guardian of Black mothers’ interests within federal health agencies.
The Black Maternal Justice Pillar declares our unwavering dedication to rectifying the profound injustices that endanger Black mothers. It affirms our belief in a healthcare system that upholds the dignity, respects the rights, and preserves the lives of all mothers, recognizing the invaluable role they play in the fabric of our society. In advancing these policies, we seek to address a critical health crisis and honor every Black woman’s inherent worth and her fundamental right to safe, empowering, and dignified maternal care. Join us in this sacred mission to ensure that the promise of justice and equality encompasses the life-giving journey of motherhood. In protecting Black mothers, we uphold the sanctity of life and the principle of justice for all.
Child Justice
In an unwavering commitment to the sanctity and potential of every child, we introduce the Child Justice and Protection Pillar. This foundational element of our platform envisions a world where every child is nurtured in environments that foster their well-being, development, and dignity. It champions a holistic and inclusive approach to child justice and protection, addressing the varied needs of children across all segments of society. Here are the key initiatives that comprise this pillar:
Reform Juvenile Justice Systems: We will prioritize community-based interventions over detention for youth with lower-level offenses, ensuring the use of confinement is reserved only for those who pose a significant public safety risk. This initiative seeks to balance the scales of justice for children by emphasizing rehabilitation, education, and healthy reintegration into society rather than punishment. Ending the practice of charging and sentencing children as adults, and abolishing life without parole for juveniles, are central to this reform, reflecting our belief that every child deserves the chance to learn from mistakes and grow.
Uphold Children’s Rights in Legal Proceedings: We will guarantee that children engaging with the justice system have access to child-friendly, trauma-informed, and gender-sensitive legal processes that respect and protect their rights. This means ensuring minors have qualified juvenile defenders, that court environments are not re-traumatizing, and that the unique circumstances of each child are considered in judgments. We support the full implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (even as the U.S. has yet to ratify it) as a guiding framework for how our justice system treats children.
End the School-to-Prison Pipeline: It is a moral imperative to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline that criminalizes our youth – disproportionately children of color – for behaviors that should be handled within supportive educational settings. We will remove police (School Resource Officers) from routine disciplinary roles in schools and replace zero-tolerance policies with restorative justice practices. By investing in counselors, social workers, and restorative justice coordinators in schools, we affirm that childhood missteps should be met with guidance and compassion, not handcuffs. This commitment will help keep kids in classrooms and out of courtrooms (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), fostering a culture of learning and growth.
Universal Child Care and Early Education: Recognizing that the foundation for lifelong justice is laid in early childhood, we will implement policies to ensure every child has access to quality, affordable early education and care. This includes universal Pre-K and childcare support for all families. By alleviating the burden of childcare costs and providing enriching early learning environments, we take a stand for children’s cognitive and emotional development. Investments in Head Start and similar programs will be expanded, and standards for childcare providers will be raised and supported, so that all children can flourish regardless of their family’s income.
Child Poverty Eradication: Following the maxim that poverty for a child is an unacceptable social sin, we aim to eradicate child poverty through robust economic support to families. We will expand and make permanent an improved Child Tax Credit, ensure a living wage for working parents (see Economic Justice pillar), and provide housing and nutrition assistance sufficient to guarantee no child lacks food, shelter, or basic needs. Lifting children out of poverty is both a moral duty and an investment in our collective future health and safety.
Foster Care Reform and Support: We will overhaul the foster care system to better protect children who cannot remain in their original homes. Our reforms will emphasize placing children with kin (relatives or family friends) when safe and possible, reducing unnecessary congregate care, and providing extensive support and training for foster parents. Aging out of foster care should no longer lead to homelessness or incarceration; we commit to providing transition programs, including housing, education, and job placement, for youth aging out of care. Moreover, we will address the root causes that lead to family separations by providing struggling families with resources (such as mental health services, addiction treatment, and economic aid) to prevent children from entering foster care in the first place.
End Child Exploitation and Trafficking: We will massively strengthen measures to combat child trafficking, labor exploitation, and abuse. This includes funding specialized task forces to find and protect missing children, cracking down on industries that exploit child labor (from agricultural fields to online spaces), and providing comprehensive services for survivors of trafficking and abuse. Internationally, we will support efforts to end child labor and exploitation supply chains, ensuring that the goods we consume are not tainted by the abuse of any child.
Champion Children’s Health and Well-Being: Finally, child justice means ensuring children’s basic rights to healthcare and a healthy environment. We will guarantee healthcare for all children (no child should ever be uninsured), including dental, vision, and mental health services. We will address environmental injustices – like lead in water or asthma from pollution – that harm children first and worst. And we support robust child nutrition programs (from healthy school meals to summer feeding programs) so that no child goes hungry. Every policy, from climate to housing, will be evaluated by its impact on children’s well-being, remembering Dr. Cornel West’s words that “you can measure a civilization by how it treats its children.”
The Child Justice Pillar is a testament to our belief in a future where children’s rights and needs are paramount. It is a commitment that every child – no matter their background, zip code, or the circumstances of their birth – deserves to grow up safe, nurtured, and free to reach their full potential. By investing in our children and protecting them from harm, we invest in the very fabric of our society. Join us in building a nation that cherishes every child as a precious member of our human family, for in their bright eyes and boundless hope lies the promise of our tomorrow.
Disability Justice
Rooted in our vision for a society that genuinely cherishes justice and equity, the Disability Justice Pillar is a profound commitment to advocating for the rights, dignity, and full inclusion of individuals with disabilities. We embrace Disability Justice as an essential framework that acknowledges the multidimensional nature of oppression and its intersections with race, gender, class, and more. In the spirit of “nothing about us without us,” this pillar centers the leadership and voices of disabled people. It is built upon the following critical commitments:
Intersectional Empowerment: We emphasize the interconnected struggle of Disability Justice with broader social justice movements. Our policies are dedicated to amplifying the voices and experiences of disabled individuals, particularly those from multiply marginalized groups – such as disabled women, people of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ individuals with disabilities. We will ensure disabled people are at the table in crafting all policies, recognizing their expertise in their own needs and solutions.
Economic Security and Employment: We champion policies to ensure economic empowerment for people with disabilities. This means enforcing and expanding hiring quotas and affirmative action for disabled workers, providing strong anti-discrimination protections in employment, and ending sub-minimum wage exploitation (which allows people with disabilities to be paid far below minimum wage). We recognize the extra costs associated with disabilities and will strengthen social safety nets accordingly. All people with disabilities deserve equal employment opportunities, fair compensation, and access to the resources that enable independent living. We will raise asset limits and income caps that trap disabled people in poverty – eliminating the enforced poverty of programs that cut off benefits if one saves more than $2,000 (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Part-time or flexible work will be encouraged without loss of supports, so that disabled individuals can participate in the economy to the extent they choose, without being penalized for earning or saving.
Accessible Technology and Infrastructure: In a modern society, access requires more than ramps – it requires digital and technological inclusion. We will advocate for the development and implementation of technology that is accessible to all. This means ensuring everything from websites and mobile apps to public kiosks and voting machines are compliant with high accessibility standards (WCAG for digital content, etc.). It also means investing in assistive technologies – such as screen readers, hearing devices, mobility aids, and emerging innovations – and making them affordable. Government procurement will prioritize accessible design, spurring the private sector to follow. Additionally, public infrastructure (transportation, housing, public buildings) will be retrofitted and redesigned to meet universal design principles, ensuring that physical and communication access is guaranteed for people with all types of disabilities.
Support for Families and Early Intervention: We will promote robust support systems and early intervention services for children with disabilities and their families. Early childhood intervention, beginning as early as possible, has profound impacts on a child’s development and future opportunities. Our policy will fully fund Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates so that every child gets the services they need in school, including therapies, aides, and an appropriate education plan. We will expand programs that identify and assist infants and toddlers with developmental delays, ensuring families have access to therapies and support networks. By laying the foundation for lifelong learning, empowerment, and inclusion from an early age, we set children with disabilities on a path to thrive.
Civil Rights and Legal Protections: We will unwaveringly defend the civil liberties and rights of individuals with disabilities across all areas of life. This includes vigorous enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and pushing its principles further. In criminal justice, we will end the incarceration of people with intellectual, developmental, or mental health disabilities who should be in community care, and require all law enforcement to be trained in interacting safely and respectfully with disabled individuals. In voting, we will ensure full ballot access and assistance so that disabled voters can exercise their rights privately and independently. In healthcare, we will prohibit discrimination in organ transplants or life-saving care based on disability. In family law, we will protect the parenting rights of people with disabilities. Our vision is a society where disabled people enjoy full participation and are protected from discrimination in every sphere.
Affordable and Accessible Housing: Housing is a human right, and for disabled individuals, housing must also be accessible. We will spearhead initiatives to greatly increase the stock of affordable, accessible housing. New federally funded housing will be required to meet universal design standards (e.g., wheelchair accessible units, visual fire alarms for Deaf residents, etc.), and we will fund modifications for existing homes (through grants for ramps, lifts, accessible bathrooms, etc.) so that people can remain in their communities. We also support expanded vouchers and rental assistance earmarked for disabled individuals who often live on limited incomes. Homelessness among disabled people (including many veterans and mentally ill individuals) will be addressed through Housing First strategies. Our goal is to foster independence and community inclusion by making sure a disability never forces someone into institutionalization due to lack of accessible housing.
End Enforced Institutionalization and Improve Care: We commit to scaling up home- and community-based services (HCBS) so that disabled people are not forced into nursing homes or institutions against their will. This means increasing Medicaid funding for in-home caregiving, paying family or community caregivers, and eliminating waitlists for services. We support the rights guaranteed by the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision that people with disabilities have the right to live in the community. Simultaneously, for those who choose or need institutional care, we will enforce strict standards against abuse and neglect in facilities, and ensure quality, dignified care. The autonomy of disabled people in making decisions about their own lives will be central in all policies.
Healthcare Access and Disability-Centric Care: We will ensure healthcare systems meet the needs of people with disabilities. This includes requiring medical schools and providers to be trained in disability competency (for instance, knowing how to communicate with non-verbal patients or how to provide exams for wheelchair users). We will push for the inclusion of a Disability Health Bill of Rights, outlining that disabled patients have a right to accessible medical equipment (like height-adjustable exam tables and scales), sign language interpreters, information in plain language, and appropriate accommodations in all healthcare settings (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Moreover, mental health care parity and specialized services for intellectual and developmental disabilities will be priorities. No person with a disability should find healthcare out of reach or unsuitable to their needs.
Global Leadership on Disability Rights: As part of our holistic view, we will also have the U.S. finally ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), joining the global community in affirming disability rights as human rights. We will share best practices and support disability rights movements worldwide, making accessibility and inclusion a cornerstone of our foreign aid and diplomacy.
The Disability Justice Pillar encapsulates our dedication to systemic change that uplifts and addresses the concerns of those most marginalized. It is a commitment to building an inclusive, empathetic world where the diversity and potential of every individual with a disability are recognized, celebrated, and nurtured. Join us in affirming that disability rights are civil rights, and that our society is stronger when everyone belongs. Together, we will tear down barriers and open up the paths of opportunity and justice for our disabled brothers and sisters, so that all of us may live with dignity and freedom.
Economic Justice
In the spirit of profound solidarity, let us engage with the vision of Economic Justice as a testament to our collective commitment to rectify historical injustices and build a society rooted in compassion, equity, and love. Our pursuit of economic justice is not merely a policy program but a moral crusade to ensure that the wealth of this great nation serves not the few, but the many — every beautiful soul walking this land. We insist that in the richest society on earth, poverty must be abolished and prosperity shared. Our Economic Justice pillar includes the following bold initiatives:
Eradicate Poverty: To end poverty is to affirm the divine worth of every individual. We will enact policies that guarantee access to quality education, healthcare, nutritious food, and secure housing as sacrosanct rights (see Education, Health, and Housing planks for specifics). We say unequivocally that poverty is not a personal failure but a policy choice – and we choose to end it. By raising the floor of basic needs and implementing full employment programs, we will ensure no one is left destitute. This includes a robust expansion of the social safety net: increasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, expanding Social Security, and ensuring a guaranteed income sufficient for a life of dignity. Poverty, in our view, is a social sin to be eradicated, not a fate to be endured (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Abolish Homelessness: We embrace our unhoused brothers and sisters with the warmth of our concern and the strength of our actions. It is intolerable that hundreds of thousands have no place to call home. We will guarantee housing as a human right (through policies detailed in Housing Justice) and launch a Homes for All program to provide permanent, supportive housing to people experiencing homelessness. This means massive investments in building affordable and public housing, emergency shelter expansion, and wraparound services (including mental health and substance abuse treatment) to address the roots of despair (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We aim to build a nation where every person has a sanctuary – a home to call their own – and no child or veteran sleeps on the streets. Housing First approaches, which have proven to reduce homelessness effectively, will be scaled nationally.
Public Banking and Community Investment: We will create Federal Public Banking Institutions as a means to democratize our economy. By establishing public banks at the federal, state, and local levels, we can channel public resources directly into rebuilding communities and critical infrastructure instead of funneling profits to Wall Street (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Public banks will provide low-interest loans for cooperatives, small businesses, green energy projects, and affordable housing developments. They symbolize our collective reclaiming of economic power to serve people and planet, funding the green reconstruction of America’s infrastructure (from roads and bridges to broadband and renewable energy systems) with the welfare of the people at heart, not the profit of private bankers.
Universal Basic Income (UBI) Experimentation: We will establish a Universal Basic Income Commission to design and pilot a UBI program (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Our vision is to reimagine welfare not as a patchwork of means-tested programs that often exclude and stigmatize, but as an unconditional guarantee that everyone has a minimal income floor. We will conduct large-scale trials of UBI, providing direct cash payments to Americans to ensure no one falls through the cracks of automation or economic downturns. This is an audacious hope to empower individuals – an investment in our shared dignity that provides a financial backbone against the whims of an uncertain economy. The lessons from these pilots will guide us toward implementing a national UBI that could, for instance, provide $1,000 a month to every adult, freeing people to pursue education, care for family, or start a business without fear of destitution.
Tax Justice – End Oligarchy: We demand a fair economy where the wealthiest pay their share. We will implement a Wealth Tax to end oligarchy (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) – a modest tax on the net worth of multimillionaires and billionaires – to redistribute the obscene concentrations of wealth hoarded by the top 0.1%. This will generate trillions to fund our social programs and infrastructure. We will also raise taxes on corporate profits (especially those of monopolistic tech and finance firms) and close loopholes that allow corporations and the ultra-rich to evade taxes. Additionally, we support heavier estate taxes on large inheritances, because dynastic wealth and democracy cannot coexist. By taxing wealth and high incomes fairly, we declare that our democracy is not for sale to billionaires and that economic power must not translate into undue political power.
Living Wages for All – $27 National Minimum Wage: We assert the radical notion that if a person works full time, they deserve not merely to survive but to live with dignity. We will enact a national $27 per hour minimum wage (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) phased in with urgency, indexed to inflation. In high cost-of-living areas, we will encourage even higher local minima. No one working 40 hours a week should struggle to feed their family or pay rent. A $27 wage (roughly equivalent to the productivity growth and inflation adjustments of past decades) would lift millions out of poverty and reduce reliance on safety nets. It will particularly benefit women and people of color disproportionately trapped in low-wage jobs. Our goal is a society where the minimum wage becomes a living wage, and where the dignity of workers is honored in their paycheck.
Expansive Family and Disability Benefits: Our economy must nurture families and support individuals through life’s challenges. We will mandate paid family leave – at least 6 months of paid parental leave for all new parents, and substantial paid leave to care for ill family members – as well as guarantee paid sick leave for all workers (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We also plan to expand disability benefits and social security, ending the backlog and strict hurdles that deny too many disabled people support. Caregiving will be recognized and compensated: we propose a caregiver income for those who take time to care for children, the elderly, or disabled family members, so no one is penalized for performing this invaluable labor of love. By supporting families and caregivers, we affirm that care work is real work and that compassion is at the heart of our communal bonds (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Federal Jobs Guarantee: We uphold the right to meaningful employment for all. We will launch a National Jobs Program (in synergy with our Green New Deal and infrastructure plans) that guarantees a job with a living wage and benefits to every American who wants one (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Whether rebuilding crumbling infrastructure, staffing community health clinics, expanding our teaching workforce, or replanting forests, there is no shortage of vital work to be done. By marrying the need for work with the work that needs doing, we address both unemployment and our nation’s deficits in care and climate resilience. This federal jobs guarantee will particularly uplift areas of chronic joblessness (inner cities, deindustrialized towns, reservations) and serve as a powerful engine against racial and economic inequity.
Support Worker Ownership and Cooperatives: We seek to sow the seeds of economic democracy by supporting worker-owned cooperatives and employee ownership models (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Our policies will provide grants, technical assistance, and favorable contracts to cooperatives and collective enterprises. We will incentivize retiring business owners to sell their companies to their employees, creating broad-based ownership. By expanding cooperative economics – where workers have a say in decision-making and share profits – we create workplaces that are sites of empowerment, not exploitation. This will help shift the balance of power from corporate bosses to working people and local communities.
Housing as a Right: We assert that housing is a fundamental human right and not a commodity for speculation (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will take aggressive action to make affordable, quality housing accessible for all. This includes massively expanding public housing with green, mixed-income models (to avoid past mistakes of concentrated poverty), strengthening tenant protections (rent control/stabilization in high-cost areas and just-cause eviction laws), and cracking down on predatory real estate practices that push people out. We will also repurpose vacant homes and federally-owned buildings into housing, and provide housing vouchers to all eligible families while partnering with non-profit developers to increase supply. Addressing housing inequity will tackle one of the root causes of poverty and inequality, as stable housing is the foundation for employment, education, and health.
Break Up Monopolies: We aim to dismantle the concentrations of corporate power that throttle competition, extort consumers, abuse workers, and undermine our democracy. Through strengthened antitrust enforcement, we will break up monopolies and oligopolies in tech, banking, agriculture, healthcare, media, and other sectors. Giant firms like Amazon, Google, and Walmart should not be allowed to crush small businesses and exploit their dominance. By breaking up “too big to fail” corporations, we revive a marketplace as diverse and dynamic as the people it serves, prevent price gouging, and encourage local innovation. We will also enforce anti-trust in labor markets, targeting monopsonies where a few employers dominate and drive down wages.
Ban Insider Trading & Corruption in Government: We demand a government of integrity that serves the public interest, not the private accumulation of wealth. To that end, we will ban stock buybacks and insider trading by government officials and members of Congress (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). No lawmaker or regulator should be trading individual stocks or using privileged information for personal gain. We also support strict conflict-of-interest laws and a lifetime ban on members of Congress, high-ranking staff, and senior regulators from lobbying after their service (detailed further in Voter Justice). The halls of governance must be cleansed of the stench of corruption and become truly accountable to the people.
Credit and Financial Justice: We recognize that seemingly benign financial metrics like credit scores can perpetuate inequality and racism. We will end the use of credit scores for determining essential services (like employment, insurance, housing rentals) (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), as these scores often reflect inherited disadvantage and systemic bias rather than individual responsibility or capability. We will replace such metrics with fairer assessments that do not trap people in cycles of poor credit. Additionally, we plan to cap outrageous interest rates (a modern usury law) on credit cards and payday loans that prey on the poor. Postal banking will be instituted to provide low-cost financial services to underbanked communities, freeing people from exploitative check-cashing and payday lenders.
This campaign for Economic Justice is more than a list of policies; it invokes our deepest ethical commitments to justice, equity, and love (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). In the tradition of the great freedom fighters before us, we stand ready to build an economy and a society that reflects the unyielding dignity of every person. In our vision, no one is disposable, workers share in the fruit of their labor, and prosperity is measured not by the stock market but by the wellbeing of the least among us. Join us in this righteous journey to an America where poverty is a memory, where every family has their daily bread and a roof overhead, and where the economy truly works for all, not just the privileged few.
Education Justice
We passionately uphold Education Justice as a sacred commitment to our children and our future, in the deep tradition of struggle for dignity and equality. This vision of education justice is not just a series of policy adjustments; it’s a moral crusade to transform the soul of our education system, ensuring it becomes a beacon of hope, empowerment, and liberation for every student, regardless of their background. We believe that education is a public good and a human right, and our platform will reshape education from early childhood through higher learning:
Centering and Strengthening Public Schools: We hold that public education is a communal treasure – the bedrock upon which an informed, vibrant democracy is built. We will vigorously invest in and strengthen public schools, rejecting the diversion of public funds to private interests via vouchers or for-profit charter chains. This means reducing class sizes, upgrading school facilities (especially in under-resourced districts), and ensuring every school has a well-rounded curriculum including arts, music, and civics. By centering public schools, we affirm our collective responsibility to nurture and uplift all children in inclusive, enriching environments that celebrate diversity and foster belonging (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Equalizing School Funding: We will address the egregious moral failing of a system where a child’s education is dictated by their zip code. It is unacceptable that schools in wealthy areas lavish resources on students, while schools in poor communities struggle for basics. We propose overhauling school funding mechanisms to untether education resources from local property taxes (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Federal funding will be dramatically increased and distributed with equity in mind, ensuring that high-poverty schools receive more resources to meet greater needs. This bold move will create a baseline of excellence in every public school, from inner cities to rural heartlands. No longer will a child’s destiny be determined by the neighborhood they grow up in – every school will be a wellspring of opportunity, equipped to ignite the potential in every student.
Tuition-Free Higher Education: We embrace the principle that education should be a right, not a privilege reserved for the wealthy. We will guarantee free tuition for all students at public colleges, universities, and trade schools (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Just as high school became free in the 20th century, college must become free in the 21st. This policy opens the doors of opportunity wide, declaring that the pursuit of knowledge and a better life should not come with crippling debt. Whether one chooses a four-year university, community college, or vocational training, cost will no longer be a barrier. In tandem, we will increase funding for these institutions to maintain quality and expand capacity for the influx of eager minds.
Fair Compensation and Support for Teachers: If education is a pillar of our democracy, teachers are its foundation. We will ensure teachers are respected, supported, and fairly compensated (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This includes establishing a nationwide minimum teacher salary (no educator should struggle to afford housing or support a family), with additional incentives for teaching in high-need subjects or underserved areas. We will invest in teacher development and mentoring programs, and forgive student loans for educators, to attract and retain passionate teachers. Elevating the teaching profession – treating teachers as the skilled nation-builders they are – is essential to improving outcomes for students.
Restorative Justice & Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline: We are committed to ending the criminalization of our youth, especially students of color and those with disabilities, within our schools (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Zero-tolerance and heavy police presence have turned too many schools into pipelines to prison. We will replace punitive disciplinary policies with restorative justice practices that address conflicts through mediation and understanding. We will remove permanent police postings in schools (except when absolutely necessary for safety), and instead deploy more counselors, social workers, and psychologists who can tend to students’ behavioral and emotional needs. By doing so, we reclaim our schools as nurturing environments rather than feeder systems for incarceration, affirming our faith in understanding and compassion to resolve conflicts over fear and punishment.
Cancel Student Loan Debt: Recognizing that tens of millions are shackled by student debt from an era when education was treated as a private commodity, we will cancel existing student loan debt for borrowers as a one-time jubilee (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This liberation from debt peonage will free a generation to start families, buy homes, and fully participate in the economy. It is a matter of justice: people did what society asked (pursued higher education) and were punished with lifelong financial burden. Going forward, with free public college, such debt crises will not recur. But for those still burdened, we offer a fresh start. This policy particularly benefits Black and brown alumni, who on average carry higher student debt, thus narrowing the racial wealth gap as well.
Equitable Admissions and Opportunities: To craft educational institutions that truly reflect the rich tapestry of our society, we support equitable admissions practices in higher education (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). In the wake of attacks on affirmative action, we will pursue creative pathways to ensure students from historically marginalized groups (including Black, Latinx, Indigenous, low-income, and first-generation students) have robust opportunities for admission and success. This includes considering factors like socioeconomic background, overcoming adversity, and geographic diversity in admissions decisions, and greatly expanding outreach and scholarships for underrepresented students. We also support strengthening and reinstating race-conscious and class-conscious admissions wherever legally possible, because a diverse student body benefits all students and helps remedy historical injustices.
Honest and Inclusive Curriculum: We are committed to preserving accurate historical education (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) and promoting curriculum that includes the perspectives and contributions of all groups. We reject any attempts to censor teaching about slavery, civil rights, labor history, the genocide of Native peoples, or any uncomfortable truths of our past. Students deserve an education rooted in truth, which includes learning about the struggles and triumphs of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, LGBTQ+, and other communities in U.S. history. We also support comprehensive civics education to prepare students to be informed, active citizens, as well as comprehensive sex education that is inclusive and medically accurate. Our classrooms should celebrate diversity: teaching about different cultures, religions, and identities to foster mutual respect. In science, we will defend the teaching of climate change and evolution against ideological attacks.
Support for HBCUs, MSIs, and Community Colleges: We recognize the indispensable role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and community colleges in our education ecosystem (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). These institutions have long punched above their weight in uplifting marginalized students. We will dramatically increase federal funding for HBCUs and minority-serving institutions, ensuring they have world-class facilities and resources. We will invest in community colleges as hubs of workforce development and lifelong learning, including tuition-free access and pathways for transfer to four-year universities. Strengthening these institutions is not just an investment in education; it’s an investment in community heritage and empowerment.
The Justice for All Party’s stance on education is a clarion call to reimagine and rebuild our education system into one that truly reflects our highest ideals (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). It’s a call to ensure that every child is cherished, every teacher is valued, and every community is empowered through the transformative power of education. We understand that education is the key to freedom – intellectual, economic, and political. Join us in this righteous struggle for education justice, for in the heart of education lies the seed of our collective redemption and renewal. An educated, enlightened society is a just and thriving society, and that is the future we fight for.
Elder Justice
Rooted deeply in the principles of Truth, Justice, and Love, we unveil the Elder Justice Pillar – a comprehensive commitment to uphold the dignity, well-being, and rights of our senior community. In an aging society, justice demands that we honor those who came before us, ensuring their later years are marked not by insecurity or neglect, but by respect, care, and inclusion. By valuing our elders’ wisdom and contributions, we weave a stronger social fabric across generations. The Elder Justice Pillar pledges to:
Combat Elder Abuse and Neglect: We vow to strengthen protections against elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. This includes tougher enforcement of laws against physical, emotional, and financial abuse of seniors. We will allocate resources for adult protective services and community education to recognize and prevent abuse. Increased funding for elder ombudsman programs will ensure there are advocates checking on the treatment of elders in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. We will also fight scams and fraud that target seniors by empowering the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and postal inspectors to crack down on those who prey on elders. A society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable; we will not allow our elders to suffer in silence.
Ensure Healthcare Access and Quality: Every senior has the right to comprehensive, affordable healthcare tailored to their needs. We will defend and expand Medicare, improving it to include dental, vision, and hearing care, as well as long-term care. Our vision includes a healthcare system that respects elder autonomy – meaning informed consent and respect for end-of-life wishes – and offers personalized care from preventive services to chronic disease management and palliative care (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will increase support for geriatric training for medical professionals to address the specific needs of older adults. Additionally, prescription drug costs, which burden many seniors, will be slashed by allowing Medicare to negotiate prices and capping out-of-pocket costs. No elder should ever have to choose between medicine and food, or suffer because they cannot afford care.
Guarantee Economic Security: Achieving economic justice means ensuring financial stability for our seniors. We will protect and expand Social Security – scrapping the cap on taxable income so the wealthy pay their fair share – to increase benefits, especially for low-income seniors, and to ensure the program’s solvency for future generations. We also support securing pensions and pushing back against corporate pension raiding; if a company has promised retirees benefits, those must be honored. For seniors without pensions, we will encourage retirement savings by expanding incentives for IRAs/401(k)s for middle and low-income workers and exploring options for a universal retirement account. Our vision is a society where every elder enjoys a standard of living that affords dignity and comfort (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), free from the anxiety of poverty. No senior should fall into homelessness or hunger; thus we will also bolster food assistance, utility assistance, and other safety net programs for elders in need.
Foster Inclusion and Participation: Celebrating and engaging our seniors goes beyond providing services; it’s about recognizing their ongoing contributions and integrating them into community life. We will create opportunities for elders to participate in civic life – for example, through senior advisory councils in local governments and intergenerational programs in schools where seniors can mentor youth. Age discrimination in the workplace will be vigorously enforced against; if elders choose to work longer, they should be welcomed, not forced out. Volunteer and employment programs specifically for older adults (like community service roles or part-time jobs in public institutions) will be expanded, ensuring those who wish to remain active can do so. Culturally, we will promote media and narratives that respect elders rather than marginalize them. By elevating seniors’ voices in social and political spheres (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), we affirm that they remain valued members of society with insight and experience we all benefit from.
Support Age-Friendly Communities: We are committed to creating environments where elders can live independently and safely. We will advocate for the development of age-friendly cities and communities – from accessible public transportation (low-floor buses, special transit services) to zoning that allows for multigenerational housing and co-housing models that combat isolation. Housing policies will encourage universal design so new housing is accessible to people of all ages and abilities. We will invest in making public spaces (parks, libraries, community centers) and sidewalks safe and welcoming for older adults (more benches, lighting, ramps, public bathrooms). Additionally, high-speed internet access for seniors will be supported (through subsidies and training) so they are not left behind in the digital age. Such environments accommodate elders’ independence while ensuring supports are nearby when needed (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Empower Caregivers: Recognizing the crucial role of caregivers – family members or hired home aides – we propose comprehensive support for those who care for our elders. This includes respite care programs to give family caregivers needed breaks, expansion of caregiver training and support groups, and stipends or tax credits for family caregivers who often sacrifice income to care for loved ones. We will also push to professionalize and improve conditions for paid caregivers: raising wages, providing benefits, and offering training and certification paths for home health aides and nursing assistants. By supporting caregivers, we ensure elders get quality care and caregivers can maintain their own well-being (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Embrace Technology for Elder Care: We will promote the advancement and deployment of technology to improve seniors’ lives (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This includes telemedicine and telehealth services to reach elders who have difficulty traveling to appointments (with training and equipment provided for those unfamiliar with the technology). We will invest in research and subsidies for assistive devices – from fall-detection sensors and emergency response systems to hearing aids (which we will make available over the counter and affordable) and mobility scooters. Furthermore, initiatives to teach seniors how to use smartphones, apps, and the internet will be funded, because digital literacy can greatly reduce isolation and connect elders to services. However, as we digitize, we’ll ensure options remain for those not comfortable online (like maintaining human staff at customer service and in banks).
Intergenerational Solidarity: True Elder Justice demands collaboration across all sectors – healthcare, housing, finance, transportation, and beyond (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We advocate forming an Intersectoral Elder Justice Council that brings together government agencies, nonprofits, and private sector partners to coordinate policy and break down silos. This council will ensure, for example, that when we tackle housing, we consider healthcare delivery there (visiting nurses, etc.), or when we improve transportation, we consider access to grocery stores (food security). By coordinating, we create a holistic support system for elders that addresses the full spectrum of needs.
In embodying the Elder Justice Pillar, we pledge to honor the legacies of our elders and ensure their protection and reverence (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Guided by our core values of Truth (honoring the true stories and needs of seniors), Justice (fighting inequities seniors face), and Love (showing care and gratitude for our elders), we envision a society that deeply respects its elders as pillars of wisdom, history, and humanity. Join us in ensuring that in our nation, growing old means growing in security and respect. In the end, elder justice is about the kind of world we all want to grow old in – one where justice and love light the way for all ages.
Environmental Justice
In the rich tradition of love and justice that guides our movement, our mission for Environmental Justice is not merely a policy stance but a moral call to arms. We face an existential threat in the form of climate change – one that exacerbates every injustice, hitting the most vulnerable among us first and hardest. Our response must be as radical and encompassing as the crisis itself. We seek to reimagine our relationship with the earth, each other, and future generations. This pillar lays out a plan to address the climate emergency while correcting the inequities that have long burdened poor communities, Indigenous peoples, and communities of color with pollution and environmental degradation. Key initiatives include:
Global Green New Deal (Green Reconstruction): We commit to a Global Green Reconstruction Initiative (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) that is our collective leap toward healing the planet. Domestically, this means a Green New Deal: a massive mobilization to transition to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2030, creating millions of good-paying union jobs in the process. We will invest in renewable energy infrastructure (solar, wind, geothermal), energy efficiency retrofits, and sustainable transportation (electric public transit, high-speed rail, EV charging networks). But our vision transcends borders: we will cooperate with and aid other nations in a shared fight against climate catastrophe, recognizing that climate change knows no borders. This initiative is a testament to our belief that only through unity, sustainable development, and unwavering commitment to renewable energy can we restore balance to the earth and ensure a thriving planet for all. It includes technology and knowledge transfer to the Global South and honoring our responsibility to help finance climate adaptation and mitigation abroad.
Right to a Healthy Environment: We will establish in law a Constitutional Right to a Healthy Environment (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Clean air, clean water, fertile soil, and a livable climate will be recognized as inalienable rights for every person. This legal standard will force governments at all levels to actively guard these rights and give communities powerful tools to challenge polluters in court. It elevates environmental protection to the highest law of the land, ensuring that the health and well-being of current and future generations cannot be subordinated to corporate profit. In practice, this would bolster laws like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, and mandate environmental impact assessments and justice analyses for new projects, with communities able to sue if their environmental rights are violated.
Nationalize and Phase Out Fossil Fuels: To truly address climate change, we must leave fossil fuels in the ground. We propose the nationalization of the fossil fuel industry (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) – bringing the major oil, gas, and coal companies under public ownership and control. This enables us to manage the decline of fossil fuels in a swift, orderly manner, while taking care of workers and communities dependent on them. By transitioning control to the people, we can decisively phase out these engines of environmental destruction and chart a course for 100% renewable energy. As we nationalize, we will immediately end all subsidies to fossil fuels and redirect those funds to clean energy and just transition programs. Fossil fuel workers will be guaranteed jobs in the new green economy at equivalent pay, or provided pensions and retraining as needed. This bold stride asserts that our planet’s future can’t be held hostage by private profit – we, the people, will take the wheel.
Declare a Climate Emergency: We will pass a resolution to formally declare a climate emergency, mobilizing society at all levels as if for war-time effort (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This declaration is more than symbolic; it unlocks special powers for rapid response: marshalling industries to produce clean tech, reallocating funding to climate action, and suspending bureaucratic hurdles to building green infrastructure. It also signals an unequivocal acknowledgment of the crisis, helping to unite the public and government agencies in urgent action. Like a nation responding to an imminent threat, we will coordinate an all-hands-on-deck approach to drastically cut emissions (science demands roughly a 50% reduction this decade) and draw down carbon (through reforestation, regenerative agriculture, and new technologies). The climate emergency declaration will align every arm of the government towards the singular goal of climate stabilization.
Stop New Fossil Fuel Projects: As part of this emergency response, we will halt all new oil, gas, and coal exploration and development (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This means no new drilling leases (onshore or offshore), no new pipelines, no new gas export terminals, no new coal mines – period. Approving new fossil fuel projects in 2025 and beyond is akin to pouring gasoline on a house fire. We will cancel projects in the pipeline that have not begun, and rigorously review – with intent to discontinue – those under construction. Instead, we will put resources into scaling up renewable projects and energy storage. By stopping the expansion of fossil fuels, we lay the groundwork for a full transition to clean energy while preventing the lock-in of emissions that would doom our climate goals.
Reject False Solutions: In our race to address climate change, not every shiny idea is a true solution. We will institute a moratorium on false solutions (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) – halting risky schemes that masquerade as climate action but either exacerbate other problems or distract from real solutions. This includes opposing geoengineering gambits that could have catastrophic side-effects, rejecting carbon capture gimmicks that prolong fossil fuel use, and scrutinizing biofuel or biomass projects that lead to deforestation or food scarcity. We will focus on proven, community-centered solutions and nature-based solutions (like ecosystem restoration) that tackle root causes rather than applying band-aids.
Climate Justice for Impacted Communities (Climate Reparations): We acknowledge that those who have contributed least to climate change often suffer its gravest consequences. Internationally and domestically, we support Climate Reparations (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) – providing restitution and support to communities bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. Globally, the U.S. will contribute significant funds to help vulnerable nations adapt to sea-level rise, extreme weather, and displacement (honoring and exceeding our commitments to the Green Climate Fund). We recognize these payments not as charity but as a debt owed for our disproportionate historical emissions. Domestically, we will invest in frontline communities (often low-income, Black, brown, and Indigenous communities in flood zones, wildfire areas, and toxic neighborhoods) to build resilient infrastructure, relocate or defend communities as needed, and ensure these populations receive priority hiring and benefits in the green transition. Environmental and climate policies will be co-developed with these communities to meet their needs and respect their voices.
Justice for Environmental Sacrifice Zones: We will bring remediation and recompense to communities that have been treated as “sacrifice zones” – areas subject to intense pollution and environmental hazards (like Cancer Alley in Louisiana, or areas near toxic waste dumps and refineries) (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Through a Justice for Environmental Sacrifice Zones program, we’ll identify the most egregiously polluted communities and devote federal funds to clean up soil, air, and water; provide comprehensive health screenings and care for residents (including monitoring for cancer, lead poisoning, etc. and ensuring compensation for illness linked to pollution); and hold polluters accountable via fines that directly fund local revitalization. We will enforce the principle that no community is disposable. The voices of those who live in these areas will lead the planning for their renewal. Industrial permits in these overburdened areas will be tightened or revoked to reduce cumulative pollution. Everyone deserves to live in a clean and safe environment, not just the affluent.
Cancel Harmful Projects: We stand firm that we will not accept the false dichotomy of “development versus sustainability.” Projects that threaten our ecological or community health have no place in our vision for America. We will cancel harmful projects – whether it’s a pipeline threatening indigenous water sources, a factory farm polluting rivers, or a highway expansion cutting through a community – and instead channel investment into projects that enhance quality of life without destruction (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Our administration will review major federal permits and investments through an environmental justice lens; those that fail will be shelved in favor of green and just alternatives.
Polluter Pays and Accountability: The era of corporations polluting with impunity is over. We will implement a Risk Bond Program that requires industries dealing with hazardous materials to put up substantial bonds to cover potential environmental damages (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). If a company causes a spill or contamination, the cleanup and compensation come from their bond, not taxpayers. We will also end the practice of secret settlements for environmental crimes – transparency and public knowledge will be prioritized. Furthermore, we will pursue criminal liability for gross polluters and executives who knowingly deceive and endanger the public (environmental crimes should be treated as seriously as other crimes). This ensures that those who profit from the Earth’s bounty bear the true cost of their endeavors and internalize the responsibility of stewardship.
Honor Indigenous Sovereignty – Land and Resource Rights: We commit to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for Indigenous peoples in any decisions affecting their lands and resources (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This principle – enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – will guide our actions: no pipeline, mine, or infrastructure project will proceed on or near Indigenous territory without the genuine agreement of the affected nations. We will respect and uphold treaty rights and support the restoration of tribal lands. This includes returning federal lands of cultural significance where possible and ensuring co-management of public lands with tribes. Indigenous knowledge and leadership are crucial in protecting ecosystems; we will integrate Indigenous environmental stewardship practices into our conservation strategies. By respecting sovereignty and wisdom of Native nations, we address historical wrongs and better protect the environment.
Protect Water as a Human Right: We affirm that water is life and must never be privatized or poisoned for profit (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will end water shutoffs for inability to pay and invest in water infrastructure so that every community (from Flint to Jackson to Navajo Nation) has access to clean, safe drinking water. We will ban the privatization of municipal water systems and stop companies from commodifying groundwater resources. Our administration will also tackle emerging contaminants like PFAS (“forever chemicals”) with aggressive regulation and cleanup. Additionally, we will ensure sustainable management of aquifers and rivers, especially in the face of drought worsened by climate change, prioritizing ecosystem health and human need over corporate agriculture or bottling interests.
Rescind Harmful Environmental Rollbacks: Over recent years, many protections have been rolled back due to corporate lobbying and climate denial. We will rescind harmful legislation and regulations that were put in place at the behest of polluters (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This includes restoring and strengthening mercury and air toxics standards, methane emissions rules, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review processes, and protections for endangered species and public lands that were undermined. Our legislative agenda will be to update environmental laws for the 21st century challenges – incorporating climate and environmental justice into the Clean Air Act, for example. We will modernize and tighten environmental regulations across the board to meet the urgency of now.
Plan for Climate Migration: With projections that climate change could displace up to 1.2 billion people globally by 2050, we are committed to a humane and strategic response (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will spearhead the development of global frameworks to support those forced from their homes by sea-level rise, extreme weather, and resource scarcity. This means working with international bodies to create protected legal status for climate refugees and increasing our refugee admissions for those fleeing climate disasters. Domestically, we will prepare for internal relocations: supporting communities (such as some coastal towns in Louisiana or barrier islands) that choose to relocate to safer ground, rather than forcing people to endure repeated disasters. Federal support will ensure relocated persons have new housing, jobs, and community resources. We will treat climate displacement not as a security issue, but as a humanitarian and justice issue – responding with empathy, planning, and solidarity (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Embracing these policy pillars, we seek not only to mitigate the ravages of climate change but to forge a new covenant with the Earth (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) – a covenant grounded in respect, reciprocity, and radical love. Our aim is a world that cherishes life in all its diversity, where sustainability and justice go hand in hand. Environmental justice means that as we save the planet, we also create a fairer society. Join us in this sacred quest for environmental justice, to ensure a livable planet for our children and for generations to come. We have no time to waste, and no right to look away – the eyes of history and the hope of the future are upon us.
Gender Justice
In the prophetic tradition that calls us to break the chains of oppression and in the spirit of radical love that recognizes the sacred worth of every individual, we proudly uphold the Gender Justice Pillar. (Sometimes called the Women’s Justice Pillar, it encompasses all women, girls, and those impacted by sexism and misogyny.) This cornerstone of our platform is a clarion call to dismantle systemic injustices that obstruct women’s full participation in every facet of society. It is a commitment to champion gender equality and to empower all women and girls, confronting the myriad challenges they face with unwavering resolve and compassion. This pillar comprises the following transformative commitments:
Enshrine Equal Rights Amendment (ERA): We will publish and recognize the duly-ratified Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Despite reaching the required number of state ratifications, the ERA has yet to be officially adopted – we will end that delay. Embedding gender equality into the foundation of our nation’s laws ensures that no person’s rights can be diminished on account of sex or gender. This monumental action establishes a robust legal safeguard against discrimination, allowing challenges to laws or practices that perpetuate gender inequality. It marks a pivotal step toward realizing a society where gender equity is not aspirational but guaranteed.
Reproductive Rights and Maternal Healthcare: We affirm, unequivocally, that reproductive freedom is a fundamental human right. We will fight to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law, ensuring every woman – regardless of state – has unfettered access to safe and legal abortion services. In addition, we will champion comprehensive reproductive healthcare: affordable contraception, pregnancy care, fertility treatments, and postpartum support (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We support the Black Maternal Health Momnibus and related efforts to eliminate racial disparities in maternal mortality (tying into our Black Maternal Justice Pillar), because reproductive justice also means surviving and thriving in childbirth. Every woman, irrespective of income, race, or geography, should be able to make decisions about her body and future with dignity and without coercion or barrier. Our policies will also shield providers and patients from harassment and state interference (for example, by establishing federal clinics and protecting interstate travel for care).
End Gender-Based Violence: We signal zero tolerance for the scourges of domestic violence, sexual assault, harassment, and human trafficking (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) with increased funding for survivor services, shelters, and prevention programs. Legal protections for survivors will be bolstered by pushing all states to adopt trauma-informed policing and prosecution practices, eliminating statutes of limitations for serious sexual offenses, and ensuring survivor-centered approaches in the justice system. We will launch nationwide education campaigns – starting in schools and communities – to transform the cultural norms that enable gender-based violence, promoting consent and healthy relationship education. Moreover, we will fight to end rape kit backlogs by funding forensic labs, and enforce stricter penalties for law enforcement agencies that fail to address sexual violence seriously. Protecting Indigenous women is a priority: we will support tribal jurisdiction over crimes on their lands (including non-Native perpetrators) to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Through these efforts, we commit to eradicating gender-based violence at its roots and supporting survivors on their journey to healing and justice.
Economic Equality for Women: We are dedicated to obliterating the gender pay gap and achieving economic equity. We will enforce equal pay for equal work through stronger pay transparency laws and by bolstering the EEOC’s ability to take action against pay discrimination (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Companies will be required to report pay data by gender and race, and workers will be protected for discussing wages. We support raising the minimum wage (as detailed in Economic Justice) which predominantly benefits women, especially women of color, who are a majority of low-wage workers. We also champion women’s labor rights in all fields: from ensuring farmworker women are protected from abuse to supporting women in STEM with grants and mentorship programs. Paid family leave and affordable childcare are non-negotiable parts of gender justice (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) – by enacting them, we acknowledge that caregiving responsibilities often fall on women and we refuse to let that continue to hinder women’s career progression. We will also address pregnancy discrimination by strengthening the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and ensuring employers provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant and postpartum employees. Our goal is a labor market where women not only earn the same as men but also have the same opportunities to advance and lead, without facing the “motherhood penalty” or glass ceilings.
Political and Leadership Representation: Democracy and decision-making should reflect the population. We call to amplify women’s representation in politics, corporate boards, academia, and all leadership roles (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This includes supporting initiatives to recruit, train, and fund women candidates for office – particularly women of color, working-class women, and others underrepresented in leadership. We back measures like multi-member districts or gender-balanced party lists that have been used around the world to increase women’s representation in legislatures. In business, we support moving toward requirements or incentives for gender diversity on corporate boards and executive suites. We will also ensure our administration and appointments across government are gender-balanced. Elevating women’s voices, especially from marginalized communities, means policies and decisions are more likely to address the needs of all. Our collective decision-making is enriched when it includes the perspectives of those too long excluded.
Education and Opportunity for Girls: We guarantee equitable access to education for all girls and young women (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This means enforcing Title IX protections robustly – not only in sports but also against sexual harassment and assault in educational settings. We will reverse any rollbacks that narrowed Title IX and ensure that schools and colleges respond effectively to gender-based violence. We also champion programs that encourage girls to enter fields traditionally dominated by men, such as STEM and trades, through funding special scholarships, clubs (like Girls Who Code), and mentorship opportunities. Comprehensive sex education that is consent-focused and inclusive will empower girls with knowledge about their bodies and rights. Moreover, we will address biases in classrooms that often discourage girls from leadership or advanced math/science, by training educators in gender-inclusive teaching practices. Our commitment is to shatter every glass ceiling from the classroom to the boardroom, fostering a generation of girls who know no limits to their aspirations.
Global Women’s Rights: Our commitment to gender justice is global (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will restore funding to international sexual and reproductive health programs and repeal the “Global Gag Rule” permanently, ensuring NGOs worldwide can provide family planning and safe abortion services without U.S. obstruction. We will champion efforts to end practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation by funding grassroots organizations and supporting international agreements to protect women and girls. In our foreign policy, women’s rights and empowerment will be a key lens: from supporting women’s education and entrepreneurship in developing countries to making women’s participation a condition in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction (recognizing that peace is more durable when women are involved). We will also expand refugee admissions for women and LGBTQ+ people facing gender-based persecution. Standing in solidarity with women worldwide, we recognize that women’s rights are human rights, everywhere.
The Gender Justice Pillar is not merely a component of our campaign but a testament to our profound commitment to lead with empathy, equity, and justice (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). It envisions a future where every woman and girl is empowered to actualize her fullest potential, liberated from the shackles of discrimination and inequality. We understand that the progress of women’s rights is inseparable from the advancement of society at large; when women rise, communities and nations rise with them. Join us in this sacred endeavor as we labor to birth a world that cherishes every woman’s dignity, rights, and dreams. Together, we will build a society in which gender truly no longer predetermines destiny – where our mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends walk in freedom and equality, hand in hand with all of us.
Global Justice
In the spirit of prophetic pragmatism and rooted in a deep love for humanity that transcends borders, the Justice for All Party brings forth a vision of Global Justice. We seek not only to critique the injustices of the current global order but to courageously reimagine and reconstruct the United States’ role in the world. Our foreign policy will be grounded in peace, cooperation, respect for sovereignty, and the universal dignity of all peoples. We reject the militarism and imperialism that have characterized past decades of U.S. policy, and instead commit to global solidarity and human rights. The following policy pillars for global justice are steps toward healing the wounds inflicted by past and present U.S. actions, and paving the way for a future where every nation and person can thrive:
End U.S. Imperialism – Embrace International Law: It is a moral imperative to confront and dismantle the structures of U.S. imperialism that have trampled on other nations’ sovereignty and well-being (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will close the chapter on the “American Empire” by strictly adhering to international law and respecting the self-determination of peoples. This means ending the doctrine of regime change: the U.S. will not overthrow governments or interfere in elections abroad, whether through overt military invasions or covert CIA operations. We will support strengthening the United Nations and international courts, submitting ourselves to the same rules and judgments that we expect of others. By doing so, we mark a radical departure from dominance and a move toward a foreign policy rooted in mutual respect, cooperation, and the collective pursuit of global peace.
Slash the Military Budget – Invest in Peace: True security lies not in militarization but in meeting human needs. We will dramatically reduce the Pentagon budget, freeing resources to fight the real enemies of humanity: poverty, disease, and climate change (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We envision cutting U.S. military spending by at least 50% over the next decade, closing extraneous bases, ending the development of new nuclear weapons and expensive weapon systems that fuel arms races. These resources will be reallocated to diplomacy, sustainable development, and domestic needs. By shifting focus from preparation for war to prevention of war, we affirm our commitment to a global common good. This includes increasing foreign aid (especially climate and humanitarian aid) to help stabilize regions without using bombs or bullets. We recall Eisenhower’s wisdom that every dollar spent on arms is a theft from those who hunger and are not fed – our budgets will reflect that ethos.
Disband NATO – Forge New Security Paradigms: We call for a re-examination and disbanding of NATO in its current form (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). NATO is a relic of the Cold War that has expanded in ways that fuel new conflicts and mistrust, particularly with Russia. We propose moving beyond military blocs toward inclusive security arrangements. In Europe, this could mean working towards a collective security treaty that includes Russia and other nations, reducing the east-west antagonism. We will cease NATO expansion and stop using NATO to justify U.S. military interventions outside its region. A world with fewer military alliances will reduce the chances of great power conflict. Instead, we’ll champion renewed arms control agreements (on nuclear weapons, missiles, and conventional forces) and conflict-resolution diplomacy. We want a world where nations are not divided by hostile camps, but united by shared security commitments to non-aggression and conflict mediation.
Close Overseas Military Bases: We will close the 800+ U.S. military bases and installations around the world (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), which often violate other countries’ sovereignty and breed local resentment. Ending the U.S. status as self-appointed global policeman means drawing down these outposts of empire. Troops stationed abroad will be brought home (with support to transition and reassign them to constructive roles like disaster relief or infrastructure projects). In consultation with host nations, we’ll negotiate the withdrawal timeline, prioritizing areas of high tension. Closing bases in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe will signal a shift from a foreign policy of intimidation to one of partnership. We understand some allies fear insecurity without the U.S. presence; we will reassure them through diplomacy and encourage regional peace pacts to take the place of U.S. bases. Ending the era of U.S. military footprints on foreign soil represents respect for other regions’ autonomy and a step toward peaceful coexistence.
Promote Global Cooperation over Dominance: We envision a world united to address shared challenges: climate change, pandemics, global inequality. Thus, we will prioritize multilateralism and global cooperation in our foreign relations (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This means rejoining and strengthening international agreements – from the Paris Climate Accord (and going far beyond it) to the World Health Organization and UNESCO. We will champion new cooperative frameworks: for example, a global Green New Deal coalition, and a treaty to manage climate migration humanely. Our trade deals will be rewritten not as corporate-centric but as fair trade agreements that lift labor and environmental standards globally (see Worker Justice on fair trade). We will work constructively in forums like the G-77, G-20, and others to ensure the voices of the Global South are heard, ending the neo-colonial patterns in global financial institutions. The emphasis will shift from America First to Planet First, understanding our fate is interconnected with that of all peoples.
Cease Support for Authoritarian Regimes and Wars: We will end all U.S. military support, arms sales, and funding for conflicts that violate human rights (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This means no longer arming brutal regimes or proxy forces just because they serve perceived U.S. strategic interests. We will stop fueling the war in Yemen by cutting off arms and logistical support to the Saudi-led coalition, and push for a peace settlement there. We will end military aid to dictators and human rights abusers – whether that’s Egypt, the Philippines, or elsewhere – leveraging relationships to encourage democratic reforms or else withdrawing support. In conflicts like those involving Syria or others, we will prioritize negotiations including all stakeholders (even adversaries) rather than fueling fire with weapons. Additionally, we will reform the arms export process to require strict human rights conditions and Congressional approval. It is a stark shift: the U.S. will become known as an exporter of peace and humanitarian aid, not of weaponry and war.
End Military Aid to Israel – Stand for Palestinian Rights: We take a courageous stance for justice by halting military funding to Israel until it ends the occupation and apartheid conditions imposed on Palestinians (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). The United States currently sends $3.8+ billion annually which subsidizes an illegal occupation, settlement expansion, and violations of Palestinian human rights. We will suspend this aid and instead use U.S. influence to broker a solution rooted in human rights and international law – whether that be two states, one binational state, or another framework as determined by the peoples involved. We will unequivocally affirm the rights and dignity of Palestinians, including the right of return for refugees and the end of the Gaza blockade. Simultaneously, we affirm Israel’s right to security – true security that comes from peace and justice, not perpetual occupation. This policy is a call for the U.S. to lead with moral clarity: to stop enabling oppression and instead support diplomacy and international efforts (like UN resolutions) to achieve a just peace. As Dr. King said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere – we will not turn a blind eye to Palestinian suffering.
No Support for Governments that Commit War Crimes or Apartheid: More broadly, we will ensure the U.S. is no longer complicit in human rights abuses. We will cease arms sales and military cooperation with any nations committing war crimes, genocide, or apartheid-like practices (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). For example, we will condition or cut support to nations like Saudi Arabia for its war in Yemen, or Myanmar for its treatment of the Rohingya, or any government that engages in ethnic cleansing. American weapons will not bolster tyrants or war criminals. Moreover, we support expanding global Magnitsky-style sanctions targeting individual perpetrators of gross human rights violations (while ensuring sanctions don’t harm innocent civilians). Our foreign policy will center human rights, even if those abusing them were once “allies.”
Truth and Reconciliation for Past U.S. Actions: We believe in accountability and healing. The U.S. must face its own past foreign interventions that caused suffering. We propose establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to openly investigate and acknowledge the harm caused by U.S. coups, assassinations, secret wars, and support for dictators (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). From Iran in 1953 to Chile in 1973, Central America in the 1980s, to Iraq in 2003 and beyond, we will release all relevant documents, hear testimony from victims and veterans, and officially apologize and make amends where possible. This process, unprecedented in U.S. history, would represent a profound commitment to face and heal from the wounds of past U.S. imperialism. We will also encourage similar processes internationally, contributing to global healing from Cold War and War on Terror eras. Only by acknowledging the truth can we rebuild trust and ensure “never again” is genuine.
Normalize and Repair Relations Long Strained: Consistent with our principles, we will move to normalize diplomatic relations with countries the U.S. has antagonized unjustly. We will immediately end the cruel embargo on Cuba – a policy that for decades has caused hardship for Cuban people and failed to accomplish anything positive (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will restore full relations with Cuba, respecting its sovereignty and promoting exchange and dialogue. Similarly, we will pursue re-engagement with Iran, reviving the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) as a starting point and lifting sanctions in exchange for verifiable steps that ensure Iran’s nuclear program remains peaceful. Our approach to adversaries like North Korea will emphasize step-by-step diplomacy – easing sanctions and security guarantees in exchange for denuclearization moves – instead of threats. We view dialogue as a sign of strength, not weakness.
Respect Self-Determination – Hands Off Haiti and Latin America: We will end the cycle of paternalistic and militarized interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean. This means no U.S. interference in countries like Haiti – instead, support Haitian-led solutions to their political crises (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We oppose any revival of Monroe Doctrine attitudes; Latin America is not our “backyard” but a region of sovereign neighbors. We will cease trying to subvert governments (be it socialist governments in Venezuela or elsewhere) and instead work through principled diplomacy and fair economic relations. We will champion debt relief for developing countries (expanding on our domestic call for debt cancellation) (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), recognizing that crushing debt is a legacy of colonialism and an impediment to global justice. Canceling unpayable debts, especially those incurred by corrupt regimes or predatory lending, is an act of solidarity to allow countries to invest in their people. Additionally, we support the movement for Puerto Rico self-determination – the people of Puerto Rico must decide their political status free of colonial domination, whether that be statehood, independence, or other options.
Fight Global Patriarchy and Oppression: We extend our intersectional lens abroad – supporting women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and the rights of marginalized groups globally (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will dramatically increase funding for international programs that combat violence against women and empower women economically and politically. We will integrate gender analysis into peace and security processes, backing the global Women, Peace, and Security agenda. We will stand up against draconian anti-LGBTQ laws overseas and make acceptance of basic LGBTQ rights a facet of our human rights diplomacy. The U.S. will become a haven for those fleeing persecution for their gender or sexuality, expanding asylum criteria accordingly. Fighting global patriarchy is essential to achieving global justice, because the subjugation of women and queer people is a pillar of oppression in many societies – and we commit to standing in solidarity with movements worldwide seeking liberation.
This Global Justice platform is a call to radically reimagine the United States’ role in the world as a force for peace, cooperation, and the universal flourishing of all peoples (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). It requires humility, courage, and a break with the habits of empire. But by doing so, we can help usher in a world defined not by domination and exploitation, but by partnership and mutual uplift. Join us in this sacred struggle to transform U.S. foreign policy – to replace bombs with bread, sanctions with solidarity, and fear with friendship. Together, we will work toward a world that reflects the beauty of our shared humanity, where justice and love guide our interactions with every nation.
Gun Violence Justice
In the profound spirit of love and justice that animates our shared humanity, we confront the scourge of gun violence with deep moral urgency and a comprehensive strategy for peace and safety. The epidemic of gun violence in the United States – from mass shootings to daily tragedies in marginalized communities – not only takes precious lives but also casts long shadows of fear and grief. We approach this crisis not as a wedge issue, but as a moral imperative: to honor the sanctity of life and the right of all people to live free from the threat of deadly violence. Our policies are rooted in respect for responsible gun ownership alongside an unwavering dedication to preventing future tragedies. Key initiatives include:
National Gun Registry & Licensing: We will establish a universal, comprehensive background check system and a national firearm registry for all civilian-owned firearms (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Just as we register cars to their drivers, we will register guns to their owners. This registry will be securely maintained to assist law enforcement in tracing guns used in crimes and discourage straw purchases and trafficking. Alongside this, gun ownership licensing requirements will be implemented nationally (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024): prospective gun owners must be vetted via stringent background checks (including for history of violence, domestic abuse, or serious mental health crises), complete mandatory safety training and pass a test (similar to a driver’s test) demonstrating knowledge of gun laws and safe handling, and renew their license periodically. Owning a firearm is a serious responsibility that impacts public safety, and the licensing system underscores that principle by ensuring only responsible, vetted individuals can obtain firearms.
Close the Private Sale & Gun Show Loopholes: We will ensure every firearm transaction undergoes a thorough background check, closing the gun show and private sale loopholes that currently allow roughly 1 in 5 guns to be acquired with no questions asked (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). All gun sales or transfers—including those online, at gun shows, between private individuals, or informal exchanges—must go through licensed dealers or local law enforcement for background checks and registration. By doing so, we eliminate a major source of guns that end up in the wrong hands, while treating all sellers equally under the law. This also aids in keeping a paper trail of gun ownership, crucial for accountability.
“Red Flag” Laws Nationwide: We will implement a strong National Red Flag Law (Extreme Risk Protection Order) that empowers family members, intimate partners, and law enforcement to petition courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals proven to be at extreme risk of harming themselves or others (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This due process-driven tool has saved lives in states that use it, by intervening before warning signs turn into tragedy. We will provide federal funding to help states adopt and enforce red flag laws and to educate the public about using them. Moreover, we will extend this concept to address hate-fueled threats: allowing removal of guns from those who exhibit credible violent hate or terroristic ideation. Our belief is that intervention before violence occurs is key – “red flag” orders are a community’s way of caring for its most vulnerable members and preventing the irreversible.
Ban Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines: We will restore and strengthen the federal ban on military-style semi-automatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Weapons designed for rapid mass killing have no place in civilian society. We saw a reduction in mass shooting fatalities during the previous assault weapons ban (1994-2004), and we will pursue an updated ban that covers the array of modern tactical rifles and pistols engineered for maximal lethality. Additionally, limiting magazine capacity (to 10 rounds, for example) will reduce the carnage in the event a shooting does occur, forcing an attacker to reload and giving potential victims and law enforcement crucial moments to act. This policy will include a robust buy-back program to reduce the existing stock of these weapons over time. While respecting that millions own guns for sport or self-defense, we draw the line at armaments that belong on a battlefield, not in our schools or streets.
End Gun Manufacturer Immunity: We will repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) that gives gun manufacturers and sellers near blanket immunity from liability. Just as carmakers or toy companies can be sued for defective or irresponsibly marketed products, so too should the gun industry face accountability if it acts negligently or prioritizes profit over safety. Removing this shield will push the industry to innovate for safety (such as smart gun technology), change marketing practices that glorify weapons of war, and more scrupulously vet dealers. Victims of gun violence and their families deserve their day in court when wrongdoing contributed to tragedy.
Gun Trafficking and Straw Purchase Crackdown: We will elevate gun trafficking to a federal crime and devote significant resources to stopping the iron pipeline of guns into communities with strict laws. Federally, we will mandate lost and stolen gun reporting, implement ballistic tracing programs, and increase the ATF’s funding and authority to conduct oversight on rogue gun dealers (the small percentage of dealers who sell the majority of guns used in crimes). Penalties for straw purchasers (who buy guns for those barred from owning them) and traffickers will be stiffened, while we also address root causes by providing pathways out of illegal gun economies for at-risk individuals (like job training and support).
Community Violence Intervention: We recognize gun violence is not only mass shootings but daily shootings, particularly in urban communities of color that have been left to suffer in silence. We will invest heavily in community violence intervention programs – evidence-based initiatives like violence interrupters, mentorship for high-risk youth, hospital-based intervention, and community outreach workers who mediate conflicts before they escalate. Funding for these will come from reallocating resources that have overly militarized police. Our approach treats gun violence as the public health crisis it is: deploying mental health counselors, job programs, and community centers to give young people options and hope beyond violence. These programs have shown remarkable success in cities that use them, and we will scale them nationally.
Safe Storage and Child Access Prevention: To protect children, we will pass federal safe storage laws requiring that firearms be stored securely (locked and unloaded, with ammunition locked separately) when not in use, especially in homes with minors. We will also implement Child Access Prevention laws making gun owners legally accountable if a child accesses an unsecured gun and harm results. The government will fund a national campaign to promote safe storage and provide free or subsidized gun locks/safes, learning from successful public health campaigns like those for seatbelts. These measures will help prevent the countless tragedies of accidental shootings and youth suicides facilitated by easy access to firearms at home.
These policies together form a comprehensive approach to gun violence justice – one that respects the Second Amendment for law-abiding citizens even as it boldly enacts measures to protect life and community. This is not about division; it’s about moral solidarity: uniting Americans behind the simple idea that our children’s right to live outweighs any right to wield weapons of war. We call on responsible gun owners to join this cause – many already agree on common-sense rules. We call on urban and rural communities alike to see each other’s pain and work together. Above all, we remember those lost – in Sandy Hook, Uvalde, Parkland, Buffalo, Las Vegas, Orlando, Columbine, in Chicago and Baltimore week after week, and so many more – and we say Never Again must we be complacent.
In this struggle for Gun Violence Justice, we are reminded of the power of collective action and the resilience of our communities (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Together, we can confront this epidemic, not with fear but with the courage of our convictions and the strength of our love for one another (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Join us in this righteous cause as we work to build a nation where every community can flourish free from the shadow of gun violence – an America where going to school, to worship, to the mall or a movie, or sitting on a front porch does not carry the fear of being shot. That is a nation truly reflective of the values of dignity, safety, and justice for all.
Health Justice
In the prophetic fire of justice and the deep well of compassion that have always defined our journey, we seek to reform and revolutionize the landscape of Health Justice in America. We declare that health is not a privilege for the affluent but a fundamental human right, and that a society is only as healthy as its most marginalized members. Our vision of health justice is holistic: it addresses not only healthcare access, but the social determinants of health, the biases in our systems, and the notion of well-being itself. It is a commitment to not just heal the body but to nourish the soul of our communities and mend the fabric of a nation that has allowed profit to trump care for far too long (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Our Health Justice pillar includes:
Medicare for All – and Beyond: We will establish a universal, single-payer “Medicare for All” system that guarantees comprehensive healthcare to every person in the United States, from the day they are born. No copays, no deductibles, no medical bills – healthcare will be free at point of service, funded by progressive taxation that costs the vast majority of people far less than they currently pay in premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. But our vision goes beyond Medicare for All (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024): we aim for a system that actively works to eliminate health disparities, integrates physical, dental, mental, and vision care, and prioritizes public health and prevention. This means robust funding for community clinics in underserved areas, mobile health units for rural communities, and culturally competent care that addresses the unique needs of every group. It also means tackling the upstream factors – ensuring clean water, nutritious food, safe housing, and violence-free neighborhoods – so that the conditions for health are present in every community. Our healthcare will heal the body and also seek to nourish the spirit of justice, recognizing that social and economic factors often dictate health outcomes.
Habeas Corpus Healthcare – Enshrine the Right to Care: We proclaim healthcare as an inalienable right – call it “Habeas Corpus Healthcare” (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) – meaning that any person, regardless of circumstance, must be given the care they need. No more will people die or suffer because they cannot afford treatment or because insurance denied a claim. We will encode this principle in federal law and even consider a constitutional amendment so that it outlasts any one administration. This is a radical reimagining of our social contract: the government’s duty is to ensure your life and health are safeguarded. If someone is sick, the question will never be “Can you pay?” but only “How can we help?”.
Codify Reproductive Rights & Gender-Affirming Care: We will codify the right to abortion and all reproductive healthcare in federal law (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), protecting it from the whims of courts or state politicians. We’ll pass legislation akin to the Women’s Health Protection Act, invalidating state abortion bans and ensuring access in every zip code. We will also stand firm against attacks on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender and non-binary individuals (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Our healthcare system will include coverage for all transition-related care (hormones, therapy, surgeries) as medically necessary, and we will override state bans that prevent trans youth from receiving affirming care in accordance with established medical guidelines. Every person has autonomy over their body and the right to bodily integrity. These measures are a declaration that the sanctity of personal choice and the authenticity of one’s identity are inviolable. Furthermore, we will fight maternal mortality with targeted investments (tying into Black Maternal Justice) and ensure reproductive healthcare includes prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum care so that mothers and babies are healthy and supported.
Nationalize Big Pharma and Curb Greed: We will take bold action to prioritize people’s health over corporate profit. This includes nationalizing key aspects of the pharmaceutical and medical device industries (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) if they continue to price gouge and put patents over patients. Life-saving medications like insulin, EpiPens, HIV meds – many invented with public funds – will have their patents broken or compulsorily licensed to generic production to ensure affordability. We will use the government’s power to manufacture generic drugs for essential medicines and distribute them at low cost. We will ban direct-to-consumer drug advertising (to stop the manipulation of demand) and require transparency in R&D costs and pricing. Our plan is to transform healthcare financing: hospitals will be globally budgeted under single-payer, removing perverse incentives, and drug prices will be directly negotiated or capped by law. By nationalizing healthcare industries that refuse to serve the public interest (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), we align our system with health outcomes, not Wall Street’s quarterly expectations.
End Medical Apartheid – Confront Racism in Healthcare: We acknowledge that our healthcare system has for too long produced disparate outcomes along lines of race, class, and disability. We commit to ending medical apartheid (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) – the structural inequities that mean, for example, Black and Indigenous people live shorter lives and endure higher disease burdens. To do so, we will invest in medical education to recruit and support more Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other underrepresented healthcare providers. We will mandate training for all healthcare workers on implicit bias and historical injustices (like the Tuskegee experiment, forced sterilizations, etc.) to cultivate conscious providers. Funding will be directed to HBCU medical schools and tribal health programs. We will enforce non-discrimination in healthcare fiercely; any institution receiving federal funds must stratify outcomes by race and address gaps or face penalties. Additionally, we will tackle environmental racism as a health issue – cleaning up polluted communities so fewer people develop chronic illnesses in the first place. Ending medical apartheid means ensuring the best care reaches those who have historically been neglected or abused by the system. It also means including community health workers and midwives and doulas (often trusted in communities of color) in our health workforce expansion.
Treat Substance Use with Compassion – End the War on Drugs: We declare that addiction and substance abuse are public health issues, not criminal ones. We will institute a comprehensive War on Drugs Reform (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024): ending federal prohibition of marijuana (expunging past convictions and allowing communities harmed by the drug war to benefit from the legal market), decriminalizing possession of other drugs in small amounts, and investing massively in treatment and harm reduction. Rather than incarceration, those struggling with substance use will be offered evidence-based treatment (medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, for instance), counseling, and recovery services. We will support overdose prevention sites, syringe exchange programs, and distribution of overdose-reversal drugs like naloxone, approaches proven to save lives. By shifting from punishment to support, we aim to break the cycle that has filled prisons but not healed communities. This approach will particularly benefit Black and brown communities targeted by the War on Drugs, aligning with our racial justice commitments.
COVID-19 Truth and Pandemic Preparedness: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep failures and inequalities. We support establishing a COVID-19 Truth Commission (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) to examine the pandemic response – including the disproportionate toll on marginalized communities, the politicization of public health, and the profiteering by some corporations. This Commission would recommend ways to compensate victims (e.g., families of frontline workers who died, individuals with long COVID) and memorialize the tragedy so its lessons aren’t forgotten. We also need to prepare for future global health crises: we will rebuild and empower public health institutions (CDC, local health departments), invest in genomic surveillance for new pathogens, stockpile PPE and ventilators domestically, and restore trust in public health via consistent, science-driven communication. Internationally, we’ll bolster global early warning systems and support efforts for universal access to vaccines and treatments – recognizing that global health security is only as strong as its weakest link.
Community and Preventive Health Revolution: Health justice demands a proactive approach. We will launch a National Preventive Health Initiative focusing on community wellness. This includes expanding public health programs for nutrition (like making healthy foods available in food deserts and regulating junk food marketing to kids), physical activity (investment in parks, playgrounds, safe streets, school sports), and preventive screenings (mobile clinics for rural areas, free annual checkups under Medicare for All). Mental health will be treated on par with physical health: we’ll embed mental health professionals in communities and schools, provide tele-mental health services, and promote social connection as an antidote to the epidemics of loneliness and suicide. We also prioritize disability rights as health justice: ensuring all healthcare facilities and services are accessible, and that people with disabilities receive proper, not diminished, care (building on the Health Bill of Rights for Disabled People (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024)). Our overarching goal: shift our system from one that profits when people are sick to one that thrives when people are healthy.
The Health Justice campaign is more than a set of policies; it is a covenant with the American people to build a future where healthcare is a common good, a shared responsibility, and a testament to our collective humanity (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We measure society not by its wealth or military might, but by how it cares for its most vulnerable. In this sacred struggle for health justice, we reclaim the essence of democracy itself: government of, by, and for the people – caring for each other in our times of need. Join us in this noble quest to ensure that every individual in every corner of our nation has the care and dignity they deserve. An America that guarantees healthcare for all and centers health justice is an America living up to the creed that every life is precious.
Immigration Justice
In the prophetic spirit that guides us toward justice and compassion, we present a vision for Immigration Justice that recognizes the divine worth of every soul seeking refuge and opportunity on our shores. Ours is a nation of immigrants and Indigenous peoples, built by those who came willingly or by force, and we are enriched by each new generation of newcomers. Yet our immigration system has been marred by cruelty, racism, and bureaucratic dysfunction. We commit to transforming it into a beacon of hope grounded in dignity, respect, and human rights for all. Our Immigration Justice Pillar includes:
Create Broad Pathways to Citizenship: We will undertake a massive transformation of immigration policy (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) to create clear, broad, and expedited legal pathways for undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S. as well as those seeking to come. This starts with an immediate legalization and pathway to citizenship for the approximately 11 million undocumented people already part of our communities – with a special emphasis on longtime residents, essential workers, and those brought here as children (DACA recipients). We support something akin to a new “Registry” date, allowing anyone here for e.g. 5+ years with no serious criminal record to apply for green cards. In addition, we will reduce the barriers and wait times for family-based and employment-based immigration, so that families are reunited faster and workers can fill needed jobs without endless delays. Our policy recognizes that America remains a land of opportunity, and we must be true to that by welcoming those who seek a better life, rather than trapping them in limbo or the shadows.
End the Inhumane Treatment of Migrants: We solemnly vow to end morally reprehensible practices that have defined recent immigration enforcement (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Family separation – ripping children from parents at the border – will never happen again, under any circumstances; we will formally ban it. We will also ensure that no child is kept in detention facilities; instead, families and children will be directed to community-based case management programs or humanitarian shelters (not jails) while their cases proceed. We will enforce high standards of care in all immigration processing: meaning adequate food, medical care, sanitation, and humane treatment. Cruelty is not a deterrent, it’s a crime against our conscience. Therefore, we will investigate and hold accountable officials who perpetrated abuses, and we will provide support and restitution to victims of past abuses (such as psychological counseling for separated families). In place of cruelty, our approach to border management will be rooted in human rights, recognizing that those who arrive – whether asylum seekers or job seekers – are members of the human family deserving compassion.
Streamline and Modernize Legal Immigration: Our vision includes dismantling the bureaucracy that hinders immigration and replacing it with a system that is efficient, fair, and accessible (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will simplify paperwork, reduce fees (and eliminate them for hardship cases), vastly expand language access and legal assistance so applicants can navigate the system. Immigration courts will be bolstered: we’ll hire more judges and clerks to clear backlogs, and ensure due process by providing government-funded counsel for all immigrants (starting with children and other vulnerable groups) facing removal proceedings, so no one has to stand alone before a judge. We will also leverage technology for good – for example, allowing virtual hearings or interviews to spare people long travel, and modern case tracking so people know the status of their applications. By making legal pathways more straightforward and attainable, we honor the aspirations of immigrants and reduce the incentive for irregular migration. No longer will navigating our immigration system feel like an endless nightmare; it will be a service oriented toward uniting families and integrating newcomers smoothly.
Address Root Causes of Migration: We acknowledge that U.S. foreign policy and global inequality often drive migration. Thus, Immigration Justice goes hand-in-hand with Global Justice. We will confront the U.S. responsibility in creating conditions that compel migration (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). For example, we will support development and anti-violence programs in Central America and the Caribbean that provide alternatives to fleeing, and we will ensure our trade and economic policies (like ending corporate-subsidized corn dumping in Mexico that displaced farmers) do not impoverish our neighbors. We will treat the climate crisis as an emerging driver of migration and take leadership in providing aid and refuge to climate-displaced populations. Additionally, we must critically examine how U.S. military interventions, drug war, and support for dictators have fueled instability – and as we cease those practices (per our Global Justice platform), we must invest in helping rebuild the nations affected. Ultimately, people should migrate by choice, not desperation, and our policies will strive towards a world where no one is forced to leave their home to survive.
Abolish ICE and End Militarization of the Border: We commit to fundamentally reshaping immigration enforcement to prioritize human life and rights. We will abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in its current form (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) and transfer genuinely necessary functions (like investigating human trafficking or transnational crime) to other agencies with proper oversight. The era of ICE raids terrorizing communities must end. Instead, any needed interior enforcement will be done by a small, accountable agency focusing on serious offenses, not rounding up hard-working families. At the border, we will end the militarization: no more border wall expansion (and we will repurpose portions of the wall for environmental restoration where it causes flooding or wildlife issues), and no more treating border communities as war zones. We will ensure Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents are retrained or replaced with humanitarian officers focused on processing migrants, not repelling them. CBP’s corruption and abuse will be cleaned up via strict oversight (body cameras, community review boards, accountability for misconduct). We also endorse ending programs that deputize local police as immigration agents (like 287(g)), as they erode trust and public safety. In short, enforcement will shift from a posture of “seek and destroy” to one of public safety and service, ensuring that those who pose no threat are left in peace.
Uphold and Expand Asylum and Refugee Protections: The right to seek asylum is sacrosanct, enshrined in both U.S. and international law. We will uphold asylum laws and undo the draconian measures that have gutted them (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This means ending the “Remain in Mexico” program and similar externalization that force asylum seekers to wait in dangerous conditions. It means rescinding bans that disqualify asylum seekers for arbitrary reasons (such as transit through another country). We will increase staffing at ports of entry to process asylum claims swiftly and fairly, treating each case individually with due consideration. We will also significantly raise the cap on refugee admissions to at least 125,000 or more annually, restoring America’s role as a refuge for those fleeing persecution – and we will fulfill these quotas, unlike recent years. Special attention will go to groups in dire need: for instance, Uighur Muslims from China, LGBTQ+ individuals from violently homophobic regimes, Afghan and Iraqi allies left behind, and people displaced by climate disasters. We will implement community sponsorship programs to involve local communities and nonprofits in welcoming refugees, ensuring they have support for housing, language, and employment as they rebuild their lives here. In our broader immigration policy, we’ll also create legal avenues for those displaced by climate change or gang violence who currently don’t fit narrow asylum criteria – recognizing new kinds of refugees in need of sanctuary.
Our approach to Immigration Justice is a call to action — a call to embrace our common humanity and extend our hands in solidarity to those who seek to share in our nation’s promise (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We reject the narrative of fear and scarcity. Instead, we recognize immigrants as integral threads in the tapestry of America’s story, as new energy and ideas that will help our nation thrive. By welcoming with compassion rather than turning people away with cruelty, we live up to our highest ideals. Join us in this sacred journey toward a more just, compassionate, and welcoming America. An America that greets the stranger with warmth, not cages, and that sees in each new arrival not an “other,” but a reflection of our own family’s journey and the hope that defines us all.
LGBTQIA+ Justice
In the beloved community we strive to build, we elevate the struggle for LGBTQIA+ Justice as a cornerstone of our moral and political agenda. In a nation still marred by the shadows of exclusion and hate, our policies shine as beacons of hope, affirming the inherent dignity and sacred worth of every individual, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. This commitment is not just about tolerance but about love, acceptance, and the celebration of our rich diversity. Our LGBTQIA+ Justice Pillar includes:
End Violence and Discrimination Against Transgender People: We issue a clarion call to end the multifaceted assaults on transgender Americans (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This means unequivocally opposing and working to repeal the wave of hateful state laws that target transgender individuals – whether banning them from bathrooms, sports, or healthcare – and blocking any such bills at the federal level. We will vigorously enforce civil rights protections for transgender and nonbinary people in every area: housing, employment, education, healthcare, and public accommodations, treating anti-trans discrimination as illegal sex discrimination under federal law (per Bostock v. Clayton County and expanding upon it). We will also address the epidemic of anti-trans violence, particularly against Black and brown trans women, by prioritizing the investigation and prosecution of those hate crimes and improving law enforcement relations with LGBTQ communities (including ensuring police treat trans people with respect for their identity). Our campaign will craft and enforce comprehensive protections that safeguard the rights, safety, and dignity of transgender people so they can live authentically and without fear in every aspect of society (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Ensure Access to Gender-Affirming Healthcare: At the heart of health justice for LGBTQIA+ people is the right to access medically necessary care. We will establish clear, compassionate national standards for gender-affirming care (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) and ensure that public health systems and insurance providers (including our envisioned Medicare for All) cover this care in full. This means hormone therapy, puberty blockers for trans youth who need them, mental health support, and gender-affirming surgeries will be available and affordable to all who seek them, based on established medical guidelines and individual informed consent. We will outlaw so-called “trans healthcare bans” being enacted in states – treating denial of care as a violation of civil rights and medical ethics. For incarcerated trans people, we will guarantee access to appropriate hormones and care as well. Furthermore, we will push for increasing the number of healthcare providers competent in trans health through medical training incentives, to eliminate waitlists and disparities. Our policy is a testament to bodily autonomy and the principle that everyone should have the healthcare that affirms who they are (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Full Equality in Law – Pass the Equality Act: We support and will fight for the immediate passage of the Equality Act, or equivalent comprehensive federal legislation, to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity in all civil rights laws. Additionally, we propose a constitutional amendment or an Equal Rights Amendment expansion to protect LGBTQIA+ individuals, making their equal status crystal clear in our nation’s foundational document (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This will solidify legal equality and give LGBTQ Americans recourse if any jurisdiction tries to strip their rights. It’s not enough to rely on court interpretations – we must codify these protections. Legal equality also means protecting LGBTQ parents’ rights (no discrimination in adoption or custody), ending the gay/trans panic defense in criminal trials, and ensuring fair treatment in jury selection. A constitutional-level guarantee will help us root out discrimination wherever it lurks and affirm that love and identity are never grounds for lesser rights.
Outlaw Anti-LGBTQ Censorship and Propaganda Bans: We vehemently oppose the troubling trend of “Don’t Say Gay” laws and curriculum censorship that seeks to erase LGBTQIA+ existence from schools and public life (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Such laws breed ignorance and stigma. We will push for a national ban on conversion therapy (a pseudoscientific torture that attempts to change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity) and likewise ban any laws that prohibit teachers or students from discussing LGBTQ topics or people. The Department of Education will issue guidance that the refusal to acknowledge LGBTQ students or include LGBTQ-relevant content constitutes discrimination. We support LGBTQ-inclusive education as part of a honest curriculum – including the contributions and history of LGBTQ people – to foster understanding and acceptance. We will also ensure libraries remain spaces where queer-themed books are available and safe from censorship. By advocating a nationwide prohibition of these discriminatory laws (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), we reaffirm our dedication to environments of understanding and acceptance for LGBTQIA+ youth and their families.
Support LGBTQIA+ Youth and Mental Health: LGBTQIA+ young people face elevated rates of bullying, homelessness, and suicide. We will enforce anti-bullying laws in schools with teeth, fund counseling and support groups in every middle and high school, and ensure that foster care and homeless youth programs are LGBTQ-inclusive (with specialized services for queer youth who are disproportionately represented among homeless youth). We will also make it easier for trans youth to update their names and gender markers on documents (with parental consent or a judge’s waiver in hostile family situations), sparing them daily humiliation. Additionally, our healthcare plan will include robust mental health resources specifically for LGBTQIA+ youth, and our public messaging will celebrate LGBTQ youth as valued members of our society.
Global LGBTQIA+ Rights: We stand in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ people globally. We will make LGBTQ rights a priority in our foreign policy – expanding asylum criteria for those fleeing anti-LGBT persecution, and using diplomatic pressure and aid incentives to encourage decriminalization of homosexuality and protections for queer people in other countries. We will support international LGBTQ rights organizations and ensure that trade deals or partnerships factor in human rights records on this issue. While respecting sovereignty, we will be unafraid to speak out against atrocities like so-called “gay purges” or anti-gay laws abroad and lead coalitions of like-minded nations to offer refuge and push for change.
The Justice for All Party’s vision for LGBTQIA+ justice is a resolute affirmation of our shared humanity (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). It is a promise to confront and dismantle systemic injustices, to protect the most vulnerable among us, and to nurture a culture that honors the infinite worth of every person. We understand that bigotry anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere. Thus, we commit to building a world where love prevails, rights are guaranteed, and every individual can soar free on the wings of dignity and equality. Join us in marching towards a future that celebrates the beauty and diversity of the human family in all its forms – for when our LGBTQIA+ siblings are free and affirmed, justice for all is within reach.
Racial Justice
In the spirit of the prophets who have gone before us and armed with a love that does justice, we declare an unwavering commitment to Racial Justice as the very heartbeat of our collective pursuit of democracy. This pillar envisions an America finally liberated from the poison of racism – systemic, institutional, and interpersonal – that has tarnished our nation’s soul. Our policies are not mere proposals; they are moral imperatives to heal our nation’s wounds and forge a path toward true equality and liberation for all peoples. Recognizing that we have added specific focus on Black American Justice elsewhere in this platform, this Racial Justice pillar reinforces our dedication to ending racism in all its forms and addressing the unique injustices faced by other communities of color, including Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern/North African, and more. Key commitments include:
Reparative Justice for Indigenous Peoples – Land Back: We acknowledge that the foundation of the United States rests on seized Indigenous lands and broken treaties. True racial justice demands justice for Native peoples. We will establish a Land Back Commission (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) in partnership with Indigenous nations to explore pathways for returning stewardship of federal lands of significance to Tribes, restoring tribal jurisdiction and sovereignty, and addressing violations of treaty rights. This includes returning the Black Hills to the Lakota, and other sacred sites to their original caretakers, where possible. We will also push to fully fund Indian Health Services, tribal schools, and infrastructure, as well as uphold sovereignty in law enforcement and governance on reservations. Additionally, we support honoring treaty obligations by involving tribes in co-managing public lands and ensuring they have access to traditional hunting and fishing grounds. Land Back is not about displacing current residents, but about recognizing and rectifying historical theft and empowering Indigenous communities with land and resources that were promised. As part of this, we also commit to teaching accurate Indigenous history and contemporary issues nationwide, fostering respect for the First Peoples of this land.
Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and Relatives: We will bring the full power of the federal government to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This includes funding tribal law enforcement and justice systems to investigate cases, creating a comprehensive MMIW database, and improving coordination between tribal, state, and federal authorities (including giving tribes jurisdiction over non-Natives for crimes on tribal land, as has begun under VAWA). We will also provide resources for victim services and community-based initiatives to protect Indigenous women and girls. The heartbreaking reality that in some regions, Native women are murdered at rates up to ten times the national average (Key Statistics | NCAI) is unacceptable (On May 5, Shining Attention on the Native American Murder Epidemic). Our administration will treat this as a public safety emergency and a civil rights issue—devoting federal investigators and forming cold case task forces until every family has answers and justice. Through these efforts, we send a clear message that Indigenous women’s lives are precious and will no longer be overlooked.
Restore Voting Rights and Political Representation: We recognize voter suppression as a continuation of racial injustice. We will work to restore and expand the Voting Rights Act provisions gutted by the Supreme Court (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This means passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to once again require federal oversight (preclearance) of changes in voting laws in states with histories of discrimination. It also means outlawing racial gerrymandering by establishing independent redistricting commissions and instructing courts to consider discriminatory impact when evaluating district maps. We will ensure language access at polls for citizens who speak languages other than English. Furthermore, we support granting statehood to Washington D.C. (a plurality-Black city) and self-determination for Puerto Rico, as racial justice and democracy issues. Our Federal Democracy Commission (from Voter Justice) will focus on removing barriers that disproportionately affect voters of color – like strict ID laws, limited polling sites, and purges. By safeguarding the right to vote for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American, and all marginalized voters, we empower communities of color to have full voice in our democracy and shape their destinies.
Dismantle White Supremacist Domestic Terror & Hate: We will launch a national initiative to dismantle white supremacist organizations and combat hate crimes of all forms. This includes directing federal law enforcement to treat white supremacy and neo-Nazi violence as a top national security threat (on par with foreign terrorism), infiltrating and prosecuting violent hate groups, and purging any law enforcement officers with ties to such groups. We will strengthen hate crime laws and enforcement while also investing in community programs that educate and build resilience against racist extremism. We also commit to rooting out white supremacist ideology from institutions: removing Confederate names and symbols from military bases and public properties, and countering racist propaganda online through civic education and possibly regulation of algorithmic amplification of hate content. Additionally, we’ll address other forms of bigotry intertwined with racism: antisemitism, anti-Asian hate (particularly post-COVID scapegoating), Islamophobia, anti-Sikh hate, etc., with tailored strategies and solidarity campaigns. Eradicating organized hate and the systemic biases it upholds is essential to achieving a truly just and safe society for everyone.
Combat Environmental Racism: Racial justice includes the right to a healthy environment. We will prioritize the cleanup of “sacrifice zones” – areas, often communities of color, burdened with pollution (industrial corridors, toxic waste sites, etc.) (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will enforce environmental laws equitably, so that wealthy areas don’t get all the protection while poor Black or brown neighborhoods get the waste facilities and smoke stacks. A Climate Justice and Environmental Equity Office will be established to oversee that at least 40% of climate and infrastructure investment benefits disadvantaged communities (as per the Justice40 framework). We will empower communities through tools like cumulative impact analysis in permitting, giving residents a say and potential veto when their neighborhoods are already overburdened by pollution. Everyone deserves clean air, water, and soil – no matter their race or zip code. By addressing environmental racism, we tackle a root cause of health disparities and ensure communities of color are not dumping grounds but thriving environments.
Education and Cultural Equity: We will support programs that uplift the histories and contributions of all racial groups in our curricula, and eliminate discriminatory practices like harsher discipline for students of color (zero-tolerance policies that feed the school-to-prison pipeline, which we end via Education Justice). We’ll fund ethnic studies, multicultural curricula, and bilingual education, affirming students’ identities in the classroom. We will protect programs like affirmative action in college admissions and diversity hiring initiatives (finding legal pathways after the SCOTUS setback) to continue progress toward equitable representation. In media and the arts, we’ll encourage diverse storytelling and ownership, and crack down on racist stereotyping in broadcasting. Celebrating the cultural heritage of each community – from Indigenous Peoples’ Day to recognizing Lunar New Year and Diwali as school holidays in areas with those populations – fosters an inclusive national narrative.
In these policies, we hear the cries for justice that have echoed through the ages – from the genocide and displacement of Native Americans, the enslavement and segregation of Black Americans, the exploitation and exclusion of immigrant labor from Asia and Latin America, to the profiling of Arab and South Asian communities post-9/11. Our movement is more than political; it is a moral crusade to confront the sins of our past and present, to heal our national soul, and to build a future where racial justice is not an aspiration but a living, breathing reality for all. Join us in this sacred journey toward justice and redemption. By confronting racism head-on and uplifting those historically oppressed, we move closer to an America that finally lives out the true meaning of its creed: that all are created equal, with rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, guaranteed for all.
Transformative Justice
In the prophetic tradition that compels us to speak truth to power, we herald a new dawn for Transformative Justice in America — a vision of justice that seeks not merely to punish or reform, but to fundamentally reimagine the very essence of our criminal legal system and societal approaches to harm. Our current system, born of retribution and racial control, has failed: it neither rehabilitates those who err nor heals the communities and victims affected. We commit to replacing this punitive paradigm with one rooted in restoration, accountability, and the preservation of human dignity. Our Transformative Justice Pillar includes:
Protect Whistleblowers and Free Speech: A healthy democracy requires the courage to expose injustice. We will strengthen protections for whistleblowers (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) who shine light on government or corporate wrongdoing — this means expanding laws to cover more workers, offering anonymous reporting channels, and ensuring swift legal recourse if whistleblowers face retaliation. We’ll also push for a federal Shield Law to protect journalists against being forced to reveal sources. Additionally, we will defend freedom of speech and assembly: decriminalizing protest (no more draconian penalties for pipeline demonstrators or racial justice protesters) and stopping the surveillance of activists. Democracy thrives on transparency and truth-tellers (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024); those who risk much to reveal corruption or abuse will be championed by our administration, not punished.
End Mass Incarceration – Decarceration Plan: We will act decisively to end mass incarceration, recognizing it as the moral crisis of modern America and the “new Jim Crow.” Our goal is to reduce the prison population by at least 50% in a decade. We will do this by legalizing marijuana federally and expunging past convictions, eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent offenses, applying the First Step Act retroactively and expanding it, and incentivizing states to shift from prison to alternatives (through grant funds tied to decarceration goals). Specifically, we will end incarceration for drug possession and redirect those cases to drug courts or treatment; for other low-level offenses, we’ll promote diversion to community service or restorative justice programs. For those already incarcerated, we’ll ease re-sentencing and parole for model inmates, elderly prisoners, and those deemed low-risk. The era of warehousing human beings — disproportionately Black, Brown, Indigenous, and poor — must end (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We affirm that redemption is possible, and our justice system will prioritize second chances and reintegration over perpetual punishment.
Close Prisons and Invest in Communities: In tandem with decarceration, we plan to close many of the notorious federal prisons (e.g., ADX Florence’s solitary confinement wing) and work with states to close prisons/jails that are aging, abusive, or underused (like Rikers in NYC). The savings from reduced incarceration (which costs tens of thousands per inmate annually) will be reinvested into communities most harmed by crime and mass incarceration. This means funding job training, education, mental health services, youth programs, and violence prevention in urban neighborhoods often called “prison pipelines.” Such reinvestment addresses root causes of crime — poverty, lack of opportunity, trauma — creating a virtuous cycle of less crime and thus less need for incarceration. We believe safety is built by strong communities, not larger prisons.
Community-led Public Safety: We will redistribute public funds away from militarized policing and toward community-led safety initiatives (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This could include expanding programs like CAHOOTS (which sends medics and crisis workers instead of police to mental health calls), violence interrupter initiatives that mediate conflicts before they escalate, and unarmed traffic safety officers for routine traffic enforcement. By reallocating portions of police budgets to these efforts, we reduce violent encounters between armed officers and civilians and root safety in trust and services. We also support experimenting with community control of policing – for example, elected civilian oversight boards with power over police discipline and policy. Public safety must be rooted in compassion, understanding, and local accountability, not fear and occupation (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Restorative and Transformative Justice Programs: We will transform how we respond to harm by greatly expanding restorative justice programs nationwide (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Whenever appropriate (especially for juvenile offenses and many non-violent crimes), victims and perpetrators will have the option to engage in mediated dialogues, healings circles, or conferencing that centers the needs of victims and the accountability of offenders in a non-carceral setting. We will fund community-based organizations to facilitate these processes and measure their success at reducing recidivism and satisfying victims’ needs. Additionally, we’ll invest in transformative justice approaches that mobilize communities themselves to address harm—building systems outside of police and prisons, for instance in dealing with domestic violence or neighborhood disputes, focusing on healing and preventing future harm. By supporting these evolving models, we seek a justice that heals rather than harms, that restores rather than ruptures (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Prisoner Bill of Rights & Abolish Solitary Confinement: For those who remain incarcerated, we will guarantee basic human rights. We will implement a Prisoner Bill of Rights nationally (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), ensuring incarcerated people have access to adequate healthcare (including reproductive care and gender-affirming care for trans inmates), nutritious food, education and library services, exercise, sunlight, and connection with loved ones through visitation and communication. We will absolutely abolish solitary confinement beyond brief emergency use (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Long-term solitary is torture and will be ended in federal facilities and strongly discouraged (or banned via incentives) in states. In its place, for those who cannot be in general population, we will use intensive therapeutic and congregate settings that address underlying issues. We’ll also end for-profit prisons and any quotas; incarceration should never be driven by profit motives. Prison conditions must reflect our values: recognizing the inherent dignity of all people, even behind bars, and our obligation to treat them humanely while preparing them for return to society.
Address Sentencing Disparities and Clemency: Justice must be blind to race and class, but currently it’s not. We will dismantle biased sentencing practices (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024): eliminating crack vs. powder cocaine disparities entirely (retroactively freeing those who’ve served excessive time), reviewing cases with significant racial disparities or prosecutorial misconduct, and ordering a review of extreme sentences (like life without parole for non-violent crimes, which we’ll eliminate). We will extensively use the presidential clemency power to correct systemic injustices – commuting the sentences of people serving draconian punishments from the drug war era, and pardoning survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence who were criminalized for acts of survival. Moreover, we commit to abolish the federal death penalty and urge states to do the same (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), replacing it with maximum sentences of life with possibility of re-sentencing. The death penalty is irreversible, racially biased, and has no place in a civilized society that values redemption. Comprehensive sentencing reform will ensure that the punishment always fits the crime and that mercy tempers justice.
Re-Enfranchise and Reintegrate: We believe civic and social death must end. We will restore voting rights to all citizens, including those currently and formerly incarcerated (we consider voting a fundamental democratic right that should never be stripped) (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This goes hand in hand with our Voter Justice pillar. We will also eliminate excessive collateral consequences that block people with records from housing, employment, licenses, and public benefits. Ban-the-box hiring, robust anti-discrimination enforcement for those with records, and incentives for employers to hire returning citizens are part of our plan. We’ll expand education and apprenticeship programs in prisons to prepare individuals for good jobs upon release. By removing the civil disenfranchisement and stigma attached to a conviction, we invite returning citizens to fully rejoin and contribute to society, which empirically lowers recidivism and lifts up entire communities.
Demilitarize Police and End Harmful Training Exchanges: Consistent with our vision of community-centered safety, we will demilitarize police forces, prohibiting the transfer of military-grade weapons and equipment to local departments (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Police are not an occupying army; military hardware like grenade launchers or armored tanks have no place on our streets. We will also end programs that train U.S. police in military tactics, including the controversial exchanges with foreign military forces (like the Israel Defense Forces) that impart counter-insurgency techniques to domestic policing (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Instead, we will promote training in de-escalation, implicit bias, mental health crisis response, and human rights. By removing weapons of war from police and reshaping their training, we step toward a peace-oriented approach to public safety, where officers are guardians of the community, not warriors occupying it.
The Justice for All Party’s Transformative Justice campaign is a bold re-imagination of what it means to live in a just society (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). It calls us to stand in solidarity against the injustices that fracture our communities and to weave a new tapestry of justice that is inclusive, equitable, and grounded in the belief of the dignity of every person. Join us in this righteous cause, this sacred struggle, for a world where justice rolls down like a mighty river and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Together, we will build an America where, when harm occurs, our first question is “How do we heal?” and not “How do we punish?”, and where our justice system truly delivers justice for all.
Voter Justice
In the spirit of the great democratic traditions that have illuminated the path toward justice and equality, we envision a renaissance of Voter Justice — a profound transformation of our electoral process into one that truly reflects the will, wisdom, and dignity of all the people. The cornerstone of a democracy is the right of every citizen to participate fully and freely, yet our current system too often falls short: marred by suppression, gerrymandering, big money, and antiquated mechanisms. This Voter Justice Pillar lays out a comprehensive agenda to ensure that every voice is heard, every vote is counted equally, and the power of governance flows from the consent of the governed rather than the bankroll of the wealthy. Our commitments include:
Election Day as a National Holiday: We will make Election Day a federal holiday (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) (or move Election Day to the weekend) so that no one has to choose between earning a day’s wage and exercising their democratic right. This “Democracy Day” will be a time of civic celebration, volunteerism (like giving rides to polls), and full access to voting. Combined with expanded early voting, this ensures that working people, students, and those with caregiving duties can cast ballots without hardship. Voting should be as convenient as possible to maximize participation.
Universal Voter Registration: We commit to Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) for every eligible citizen at age 18 (or 16 for pre-registration) (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Whenever a person interacts with government agencies (DMV, social services, public colleges, etc.), their information will be used to register them to vote unless they opt-out. We will also implement Same-Day Registration nationwide to allow people to register or update their registration on Election Day or during early voting. By breaking down bureaucratic barriers, we affirm that the right to vote is inherent in citizenship and should be as seamless as breathing.
Expand Vote-by-Mail and Early Voting: Following the success in many states, we will ensure no-excuse absentee voting (vote-by-mail) for all (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), with postage-paid ballots and plentiful secure drop-boxes. We will establish a minimum early voting period of at least 2 weeks (including weekends) for federal elections, with convenient hours. These measures particularly help those who cannot get to polls on Election Day (shift workers, those with disabilities, etc.) and have been shown to increase turnout. Our aim is that voting is not a single day frantic affair, but a flexible process every eligible person can navigate.
End Partisan Gerrymandering – Fair Representation: We will create a Federal Democracy Commission (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) or strengthen the Election Assistance Commission to set national standards for redistricting. This commission will support and incentivize states to use independent redistricting commissions that draw fair, non-partisan maps or explore proportional representation systems. Gerrymandering (of any party) distorts democracy by letting politicians choose their voters instead of voters choosing politicians. We will also enforce voting rights protections in redistricting to ensure communities of color have fair representation and are not cracked or packed to dilute their influence. Ultimately, we seek multi-party democracy (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024): making space for new voices by requiring fairer maps and potentially multi-member districts with proportional or ranked voting (as used in many democracies), which reduce the “winner-take-all” disenfranchisement of minorities.
Implement Ranked-Choice Voting Nationwide: We will encourage and provide grants for jurisdictions to adopt Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) in federal elections (and ideally state/local too). RCV allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, ensuring that winners have majority support and removing the “spoiler” effect or need for tactical voting. It fosters more positive, issue-focused campaigns since candidates seek second-choice votes. We will also explore Fusion Voting (allowing candidates to appear on multiple party lines) and other innovative electoral systems to give voters more choice and voice. Our goal is an electoral process that mitigates divisiveness and encourages consensus-building (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Reform Campaign Finance – End Dark Money: While the Citizens United ruling currently stands, we will pursue every avenue to limit the influence of money in politics. We support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and related cases, establishing that money is not speech and corporations are not people. In the meantime, we will pass robust campaign finance laws: requiring full transparency of all political spending (no more dark money; any group spending on politics must disclose donors), empowering the FEC with stronger enforcement powers, and instituting democracy vouchers or public matching funds to amplify small donors. We also advocate for lower contribution limits and will ban corporate PACs from donating to candidates. Our judiciary appointments will be vetted for strong positions on campaign finance reform. Democracy should not be for sale, and we will fight to ensure public elections are funded by public, not plutocratic, means.
Term Limits and Ethics for Judiciary: We support instituting Term Limits for Supreme Court Justices (for example, 18-year staggered terms) (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) to ensure regular turnover and prevent lifetime partisan entrenchment. This may require a constitutional amendment or creative legislation establishing rotating justices. Additionally, we will enforce stringent ethics rules for the judiciary: binding codes of conduct for Supreme Court justices, bans on receiving lavish gifts or payments from interested parties, and more transparent financial disclosures. The courts must be seen as fair arbiters, not influenced by partisan or financial considerations.
Ban Officials from Cashing in on Public Service: To close the revolving door, we will ban former elected officials (and senior government appointees) from lobbying for a significant period (e.g., 5-10 years) after leaving office (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), if not lifetime for certain high offices (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We will also bar Members of Congress from trading individual stocks while in office to prevent conflicts of interest (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Furthermore, we’ll tighten rules so that judges cannot hear cases involving former clients or employers. Public officials must act in the public interest, both in office and once they leave, without even the appearance of selling influence.
End Voter Suppression Tactics: Federally, we will set national standards to override voter suppression measures that states have imposed. This includes outlawing overly strict voter ID laws (instead, implement non-discriminatory ID rules coupled with free IDs and alternatives like affidavits), ensuring ample polling places with short wait times (monitored by DOJ), preventing illegal voter purges (with safeguards and notice requirements), restoring voting rights automatically to citizens upon release from prison (as mentioned in Transformative Justice), and criminalizing deceptive practices that spread misinformation about voting (like telling people the wrong election date). We will also enforce robust protections for voters with disabilities, language minorities, and Native voters (e.g., accepting tribal IDs and addresses). Election officials who engage in willful suppression can face investigation and penalty. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act will be coupled with the For the People Act provisions to comprehensively secure voting access. Our message is clear: Every citizen’s vote is sacred, and we will safeguard it from any who attempt to impede or dilute it.
These pillars of Voter Justice are not mere policy positions; they are the moral commitments of a movement that seeks not only to win elections but to transform a nation (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We invite every American to join in this sacred struggle to reclaim our democracy — to ensure that every voice is heard, every vote valued equally, and every citizen empowered to shape the destiny of our republic (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Together, let us march toward a horizon of hope, where our government truly is of, by, and for the people. When democracy thrives in the sunlight of justice, equality, and love, we all flourish.
Worker Justice
In the prophetic tradition of labor rights pioneers and the continued struggles of working people, we hark back to a time when the worth of one’s labor was measured not merely in dollars and cents but in dignity, respect, and the collective well-being of our communities. Our Worker Justice Pillar is built on the conviction that all working people deserve fairness, security, and a voice on the job. It comprises bold proposals to shift power from corporate elites back to the workers who are the true creators of wealth. These are not just policy proposals — they are moral imperatives, a call to honor the sacred worth of every worker in our nation. We commit to:
Enact a Workers’ Bill of Rights: We will champion a comprehensive Workers’ Bill of Rights (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) that enshrines key protections for labor. This includes abolishing so-called “right-to-work” laws nationwide (through federal preemption) which currently weaken unions in many states (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). It also guarantees safe working conditions (enforcing and strengthening OSHA), a living wage (as detailed in Economic Justice), universal sick leave and paid time off, and strong protection against unjust firing. The Bill of Rights will declare collective bargaining a fundamental right for all workers – in the private and public sectors alike – akin to freedom of speech or religion, making union busting and retaliation not just unfair labor practices, but serious legal violations with stringent penalties. It is a new social contract stating: the labor of our hands and the sweat of our brows are to be honored and protected.
Empower Unions and the Right to Organize: We will remove obstacles and actively encourage unionization across all industries (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This means passing the PRO Act (Protecting the Right to Organize Act) to simplify union certification (card check recognition), mandate binding arbitration for first contracts when an employer drags feet, and levy real penalties for union-busting tactics. We will outlaw permanent replacement of striking workers (guaranteeing the right to strike without losing one’s job). We will protect secondary strikes and boycotts (so solidarity actions are legal). And we will ensure gig, contract, farm, and domestic workers – historically excluded from labor laws often due to racism – are given full rights to organize and bargain collectively. By strengthening these legal fortifications around unionization (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024), we ensure every worker can stand in solidarity without fear of retribution. The result: a renaissance of unions giving workers collective power to negotiate fair wages, benefits, and working conditions.
Expand Collective Bargaining Rights to All Sectors: We affirm that workers in every sector deserve representation, including those in non-traditional or currently excluded sectors. We will push to allow collective bargaining for federal, state, and local government employees everywhere (repealing bans in certain states). We will support efforts to unionize workers in the tech and service industries where organizing is nascent but needed. Moreover, we will promote sectoral bargaining – where instead of negotiating company by company, unions can negotiate industry-wide standards (ensuring high-road employers aren’t undercut by low-road competitors). For nonprofit and public service workers, we will require neutrality agreements as a condition of federal funding (so if an agency gets federal money, it can’t union-bust its staff). Serving the public good should not mean sacrificing worker justice (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Ensure Fair and Speedy Union Contracts: Too often, employers stall contract negotiations to frustrate newly formed unions. We propose Contract Negotiation Time Limits (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024): if a newly certified union and employer can’t reach a first contract within one year, then the remaining issues go to binding arbitration where a fair contract is imposed. This ensures workers’ just demands are not endlessly delayed. We’ll also strengthen the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to help resolve disputes quickly. Workers who unionize must see tangible gains, not endless waiting, otherwise the right to organize is hollow.
Worker Representation in Corporate Governance: We will work toward economic democracy in the workplace by advocating that employees have seats at the table. Specifically, we call for Board Representation for workers at large corporations (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024): one-third to one-half of corporate board seats should be elected by employees (as is done in several European countries). This ensures decisions about layoffs, offshoring, or profit distribution consider workers’ perspectives. Additionally, we’ll encourage profit-sharing and cooperative ownership models: offering tax incentives or financing for companies that transition to worker-owned cooperatives or employee stock ownership plans with real worker control. Those who labor in a company should have a say in its direction (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) – it’s both just and leads to better long-term decision-making that accounts for workers and communities, not just quarterly returns.
Support Working Families – Paid Leave and Childcare: Recognizing the sanctity of family and caregiving, we demand policies that reflect that raising a family is as valuable as any economic output. We will implement six months of fully paid parental leave for all new parents (mothers, fathers, adoptive, foster), and robust paid family leave for serious family illnesses (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). We’ll also ensure universal childcare and pre-K, starting with a federal program to fund local, free, high-quality childcare centers, because no one should have to choose between work and caring for a child (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). These steps, coupled with flexible work scheduling, affirm that our society treasures care work and will not penalize those who take time to bond with a new child or care for a loved one.
Guarantee Equal Pay and Opportunity: We will enforce Equal Pay for Equal Work across gender, race, and disability (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). This includes requiring pay transparency (large employers must publish pay ranges and pay equity audits), and giving workers and the EEOC the tools to challenge unjustified wage gaps. We’ll raise the federal contractor standards to only award contracts to companies with certified pay equity. Additionally, we will champion diversity in hiring and promotion, cracking down on practices that exclude marginalized groups (like racialized recruiting or algorithmic bias in hiring software). When needed, affirmative recruitment and training will be used to level the playing field. It is unconscionable that women, particularly women of color, still earn significantly less than white men on average — we will eliminate that injustice at its roots (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024).
Shorter Work Week and Work-Life Balance: As productivity rises, workers deserve to share in the benefits through time, not just money. We will establish a Four-Day Work Week Commission (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) to research and pilot reducing the standard workweek to 32 hours without loss of pay, aiming to improve quality of life and productivity. We envision an economy where our worth is not tied to overwork at the expense of family or health (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). By experimenting with shorter workweeks or 6-hour workdays, we seek to modernize work-life balance for the 21st century, following successful trials in other nations that maintained output while boosting worker well-being.
Fair Trade and Global Solidarity: We commit to trade policies that lift up workers globally rather than a race to the bottom. We will pursue Fair Trade Agreements (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024) that enforce strong labor, environmental, and human rights standards across borders, including the right to unionize in all participating countries. If corporations want access to our markets, they must treat their workers decently everywhere. We will ban imports made with forced or child labor and penalize companies that offshore jobs to exploit sweatshop conditions. We understand that American workers’ fates are intertwined with workers abroad — raising standards overseas prevents a global undercutting of wages and conditions, benefiting all workers. International labor solidarity will be a cornerstone of our foreign policy, not an afterthought.
Invest in Care Economy and Social Jobs: We will treat care work (teaching, nursing, caregiving, social work) and public service as crucial, well-respected careers. That means raising wages for care workers (through higher reimbursement rates in Medicare/Medicaid and other programs), forgiving student debt for those who serve in vital social occupations, and expanding training and hiring in health, education, and elder care to address critical shortages. This not only creates good jobs but also provides essential services to our communities.
These policies are the bedrock upon which we will build an economy that recognizes the dignity of every worker (Platform - Cornel West for President 2024). Join us in this righteous cause, for in the struggle for workers’ justice, we elevate not just the living standards of the many but the moral standard of our nation. When workers prosper and have a real voice, our democracy is enriched and our society is stronger. We are all workers, and in standing up for one another’s rights in the workplace, we truly achieve justice for all.
Conclusion: Toward a More Perfect Union of Justice for All
This comprehensive Justice for All Party Platform is both a blueprint for transformative policy and a moral declaration of our deepest values. It is holistic in scope because justice itself is interconnected: economic justice bolsters racial justice; health justice feeds into education justice; environmental justice is bound to global justice; and so on. In weaving together Truth, Justice, and Love across every issue area, we affirm that our nation’s ills must be addressed in tandem, through solidarity and a shared vision of the common good.
This platform has been crafted in the streets and in the hearts of millions who have cried out for change. It carries the prophetic tone of movements — from the abolitionists and suffragettes, to the civil rights marchers, anti-war protesters, feminist and LGBTQ activists, disability advocates, climate strikers, labor organizers, and all who have dared to believe in a better world. Yet it is also actionable and specific: a roadmap replete with concrete policies and legislative priorities to begin the urgent work of systemic change. We do not offer idle dreams; we offer plans and pathways to materialize those dreams.
Our call is uncompromising: America can wait no longer for justice. We face overlapping crises — of inequality, of racial reckoning, of climate emergency, of fraying democracy, of moral atrophy — that demand bold action. Incremental half-measures and corporate-friendly politics have failed us. This platform, by contrast, meets the moment with the scale of change required. It is radical in the truest sense, going to the roots of injustice to heal and rebuild from there.
Importantly, this platform is not the end of a conversation but the beginning of a mass mobilization. We present it ready for public release as a rallying cry to galvanize support among all who yearn for justice. Let these pages educate, inspire, and mobilize: we encourage discussions in union halls, community centers, houses of worship, campuses, and online forums. Let neighbors and co-workers discover common cause in these proposals. As more people see their own struggles addressed here — whether it’s a Black mother fighting for her family’s restitution, a student saddled with debt, a farmer facing climate devastation, or a worker fed up with being voiceless on the job — they will join our movement for a more just America.
And when skeptics ask, “How can such sweeping change be achieved?”, we answer: by the power of the people united. By building the broadest coalition of the excluded and compassionate: Black, white, brown, and Indigenous; poor and middle-class; urban and rural; young and old; of all faiths and no faith; of all genders and orientations. By harnessing the righteous indignation at the status quo and turning it into organized action — protests, strikes, votes, and community-building. The blueprint is here; the work now is to carry it out through democratic engagement at every level, from local ballots to the halls of Congress.
We stand on the shoulders of giants who in earlier eras fought for “liberty and justice for all” and bent the arc of history. Now it is our turn to push that arc to its culmination. With Truth as our guide — speaking honestly about our past and present, unflinchingly facing facts — with Justice as our aim — in law, in economy, in every institution — and with Love as our driving ethic — seeing each person as precious, treating the Earth as sacred — we cannot fail. This is more than a platform; it is a covenant with the American people to create the beloved community of which Dr. King dreamed, an America as good as its promise.
The road ahead will not be easy. Entrenched powers will resist these changes; cynics will scoff at the idealism herein. But we recall the words of another era’s movement: “If not us, who? If not now, when?” The Justice for All Party answers: Not only us, all of us together. Not someday, but now.
Let this document serve as our compass and rallying banner. As we release it to the public, we invite every reader to see in it a piece of their own story and a stake in our shared future. May it fuel debates, win converts, and pressure other parties and officials to adopt its planks. And ultimately, let it guide policy when we the people claim our power to govern.
America stands at a crossroads. Down one path is further division, oligarchy, and decline. Down the other is the great rebirth of a nation “with its mind stayed on freedom.” We choose the path of justice, the only path that can lead to the democracy and society our children deserve.
With humility in our hearts and determination in our stride, we set forth together toward that more perfect union — an America where Justice for All is not a slogan, but the lived reality of every person.
Join us. The journey toward Justice for All continues, and with each step we take in solidarity, the closer we come to the America that we know, in our deepest moral core, is possible.
Let us be the generation that can say, with truth and pride: we delivered on the promise of Justice for All.