We are Philly Neighborhood Networks
Become a member of PNN by making a contribution of any amount that you can afford. Your contribution will be your dues and will help to provide a foundation as we work towards our shared goals. By signing up today, you become an integral part of PNN and will be entitled to vote on endorsements and other organizational matters.
Your contribution can be a monthly recurring donation or a one-time annual donation. Monthly recurring donations are especially important to provide a steady source of income year-round. As long as your recurring monthly donation is current, you are always a member. If you make a one-time donation, you will have to make an annual donation in future years to continue membership.
As a member, you will also receive our weekly newsletter that has our upcoming events,
opportunities, and information about our organization.
About Us
A spark of progressive activism was ignited during the 2004 Presidential campaign. A core group of MoveOn organizers realized the impact they had using the power to influence election results in the key city in the swing state of Pennsylvania. That spark generated a local organization with an enduring commitment: Philly Neighborhood Networks that now involves over 3,400 activists. We push for progressive candidates and policies in Philadelphia, and organize our work around Action Committees that work for Economic Justice, Education, Electoral Politics, Environment, Healthcare, and Housing. We recognize all these issues are infused with racial injustice and the systemic oppression of people of color, and each committee prioritizes anti-racism within its movement.
Our mission is to engage, educate, and empower our neighbors to support candidates and policies that put people and the planet before profit.
We envision a society healed of trauma and oppression, that affirms universal human rights to healthcare, education, food, housing, a living income, and a sustainable environment.
Our History
Philly Neighborhood Networks traces its origins to the Presidential campaign of 2004. With strong support from MoveOn which provided a data-assisted organizing model, we had kept Pennsylvania “blue” with a massive turnout in Philadelphia despite the national defeat of John Kerry. After the election, a core group of MoveOn organizers were determined to preserve what they had learned from the campaign, so we decided we would try to keep the energy going and, on our own, establish connections to form a new organization. We gathered the connections we had made with other leaders and continued to hold monthly meetings and potlucks over the winter as we reached out.
In June 2005, we met at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Philly Neighborhood Networks was born. Our idea was to create an enduring organization to push for progressive candidates and policies and a platform of progressive goals for healthcare, environment, civil rights and economic reform in Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania. At the national level, we wanted to implement a strategy to shore up the “democratic wing” of the Democratic Party so it would eventually dominate it.
Since our founding in 2004, we have grown to a network of over 3,400 activists who work to elect progressive candidates at every level of government. We also continue to organize on a wide range of issues, such as gun control, minimum wage increases, ethics reforms, environmental sustainability, progressive tax reform, and education equity.
Our Values
We are committed to promoting fair and just political, legal and economic systems. Social, racial and economic justice is at the core of all we do as we work to promote a society in which all people are treated with dignity and fairness, all are free of discrimination and unequal treatment, and all have the right to live fully and enjoy a meaningful life.
Equity &
Inclusion
We hold all human lives to be of equal value and believe that each person is entitled to basic human rights. We welcome all peoples’ participation, without regard to gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, income, age, abilities, or religion, and value all the diversity they bring. As we work together to achieve the common good, we believe that there is more that unites us than separates us.
Compassion
Recognizing that we live in an interdependent world, we understand that we are all neighbors and that harm done to one is harm done to all of us. We act for justice in the political realm and treat one another with neighborly concern.
Accountability
Collaboration & Partnership
Leadership
We hold politicians answerable for their promises and their actions, and we expect that we too will fulfill our commitments, work responsibly with each other, and be true to the values we profess.
We believe that working creatively with one another and other community and advocacy groups builds a more powerful movement for social and economic change. When seeking solutions to structural injustices, we reach out and follow the leadership of the communities that are most directly affected.
We believe in stepping up courageously as an organization and as individuals and stepping back to make room for others to lead in their time. We are committed to cultivating, growing and supporting leaders for our organization and respecting the lead of other organizations within our coalitions.
Our Principles
1. Democratic and Community Control Over Our Country and Economy
We must start by taking money out of politics so that public policies reflect the will of the people. We need publicly financed elections that are open, accessible and fair to all. Locally controlled entities like cooperatives, land trusts, and public banks must be supported while Wall Street and private banks must be regulated so that our city serves not just the 1% but all the people of Philadelphia.
2. Living Wage Jobs And Benefits For Workers
Americans have a right to fair minimum and living wages, to organize and collectively bargain, to enjoy equal opportunity, and to earn equal pay for equal work. We need job creation that lifts our chronically unemployed and marginalized residents out of poverty.
3. Safe, Clean And Healthy Communities Where People Can Afford To Live
Our communities need affordable housing that has protections for homeowners and renters, efficient city services, and quality health care for all that is cost-effective.
4. Climate Justice & Clean Energy for a Just and Sustainable Future
We must reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and invest in cleaner, more innovative ways to produce and consume energy, like wind, solar and geothermal. Green energy jobs and more public and alternative transportation are needed in our city.
5. Support Public Education From Pre-K To Higher Education
We should provide universal access to early childhood education, make school funding equitable, elect our school board, invest in high-quality teachers, and build safe, well-equipped school buildings for our students. A high-quality education system, from universal preschool to vocational training, and affordable higher education, is critical for our future and can create badly needed jobs now.
6. Fair Taxes, Fair Budgets
Those that have more, should pay more so that our budgets provide for the essential services needed in all our neighborhoods, and especially for our most vulnerable citizens. We need to close corporate loopholes and giveaways for the rich.
7. Equality & Equity for All
Discrimination based on race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or nationality has no place in our society. We must end discriminatory practices such as racial profiling and Stop & Frisk and institute policies like Ban the Box, bail reform and community-based policing. Our immigrant communities must have access to opportunities and be free from deportations and detentions. We need to end mass incarceration and reinvest the savings in programs that prevent recidivism and promote rehabilitation and reentry.
Our Team
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Our Partners
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