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    • We believe our society is in need of articulating a New Social Compact, one that is based on a set of core inclusive values, one that builds on our past and embraces our future. This compact recognizes our fundamental belief that we are linked by our common humanity, that we are bound together in our work to secure a fair and inclusive democracy, and that we are united in our commitment to care for each other and the Earth. There are certain times in which we are called upon to rethink, reclaim, and boldly articulate what we stand for, and to act, and we believe we are in one of those times today.

    We will not allow the normalization of hate, exclusion, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and xenophobia in our society. These forces betray our values and if remain unchecked will overwhelmingly harm all people, our living planet, our future generations, and democracy itself.


    This compact recognizes that we may have many different strategies for achieving our goals, but we are united by common values that guide our actions. The values in this compact are nonpartisan and reflect our grounding in a morality that recognizes the worth of all people. We believe these values are central to any legitimate democratic government.

    Core Values

    We, the undersigned, believe in the following core values:

  • A belief in the dignity and humanity of all people.
  • A recognition that all people are connected to each other and to our living planet.
  • A belief in the rights of all people to fairly and freely participate in the democratic governing structures that impact their lives.
  • A belief in the responsibility of government, markets, and a civil society that work to serve the wellbeing of people, including the right to health care, food, education, and shelter.
  • A belief that it is untenable to enact policies that suppress opportunity.
  • A belief in the rights of free expression under the protection of the government.

    • Core Practices

    We, the undersigned, acknowledge that it is not enough to only state our values, we must also operationalize them. Below are some ways in which we will practice our core values.

  • We support efforts that advance the creation of inclusive and safe environments, including giving financial, political, institutional, and social support.
  • We commit to protecting and repairing the Earth from unalterable exploitation.
  • We prioritize protection and attention to groups who have been historically targeted, marginalized, and excluded; to those who seek refuge; and to those who become targets of attack or hate under any political administration or institution.
  • We will take action when local, regional, or federal government actors, private businesses, or social movements ignore or violate the values in this compact, through dialogue, petitioning, boycotts, and nonviolent civil activities.
  • We support and defend the rights of free expression and a free media.
  • We support the right of people to organize collectively in their places of work.
  • We embrace a shared, pluralist approach with those who share these values, and we will work with all who practice them in a spirit of mutual trust and respect, regardless of political affiliation.
  • We live by the tenet that a democracy requires consent and trust in order to work, and we will not consent to violations of the values stated in this compact.

    • Call to Action

    We the undersigned, issue the following invitation to our political leaders, private and public agencies, communities, and all individuals who wish to show support for this compact through the following actions:

  • We call upon those who embrace and commit to these values to sign this compact and work toward operationalizing its values.
  • We call upon every person to hold themselves and our communities accountable to these values;
  • We call upon our government officials, private businesses, and social leaders to embrace these values in public and private spaces and to actively defend these values;
  • We call upon local, state, and federal actors to refuse cooperation with any government agencies that violate these norms;
  • We call upon communities to discuss this compact with their neighbors, coworkers, and local neighborhoods in order to explore ways of putting these values into practice;
  • We call upon all who believe in these values to display their support of this compact, including posting signs in public places, houses of faith, online, and in other media, to declare that all people are welcome and safe in our society no matter their political affiliation, religious beliefs, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, physical ability, place of origin, membership status, or any other identity or affiliation.

    • While this compact originates in the United States, we believe its values are global. We invite all people to join us in signing it, sharing it, and living it. We understand the values and practices in this list may not be comprehensive, so we invite all to take this as a base for creating an inclusive social compact for your own community, campaign, organization, school, house of worship, place of business, or any other effort that desires to operate based on these shared values. While we recognize there will be many different strategies to achieve our goals, the core values we hold are non-negotiable.

    A plain text version of this Social Compact can be found here.

    We the People

  • john a. powell
    Professor of Law, African American & Ethnic Studies, and Director, Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, UC Berkeley
  • Angela Glover Blackwell
    Chief Executive Officer
    PolicyLink
  • Anthony B. Iton, M.D., J.D., MPH
    Senior Vice President of Healthy Communities, The California Endowment
  • Ian F. Haney López
    John H. Boalt Professor of Law, UC Berkeley
    Senior Fellow, Demos
  • Andrew Solomon, PhD
    Professor of Clinical Psychology
    Columbia University
    President of the Board of Trustees
    PEN America Center
  • Rinku Sen
    President and Executive Director
    Race Forward
  • Maya Rockeymoore, Ph.D
    President and CEO,
    Global Policy Solutions
  • Robert B. Reich
    Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies, UC Berkeley
  • Deepak Bhargava
    President
    Center for Community Change
  • Ai-jen Poo
    Director
    National Domestic Workers Alliance
  • Jacqueline Pata
    Executive Director
    National Congress of American Indians
  • Ian Record
    Director, Partnership for Tribal Governance National Congress of American Indians
  • Gary Cunningham
    Co-Chair
    African American Leadership Forum
  • Lynn Pasquerella
    President, Association of American Colleges and Universities
  • Manuel Pastor
    Professor, Sociology / American Studies & Ethnicity and Director, Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, USC
  • Mary Kay Henry
    International President
    Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
  • Gerry Hudson
    Secretary-Treasurer Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
  • Heather C. McGhee
    President, Demos
  • Russell K. Robinson
    Professor of Law, Distinguished Haas Chair in LGBT Equity University of California, Berkeley School of Law
  • James H. Carr
    Coleman A. Young Endowed Chair and Professor in Urban Affairs, Wayne State University
  • Iva E. Carruthers, Ph.D.
    General Secretary, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference and Professor Emeritus, Sociology Department at Northeastern Illinois University
  • William E. Spriggs, Ph.D.
    Professor, Department of Economics
    Howard University
  • Susan Taylor Batten
    President and CEO
    A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities
  • Roger Clay, Jr.
    Visiting Scholar, Institute for Research in the Social Sciences and Center on Poverty and Inequality, Stanford University
  • Alexis McGill Johnson
    Executive Director
    Perception Institute
  • Glenn Harris
    President
    Center for Social Inclusion
  • Scott Reed
    Executive Director
    PICO National Network

    • YES, I would like to sign onto this New Social Compact. Please type your name, title, and institutional affiliation or profession in the manner in which you would like for it to appear on the website.

    We invite all who believe in this social compact to freely use any of the visual assets on this website to operationalize these shared values in your practices and actions. Please post what you will #CommitTo on social media as part of this #NewSocialCompact.

    This New Social Compact is a collaborative effort produced by the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at UC Berkeley, along with the following coalition of partners who have signed on to support this effort. Design and website development donated in part by Column Five. If you would like your organization to join this effort, please email your agreement with these values and your logo here .