The vision of the Michigan People’s Campaign is to ignite the power of our communities and shift the balance of power; cultivate the leadership of those directly affected by injustice; and build popular institutions for the future. It is a multi-racial organization, which works year-round to make sure that communities that have been left out of the political process, especially working-class communities and communities of color, are fully engaged and have good reasons to vote. The organization also trains the next generation of candidates and campaign managers from communities that are most impacted by injustice.
Michigan United was formed in 2013 through the merger of the two longtime community organizing groups, Michigan Organizing Project (MOP) and the Alliance for Immigrant Rights (AIR). MOP was a faith-centered community organizing project based in West Michigan, with membership in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and smaller towns in the area. AIR was a statewide coalition of 100 labor, faith, social service, civil rights and business groups working to stand up for the civil rights of immigrant workers, families and students. AIR also conducted extensive community organizing of low-income Latino and Arab American families in Metro-Detroit. This long history of organizing and deep community ties has helped Michigan United become one of the most impactful organizations in the state today.
Every year, volunteers and fellows canvass tens of thousands of residents who are the least likely to vote. They work to educate and organize community members about the important issues in play in the election, encourage citizens to vote and register new voters. Their voter program is focused on expanding the electorate and bringing new voices into the debate. Michigan United regularly runs the largest Spanish-speaking get-out-the-vote program in the state.
Michigan United also has a legal services department that provides immigration legal services including citizenship classes, English language classes, and renewals and petitions for documentation.