An emergent vision for pivoting from harm to benefit by transitioning US rail from private profit to public purpose

Wednesday, April 22 

5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern

Spend Earth Day with Backbone as we welcome a panel of environmental justice and labor organizers to discuss how we can shift US rail from being a source of harm to an infrastructure that benefits us all.

Join us on Wednesday, April 22 (Earth Day) for a Solutionary Circle.  Our friends at Pace e Bene are calling for Solutions Circles as part of this year's Earth Week, and Backbone Campaign's Solutionary Rail project is honored to collaborate by hosting such incredible panelists.  Included are Andrea Vidaurre (People's Collective for Environmental Justice), mark! Lopez (East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice), Tabitha Tripp (Public Rail Now), Ryan Calbreath (UE Green Locomotive program), and Jess Conard (Rail Watch), along with Solutionary Rail Director Bill Moyer.

Over the last few years, EJ and labor organizers have been deepening their bonds of solidarity and finding common cause in the fight to electrify our rail system. But electrification is not the only interest or benefit that a more accountable rail system would provide. Another goal is shifting our rail system toward delivering greater community safety and broader societal benefit by getting more trucks off the road, reconnecting service to rural communities, and hosting new transmission on rail corridors. Working at the state and federal level, these allies and organizers are shaping policies and shifting the political calculus to overcome the profound power of the biggest (“Class 1”) railroads (BNSF, UP, CSX, NS, CN, and CPKC) whose management has been captured by extractive Wall Street forces. 

We'll start at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern on 4/22/26. RSVP below to get the Zoom link. 

Let's Celebrate People Power

Join the call to hear about creative activism deployments - and share your own experiences from your community!

Thursday, May 7

5pm Pacific / 7pm Central / 8pm Eastern

RSVP Below

Education is a Human Right.

Higher Education ought to be free. Let's inspire the imagination of the possible by getting these images in the national media next week.

Backbone Campaign is sending its giant inflatable debt ball to DC for a demonstration for Student Loan Justice, April 17. 

Pitch in to support this image getting there and in front of national news media!

Organizers are calling for the passage of HR. 2366, and the return of Constitutional bankruptcy rights to ALL STUDENT LOANS. We also are calling for ZERO INTEREST on ALL STUDENT LOANS!

If you cannot physically attend, please make a donation here to support these events. With your help, we'll get Backbone's giant, inflatable student loan "ball and chain" erected at the White House.