Thank you for your interest in the Green Party of Virginia (GPVA). We have a new database that will help us communicate and keep track of our membership better! Many of you have been around for years so some of this info may be a repeat for you. Some of you supported Jill Stein. Some of you signed up on our website for information. Regardless of how you found us or how we found you, you are now part of the most important political story of our time, the shaping of a new politics that truly is of, by, and for the people.

Perhaps the most important thing Greens like yourself recognize is that we really don't have a government-for-the-people and haven't had for a very long time. As a recent study from Princeton University showed, the opinions of regular Americans have virtually zero influence on the laws and policies of our federal government, while the opinions of the very rich invariably determine what the laws are that Congress will pass and that the Executive will enforce. It is no better in the statehouses, including here in Virginia.

We are told to fear the national debt, fear terrorists, fear foreign powers--and to fund an ever larger military and state-security complex with our taxes--while our infrastructure crumbles, our civic and educational institutions decay, and our political system is eaten away by rank corruption. Meanwhile our people--lacking jobs, healthcare, and opportunities but burdened with inescapable private debt--live more and more precariously each day.

We are told to fear crime, while our prison-industrial complex locks away millions of our citizens whose infractions were minor, our law enforcement agencies are militarized, and our people--especially people of color--live in fear of the very police who are supposed to protect them.

We are told to fear and despise the poor, while the wealth that properly belongs to the people is hoarded and hidden – $trillions of it in off-shore havens out of sight of the taxman--and a small elite of the super-rich hire their own police, and their own politicians.

This can't go on

GPVA recognizes that to have a government for the people, it must also be of and by the people. That means treating politics not as a spectator event, something you tune-in to every four years to be entertained by or to see how it turns out, but as a participatory function of citizenship. Merely voting does not a democracy make: We must also be ready to put some skin in the game.

The most important thing you can do is to become a member of your Local Green Party--and if there isn't a local near you then to start one. We already have 12 active locals, including in most Virginia cities, and more are forming all the time. If you don’t know if you are a part of a local, you can check here. It is our local parties that determine the policies and focus of the state party, that find and support candidates, that petition for ballot access, and that get our message out to voters. Without this crucial work we cannot succeed in taking our government back.

Running a party also takes money. To reach voters with our message we must have flyers, pamphlets, a web presence, meetings and events, and the whole range of activities that go with running candidates who can win their office. Because--unlike the Dems and the GOP--the Green Party's candidates aren't for sale to the highest bidder, we rely on the contributions of real people and local businesses. You can become a donor here.

There is no greater way to support the future of Virginia, and of America, than to support your local and state Green Party. Please log-in at https://vagreenparty.nationbuilder.com today. Make a contribution of any amount. Get in touch with your local party and the other Greens in your area. Being a Green won't take over your life or hurt your budget, but it will give you chance to look your fellow citizens in the eye, greet them with a smile, and know that you are making a difference. If you need anything, contact us at [email protected].

Welcome aboard!
Bryce Davis and Tamar Yager
GPVA Co-Chairs

PS – We’re having our state meeting in Blacksburg on Saturday May 19. All are welcome. Go to https://vagreenparty.nationbuilder.com/meetings for the agenda.