The erosion of democracy started long ago. After the Civil Rights Movement, new barriers in housing and education worked to gatekeep opportunities and keep people of color excluded. Public pools were drained and closed rather than integrated. Access to elite education further widened those divides.

At the time, many Americans accepted this injustice as blue-collar jobs provided stable incomes, and biases against people of color were pervasive. But this acceptance came at a cost. The degradation of equity and opportunity eroded the middle class.

By 2010, the Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision dealt another blow. It treated corporations as entities with free speech rights, opening the floodgates for unlimited political spending. While this argument might hold water for unions, most corporations don’t represent their employees. Many don’t even pay living wages, forcing workers to rely on government assistance. Meanwhile, corporations lobby for tax breaks, putting the financial burden back on the American people, all while CEOs and shareholders grow wealthier.

This decision marked the beginning of the end of true representational democracy. Corporate cash now fuels elections, weakening the value of an American’s individual vote. Candidates across political affiliations (with rare exceptions like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) accept corporate donations. This money comes with strings attached, sacrificing the interests of the public.