MPower Change Action

In the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries, MPower Action promoted the “uncommitted” movement which urged Democratic presidential primary voters to select “uncommitted” to pressure President Joe Biden to convince Israel to reach a ceasefire in its war against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. ²

Related Organization

MPower Change, the charitable advocacy group of which MPower Action is the lobbying and electoral advocacy arm, was founded in January 2016 in New York. Linda Sarsour, Mark Crain, and Dustin Craun founded MPower Change. ³

Activism

In July 2020, MPower Change Action Fund called for the repeal of the Patriot Act and the increased surveillance powers it gave federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies. ⁴

In September 2020, MPower Change Action Fund shared on its Instagram a call to abolish the criminal justice system. ⁵

In September 2020, MPower Change Action Fund expressed opposition to the Countering Violent Extremism anti-terrorism program calling it “racist and Islamophobic.” ⁶

In June 2021, MPower Change Action Fund hosted a conference call explaining how Black Lives Matter and Palestinian-nationalist activism were connected. ⁷

In December 2023, MPower Change Action Fund signed a letter opposing a bill which included increased funding to support Israel following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and increased security provisions on the U.S. borders. The letter called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, ending all U.S. support for Israel, lifting most immigration restrictions and border security policies, and cutting defense spending and shifting the money towards more social programs. ⁸

In April 2024, MPower Change Action Fund signed a letter along with Working Families Party, IfNotNow Movement, Sunrise Movement, Movement for Black Lives, and Gen-Z for Change, Arab American Institute, Greenpeace USA, Justice Democrats, and other groups endorsing the student protests at college campuses supporting Palestinian nationalism and opposing Israel’s military response to the October 7 attacks. The groups praised the students for raising awareness of Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip and the fact that they were being conducted with American-made weapons. The groups announced that the protests came forth with clear demands that the universities divest from Israel and “demanding safe environments for Palestinians across their campuses.” The letter called upon people to support the student protests. ⁹

In June 2024, MPower Change Action Fund endorsed a letter by 70 Democrats in the U.S. Congress urging the Biden administration to admit more Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip who have immediate relationships with American citizens to the United States as refugees. ¹⁰

In July 2024, MPower Change Action Fund executive director Linda Sarsour gave an interview in which she called President Joe Biden a “war criminal” and demanded that Vice President Kamala Harris support a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, more aid for Palestinians, and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and for Harris to signal her willingness to impose an arms embargo on Israel. ¹¹

In July 2024, MPower Change Action Fund denounced the speech to Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called for its supporters to protest the speech by wearing red, thereby drawing a “red line” against Netanyahu, whom the group called a war criminal. ¹²

In October 2024, MPower Change Action Fund urged its social media followers to pressure President Joe Biden to declare an arms embargo on Israel. The group also denounced Biden for sending American troops to aid in the defense of Israel without Congressional authorization. ¹³

On Election Day 2024, MPower Change Action Fund released a message claiming its work would continue regardless of who won. The message denounced former President Donald Trump for trying to reinstate the “Muslim ban” and Vice President Kamala Harris for supporting “Israel’s genocide in Gaza.” The group also denounced both for insufficiently supporting immigrants and refugees. ¹⁴

In November 2024, MPower Change Action Fund expressed opposition to H.R. 9495 which would give the IRS the power to terminate the tax-exempt status of groups which supported terrorism. The group described the legislation as “a dangerous bill that would give Trump new powers to unilaterally target and shut down nonprofit and activist groups in the name of national security.” ¹⁵

In November 2024, MPower Change Action Fund denounced the Biden administration for whipping against a vote to block arms sales to Israel. The group took offense to the Biden administration claiming that supporters of the vote were aiding Hamas. The group denounced President Joe Biden claiming that his legacy “will be one of complicity and partnership in Israel’s genocide.” ¹⁶

In November 2024, MPower Change Action Fund supported a move by self-described socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to force a vote in the U.S. Senate to block what the group called $20 billion in sales of offensive arms to Israel. The vote failed overwhelmingly, and the group blamed the Biden administration and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee for lobbying against the legislation. ¹⁷

Electoral Advocacy

In the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries, MPower Change Action Fund supported the “uncommitted” movement which urged Democratic primary voters to vote “uncommitted” or cast blank ballots to pressure President Joe Biden to push Israel into an immediate ceasefire in its war against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In the New York State presidential primary, it was part of the “Leave It Blank” coalition which urged Democratic primary voters to leave the presidential ballot blank. ²

In April 2024, MPower Change Action Fund endorsed the reelection of controversial and far-left “Squad” member Summer Lee (D-PA). Lee won her primary and reelection. ¹⁸

In June 2024, MPower Change Action Fund endorsed the reelection of controversial and far-left “Squad” member Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) to the U.S. House. Bowman was defeated in his primary, and the group blamed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, claiming it was “one of the most destructive forces in American politics.” The group launched the “Reject AIPAC” campaign in response. ¹⁹

In August 2024, MPower Change Action Fund endorsed the reelection of controversial and far-left “Squad” member Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) to the U.S. House. The group claimed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee poured millions of dollars into her race to oppose her. Bush was defeated in her primary. ²⁰

Leadership

MPower Change Action Fund’s executive director is Linda Sarsour. She is the former executive director of the Arab American Association of New York and a former co-chair of the Women’s March.  ²¹

Yasmine Taeb is the legislative and political director for the group. She claims that she “grew up undocumented” and later became an American citizen. In 2016, she became the first Muslim woman elected to the Democratic National Committee. She previously worked at Demand Progress, Center for Victims of Torture, Friends Committee on National Legislation, and the Center for American Progress. ²¹