As I’m sure you’ve noticed over the past couple of months, I’ve asked you to join me in signing petitions demanding government action on a range of important issues. I’ve also had a number of people ask me what these petitions accomplish and why they matter – and I think that’s a great question.

Today’s politics are all too often disconnected from real people. In the age of Citizens United, corporate interests and wealthy donors spend vast sums to shape the conversation over the direction of our country. It’s more important than ever that all Americans have their voices heard – and that’s what petitions are about.

Donald Trump and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke have launched a “review” of America's National Monuments, threatening to rescind monument designations and allow oil and gas exploration, logging, and mining on our public lands. At risk are lands ranging from the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the Massachusetts coast, to the Giant Sequoia National Monument in California.

This is unconscionable. These sites are a part of our national heritage that we should be protecting for our children and future generations. Submit your comment now to the Department of the Interior telling them to protect our National Monuments!

Two years ago this week, the Supreme Court established marriage equality as the law of the land. In Massachusetts, we're proud of our legacy as the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, and we celebrated as that right was realized across the nation.

Two years later, we would do well to recall this moment of hope and optimism. In today's politics, it can be easy to become disillusioned and dispirited. But now, more than ever, it is important to remember that we can make progress in creating a more equal and compassionate society.