Photo via Poor People's Campaign.
The resistance is moral
by Tom Sullivan
Photo via Poor People's Campaign.
Moral Mondays have taken to the road with the renewal of Martin Luther King's Poor People's Campaign. The nonviolent protests against harmful conservative legislation led by Rev William Barber that began in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2013 have morphed into a wider movement against systemic racism and the war on the poor. Police are still arresting protesters on Mondays in Raleigh. But the nearly 1,000 arrested in Moral Monday actions there have been matched by another 1,000 in protests in state capitols around the country.
In Boston.
In Albany.
In Harrisburg.
In Columbia.
In Tallahassee.
In Frankfort.
In Indianapolis.
In Lansing.
In Topeka.
In Jefferson City.
In Sacramento.
In Olympia.
Breaking News: 19 arrested. #PoorPeoplesCampaign Sit-in Washington State Capitol Olympia pic.twitter.com/xZzmL1mASR
— Jan Van Pelt (@concordbb) May 22, 2018
The Poor People’s Campaign, a revival of Martin Luther King’s final effort to unite poor Americans across racial lines, last week brought together activists from several faiths, the Women’s March, the labor movement and other liberal organizations to launch 40 days of civil disobedience and protest against inequality, racism, ecological devastation and militarism. As many as 1,000 people were arrested during the first wave. More expect to be held in future.They say so much about what God says so little and so little about what God says so much, Barber says often in challenging their theology.
Barber, a co-chair of the campaign, says some conservative faith leaders have “cynically” interpreted the Bible’s teachings to demonize homosexuality, abortion, scientific facts and other religions. They are guilty, he says, of “theological malpractice” and “modern-day heresy”.
The demands of the Poor People’s Campaign are as ambitious as they are progressive. They have called for a repeal of the Republican tax cuts, federal and state minimum wage laws and universal single-payer healthcare. Other proposals also mirror those of politicians like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.Maybe it's just me but raw sewage in the yard does not sound like the promised American greatness.
“We are surely trying to impact politics,” said Liz Theoharis, a co-chair. “And we are surely trying to make sure that our elected officials take these issues seriously. But this goes far beyond any one election or election year.”
Barber and Theoharis imagine a new “southern strategy” that undoes racial divisions. For months they have barnstormed poor and working-class communities deep in Trump country, in an effort to build a multi-faith alliance.
“We visited homes where there was raw sewage in their yard,” Theoharis said. “In these communities, these issues are not seen as progressive or Democratic. They’re seen as human rights issues.”