poor people's march for economic human rights
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update: Washington, DC
[23august2003] March on Washington, DC and Bushville
40 years ago today, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his
famous "I have a dream speech" at the March on Washington for
Jobs and Freedom. Five years later, working to build the "Poor People's
Campaign," he was assassinated. Looking at the gains of the civil
rights movement, concerned that our future was being wasted in Vietnam,
King believed that the time had come "to move from a movement of
civil rights to a movement of human rights."
update: preparations
[22august2003] March prepares to enter the capitol
Core leadership of the Poor People's March swelled to 100 as leaders from more than 30 Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign organizations arrived in Arlington in preparation for a march on the capitol which will include at least 1,000. Despite almost daily negotiations for more than a month, the March was only granted a 13-hour permit which will expire at 11:59 on the 23rd. Poor People's Campaign leadership is calling for volunteers to participate in and be witness to nonviolent civil disobedience on the National Mall at this time.
update: Clinchco, Virginia
[14august2003] belated update from appalachia
Clinchco, Virginia is located in the heart of Appalachia. For generations, coal mined in this community and throughout this region, now one of the poorest in the country, fed the growth of the US economy. The livelihoods of the thousands of people who lived in this town were tied to the dangerous work in the mines, but as coal companies automated, those jobs disappeared.
update: Durham and Raleigh
[17-18 August 2003] leadership development
In the morning the marchers were able to sleep in until 8:00 am, take showers, and pause to reflect on the march so far. Together, they discussed the process of leadership development ... Willie Baptist, Education Director for the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, framed the discussion with an analogy: "Suppose we are camping in the woods, when a hungry bear enters the camp looking for someone to eat. The first person who wakes up has a responsibility to wake the others so they can make sure no one gets eaten. The first person to wake up is in a position of leadership."
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update: four arrested at NAFTAville
[15-16august2003] action in support of fired Pillowtex workers
After meeting with workers and leadership of UNITE local 1501, marchers decided to show their support for the more than 6,450 workers fired from the Pillowtex plant in Kannapolis, NC. Pillowtex is a casualty of NAFTA. Pillowtex was forced into bankruptcy because it was unable to compete with low-wage labor in poor countries. The town of Kanapolis has been devastated by the plant closure and the union has been forced to hold school supply and food drives for the workers. Some
employees were making $40,000 a year and now might lose their houses, retirement funds, and all hope of a decent future.
Después de reunirse con los trabajadores y líderes del sindicato local UNITE 1501, los marchantes decidieron mostrar su apoyo de los más que 6,450 trabajadores despedidos de la planta Pillowtex en Kannapolis, N.C. Pillowtex es una victima del TLCAN (NAFTA por sus siglas en ingles). Por no poder competir con los salarios bajos de los países pobres, Pillowtex se quebró. El pueblo de Kannapolis ha sido devastado por la clausura de la planta, y el sindicato ha sido obligado a recaudar fondos para comida y artículos de escuela para los trabajadores. Algunos de los empleados estaban ganando $40,000 por año, y ahora podrían perder sus casas, fondos para el jubileo, y toda esperanza para un futuro digno. update: Knoxville, TN
[12august2003] we will be heard
The Poor People's March arrived in Knoxville today, marching eight miles down Martin Luther King Blvd. After arriving at the Austin Homes housing project, the march split up into documentation teams to record economic human rights violations. Residents held a speak out at which they voiced their anger over the demolition of low income housing to make way for a highway expansion, with no plans to relocate residents.
update: Forsythe and Atlanta
[11august2003] georgian hospitality
On the night of the 10th, marchers were refreshed with a good night's sleep in (shared) motel rooms provided by Paul and Virgie Dean (parents of marcher Todd Dean)—not to mention their wonderful home cooking. Paul and Virgie own a flower and wedding shop in Macon (mdean1425@yahoo.com). Later, Willie Baptist, who is the Campaign Coordinator of Education for the University of the Poor, led an educational on moving from solely focusing on civil rights to building today's movement for economic human rights.
En la noche del 10 de agosto, los marchantes durmieron bien durante la noche en cuartos compartidos de un motel, donados por Paul y Virgie Dean (los padres de marchante Todd Dean), además de su comida casera maravillosa. Paul y Virgie son dueños de una tienda de bodas en Macon (mdean1425@yahoo.com). Más tarde, Willie Baptist, el Coordinador de la Campaña de Educación para la Universidad de los Pobres (University of the Poor), coordinó un taller educativo sobre el proceso que se ha cambiando el enfoque de solo los derechos civiles a construir el movimiento de hoy para los derechos humanos económicos. update: Louisville, KY
[7-9august2003] police and pollution
Upon arriving in Louisville, KWRU leaders met with organizers from Women in Transition, a local organization that addresses issues of poverty as it affects women and children, around building a Poor People's Movement in Louisville. WIT agreed to become a part of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, joining in it's struggle to end poverty not only in Louisville but in all of America.
update: Nashville, TN
[5-6august2003] images from the march to Batesville
The Poor People's March arrived in Nashville on August 5th. The scenery changed from soybeans to cement, but the poverty experienced by local people remained the same. Nashville residents spoke out alongside marchers on issues like housing, homelessness, healthcare and education in their city and the nation. Kensington Welfare Rights Union representatives Galen Tyler and Cheri Honkala spoke out on economic human rights. A transcript of Cheri's speech is available here.
photo update: August 4th
[4august2003] images from the march to Batesville
(see more)
update: the march begins
[3-4august2003] Marks to Batesville
Despite sweltering heat, mosquito attacks, and encounters with local law enforcement, the Poor People's March successfully arrived in Batesville, MS after two days of marching. Tomorrow the march will travel to Nashville to begin again there.
A pesar del calor cansante, ataques por zancudos, y encuentros con la policia local, la Marcha de los Pobres llego con exito a Batesville, MS despues de dos dias de marcha. Manana la marcha viaja para Nashville para empezar otra vez alla. update: the kickoff | la apertura
[2august2003] Marks, Mississippi
Rain poured down on the marchers at the kickoff to the Poor People's March today, just as it did 35 years ago on the first day of Martin Luther King's Poor People's Campaign. Even so, a flash-flood
warning couldn't dampen the spirits of participants at the opening ceremonies in Marks, Mississippi.
Igual como el primer dia de la primera marcha de los Pobres organizado por Martin Luther King hace 35 años, llovio fuerte hoy durante la apertura de la Marcha de los Pobres por los Derechos Humanos Economicos. Sin embargo, la amenaza de inundaciones no pudieron aplastar el animo de los participantes en el programa de apertura de la marcha en Marks, Mississippi, EEUU. update: the same, small hands | las mismas manos pequeñas
[29july2003] we need your help
We're only days away from this historic march, on which poor and homeless families from all across the country and all over the world will be marching for survival. As important as this struggle is for all of us, it is still the same, small group of hands who are willing to fund our march ...
En unos dias empezamos esta marcha historica, en que familias pobres y sin techo de todas partes de los Estados Unidos y del mundo estaremos marchando por nuestra sobrevivencia. Aunque esta lucha es importantisima para todos nosotros, solo son las mismas manas pequenas que han contribuido los fondos para nuestra marcha ... update: "Marks, Martin and the Mule Train"
[24july2003] photos from Marks, MS
Kensington Welfare Rights Union Director Cheri Honkala traveled to Marks last week, meeting with a few local people who are fighting to keep the memory of King's march alive. Marks, Mississippi is still suffering from the same intense, multiracial, rural poverty that moved Martin Luther King to launch his Poor People's Campaign 35 years ago. She brought back these photos.
update: "A New and Unsettling Force"
[15july2003] by Willie Baptist and Cheri Honkala
It is no accident that the last years of Martin Luther King,
Jr.'s life are the least discussed and least understood. In
the final period of his life, King determined that what had been a
movement for civil rights must become a movement for human rights
targeting global poverty including its 'downsizing' and devastating impact on the lives
of huge population sectors of the world's richest country,
the United States of America. As many of King's former
allies abandoned him, and as repression against King and the movement
increased, King set about a building a "non-violent army of
the poor" to set up an encampment in Washington DC during
the spring of 1968. This effort would lead to his assassination ...
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