Fifty years ago, when Martin Luther King, Jr. began to focus on the intersections between racism and poverty, he launched what he called a “Poor People’s Campaign.” Many of the marchers and protesters who had joined his work against racism were utterly poor. Among lawmakers, basic human needs had become secondary to waging war in Vietnam, propping up failing industries and making corporate deals behind closed doors.

Shortly after Dr. King’s assassination, President Johnson declared an “unconditional war on poverty” that, combined with civil rights legislation, was meant to improve the education, health and resources of low-income individuals, which in turn would improve their access to the same pursuit of happiness enjoyed by other citizens. While some federal legislation has expanded the safety net created by the Johnson administration, laws are still being proposed and enacted to strip away programs for the poor and the marginalized.

As a result, little has changed for these populations in the past 50 years. Policies that regard only some people as fully human, that give only privileged categories (white, male, rich) full participation in our democracy, that allow those with money to have the most influence on government policy, have a human cost. Poverty keeps growing and growing. Resources dwindle. The population is less and less educated. Jobs are less and less likely to provide a livable wage. We are the land of opportunity for only a select few.

The poor and marginalized today are channeled into to lesser homes and jobs and schools and health care without access to upward mobility and the pursuit of happiness. Immigrants, the homeless, youth, Muslims, and the poor have seen their voting rights suppressed and their access to basic social services obstructed. Women’s reproductive rights are being legislated by men in power and severely curtailed. The rights of our young people to a sustainable environment and safety from domestic terrorism are ignored.

In order to imagine a day when we live as equals, we have to imagine a future without poverty, hunger, police brutality, homelessness, war, environmental destruction, false incarceration and second class citizenship for the marginalized and powerless. How do we get there?

For the past two years, The Reverend Dr. J. William Barber, II and Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis have criss-crossed the country speaking to communities about the goals of the grassroots Poor People’s Campaign now underway. They have ensured that people who want to be part of the protest are trained in civil disobedience and principles of non-violent protest.

This week marks the beginning of this nation-wide Poor People’s Campaign. Led by members of the clergy and by poor people, this 6-week long peaceful protest movement intends to bring the entire nation’s attention back to the systemic injustices that are committed against the poor and all of those who are living in the shadows of our democracy.

These are the basic themes, but you can go to their web site to learn more: https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/

Week 1 (May 13-19)
Somebody’s Hurting Our People: Children, Women and People with Disabilities Living in Poverty

 

Week 2 (May 20-26)
Linking Systemic Racism and Poverty: Voting Rights, Immigration, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and the Mistreatment of Indigenous Communities

 

Week 3 (May 27-June 2)
The War Economy: Militarism and the Proliferation of Gun Violence

 

Week 4 (June 3-9)
The Right to Health and a Healthy Planet: Ecological Devastation and Health Care

 

Week 5 (June 10-16)
Everybody’s Got the Right To Live: Education, Living Wages, Jobs, Income, Housing

 

Week 6 (June 17-23)

A New and Unsettling Force: Confronting the Distorted Moral Narrative

 

If you are interested in reading more about the background of this movement, you will find it in The Souls of Poor Folk, a report from. the Institute for Policy Studies that you can download from their web site.