Veterans for Peace were out
in full force, wearing peace dove helmets on t-shirts and flags.
Representatives from several groups spoke including clergy from various
faiths.
People waited in the wings
for their turn to speak or just to listen and support. The Raging Grannies sat
waiting patiently for their turn to speak their minds in song.
The Raging Grannies promoting social justice |
Since I was prepared for a totally different scenario of veterans and motorcycles, I was surprised and intrigued at the demonstration. It was deja vu back to the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the late 60's when the campaign was first started.
This excerpt of one King's last Sunday sermon sums up the yet to be fulfilled cause: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But if a man doesn’t have a job or an income, he has neither life nor liberty nor the possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists … We are coming to ask America to be true to the huge promissory note that is signed years ago. And we are coming to engage in dramatic non-violent action, to call attention to the gulf between promise and fulfillment; to make the invisible visible." - Martin Luther King
The Poor People's Campaign will continue for four more weeks with the following themes:
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
Saturday, June 23, 10:00 a.m. EDT10am: Global Day of Solidarity and Sending Forth Call to Action Mass Rally in Washington, D.C.
Now that I know the rallies are happening I'll be watching more
closely and hope to get down to a few more.