Leaders are organizing around an agenda to expand democracy to all people and end the crisis of death by poverty and low wealth, which kills 295,000 people each year.
WASHINGTON -– Standing at a podium at the National Press Club, Bishop William J. Barber II, president and senior lecturer for Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival announced a mass assembly and moral march in Washington D.C. on Monday to put the needs, issues, and priorities of poor and low-wage people at the center of this year’s elections.
The mass assembly will take place at 10 a.m. on June 29 at Third and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington D.C., followed by a march to Pennsylvania Avenue.
Highlighting the fact that one-third of the U.S. electorate is comprised of poor and low-wage people, Barber called on the nation to mobilize on June 29 to ensure a moral public policy agenda, which includes living wages, universal health care, public education, and affordable housing, are prioritized by candidates across the country, from state house races to the presidency. The summer assembly and moral march will launch an intensive four-month effort to reach 15 million poor and low-wage infrequent voters ahead of this year’s elections through intensive organizing and earned and paid communications efforts.
“It does not stand to reason – morally, economically, or politically – that in the richest nation in the history of the world, 800 people die every day from poverty and low wealth,” Barber, the 2024 co-chair of mobilization and strategy, said. “At the beginning of this presidency, we saw the enactment of policies that cut into the scourge of poverty, as the Child Tax Credit cut the rate of childhood poverty in half. Politicians then made the conscious choice to increase poverty to where it was before – an unconscionable reminder that mass poverty is a political choice, not an inevitable law of nature.
“We are here to say we must restore the moral conscience of this nation, and elect leaders across the country who will make different choices – not to raise poverty, but to lower it; not to give out tax breaks to wealthy corporations but to those who are struggling to make ends meet,” he said. “These are the priorities of one-third of the U.S. electorate, and any candidate interested in activating these voters must speak to our issues and our values.”
Organized alongside impacted poor and low-wage workers, representatives from over thirty-two state coordinating committees, and a growing coalition of leaders from major religious organizations and denominations, labor unions, and other advocates and advocacy partners of the Poor People’s Campaign and Repairers of the Breach, the June 29th assembly and moral march will bring together poor and low-wage workers and individuals from across the country who are demanding candidates and public policies that embrace a moral agenda.
Despite comprising the largest swing vote, the priorities of poor and low-wage voters have been ignored for decades by extremists pushing fake populism and so-called moderates making compromises that benefit only wealthy special interests, instead of the American people broadly.
A growing list of national partners and anchor organizations will be participating in the June 29th mass assembly and moral march, and the work beyond.
“We are a resurrection of the unheard voices in this democracy, not an insurrection,” said Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign and director of the Kairos Center. “After years of historic union drives and grassroots organizing, we are demonstrating our power at the polls in 2024. We will elect leaders with the courage to abolish poverty, raise wages, safeguard voting rights, and meet the basic needs of struggling families.”
“I am one of the 666,000 poor and low-wage workers in my state. I am one of the 313,953 people in the workforce earning less than $15 per/hour,” said Elaina Hurley, West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign. “I have physical disabilities and had to make a sacrificial decision to return to the workforce just so I can try to meet basic human needs such as shelter, food, water, and utilities. I’ve had numerous utility termination notices that never seem to end. Sometimes I have to go without electricity, running water, or heat until the next payday, or do the rigorous search for government assistance programs only to be told I’m ineligible because my income exceeds the guideline amount. I’m exhausted physically and mentally, but I’m not broken spiritually. It is by the spirit of God and love for my brothers and sisters in the struggle that I am here today mobilizing and organizing to get myself and West Virgnians to Washington D.C. on June 29th.”
“We represent 37 denominations, 100,000 congregations, and more than 30 million members. We are here today to shed light on the dire circumstances faced by so many individuals in our country,” said Bishop Vashti Mckenzie, president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches. “As an anchor partner of the June 29 Poor People’s Campaign mass assembly and moral march, we are committed to advocating for those who are living well below the poverty line, struggling to make ends meet on a daily basis, and unable to access basic necessities for themselves and for their families. Our political leaders have a moral obligation to use their power and influence in statehouses and congress and in communities across the country to address the urgent issues and work towards solutions that support those who are marginalized and disenfranchised.”
At the press conference, the Poor People’s Campaign announced an updated 17-point Agenda that they are pushing candidates to embrace during the 2024 election season and beyond. These include:
- Abolishing poverty as the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.
- A living minimum wage of at least $15 +/hour (indexed for inflation)
- Full and expanded voting rights
- No more voter suppression
- Guaranteed workers’ rights & labor rights
- Healthcare for all
- Affordable, adequate housing
- Strong social welfare and safety net programs
- An end to gun violence, profit, and proliferation
- Fully protected women’s rights
- Environmental justice that secures clean air & water
- Justice for all Indigenous nations
- Fully funded public education
- Just immigration laws
- Addressing militarism and the war economy
- Standing for peace not war; an immediate cease fire in Gaza that allows humanitarian relief, the release of all hostages, and peace with justice to be pursued; and an end to genocide around the world
- An end to hate, division, and the extremist political agenda
“This is a crisis moment for our democracy,” said Rosalyn Pelles, senior advisor for the Poor People’s Campaign. “In order for our nation not to continue down the path of autocracy, we need for our political leaders to become moral leaders and take seriously the needs and priorities of the millions of people struggling simply to survive. Congress must lead, by bringing forward comprehensive legislation to restore the Child Tax Credit and raise the minimum wage. The media must do more, by covering the experiences of people struggling to get by, not just the words and whims of the wealthy and powerful. And the White House must treat poverty like the crisis it is, if this administration is serious about saving our democracy. We all must act, and that is what June 29 is all about.”
For more information, visit: www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/mm2024.
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