Last week UFPJ National Organizer George Friday, National Co-conveners Jackie Cabasso and Terry Rockefeller, and several UFPJ affiliates, met in Washington, DC at the Poor People’s Campaign Moral Congress which released its Moral Budget. This budget provides a detailed approach to “decent jobs, housing, healthcare, education, peace, and a clean environment for everyone.” “The United States has abundant resources for an economic revival that will move towards establishing a moral economy”.
The Campaign hosted a presidential candidates’ forum in which Campaign members posed questions to nine 2020 candidates. All candidates were asked if they would commit to a presidential debate on the five interlocking injustices of systemic poverty, racism, ecological devastation, the war economy and religious white nationalism. They all said YES!
The Poor People’s Campaign is asking everyone to sign a petition demanding that at least one LIVE televised 2020 presidential debate focuses on these five interlocking injustices.
United for Peace & Justice is proud to be an endorsing partner of The Poor People’s Campaign, A National Call for Moral Revival.
Important Message from the Poor People’s Campaign:
Last week, more than a thousand poor and impacted people gathered from over 40 states for the Poor People’s Moral Action Congress. On the first day we held a presidential candidates’ forum in which nine candidates committed to a televised debate on poverty and the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, militarism, ecological devastation, & the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. As we challenged them, we cannot go through another election cycle where the issues and demands of 140 million poor and low-income people are not at the center of our national life.
This is not about one debate or one election—this is about the very heart and soul of our democracy. Last week, we testified before the House Budget Committee, where we made it clear that there is a moral crisis in this country that is devastating millions of lives and the very livelihood of the planet.
We weren’t there to just tell the stories of our struggles, but to share our solutions. At the Congress, we launched our Moral Budget, which reveals that the demands of the Poor People’s Campaign are not only possible, but will benefit all of society. In response to the tired and weak rationalizations many in power make for our suffering, we answer: it will take moral policies and larger social transformation to lift the load of poverty.
That’s why we must demand debates in which every presidential candidate addresses how they will confront poverty and the interlocking injustices of our time.
And we cannot stop there. It will take a movement of the poor and impacted to lead the way forward. On the last day of our Congress, we called for a Mass Poor People’s Assembly and Moral March on Washington for June 20, 2020. Between now and then, we will continue to organize in every region of the country, register people for a movement that votes, and build lasting power for the poor.
Forward together, not one step back!
Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II and Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis,
President of Repairers of the Breach & Director of the Kairos Center
Co-Chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
