On this day, 50 years ago, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee alongside sanitation workers demanding their humanity be dignified by fair wages, decent benefits, the right to unionize, and an end to dangerous working conditions.
In memory of and tribute to Rev. King, a lifetime member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, we recommit to his vision through proudly standing as a national endorsing organization of the new Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
We need you to stand with us: Sign up now to join the Poor People’s Campaign.
In state capitols and Washington, D.C., policies that promote systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, and ecological devastation are threatening our democracy and decaying our national morality. We refuse to be silent in the face of such injustice.We need to demonstrate unprecedented grassroots strength by uniting together as one.
“Martin Luther King’s critique of capitalism is more relevant than ever” we are reminded by Dr. David Ragland, FOR’s Senior Bayard Rustin Fellow, in his op-ed just published today (April 4, 2018) as the lead story on Waging Nonviolence.
This is why FOR joins with Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, activists, clergy, and impacted people in over 30 states to support the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
The time to act is now. We are joining one of the largest waves of nonviolent direct action in U.S. history this spring, and we hope you will join us. As a foundation, listen to the March 22nd webinar on the moral & theological analysis for nonviolent moral fusion direct action, featuring Dr. Barber & Dr. Theoharis.
P.S. Watch the livestream here of today’s events in Memphis from the National Civil Rights Museum.
P.P.S. Read “What Would Martin Luther King Do?” by Ron Young, FOR national youth organizer in 1968 and former aide in Memphis to Rev. James Lawson, published on April 3, 2018 about how Dr. King’s intersectional vision informs current struggles over national policy and budget priorities.
Photos: (1) Poor People’s Campaign Co-Chairs Dr. Theoharis (left) and Dr. Barber meet with FOR National Council Co-Chair Matt Meyer and NC member Chrissy Stonebraker-Martinez in Nashville this March (courtesy Matt Meyer); (2) Meyer and FOR NC Co-Chair Sahar Alsahlani meet with PPC Faith Community Organizer Rev. Stephen Knight in Washington this February (courtesy Stephen Knight); (3) Dr. King (fair use image); (4) PPC banners light up the Moral March in Raleigh NC this February (courtesy Ethan Vesely-Flad).
