7th Annual Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) Feb. 9
Jeremy Sprinkle
Forward together. Not one step back!
Woe to those who make unjust laws,
To those who issue oppressive decrees,
To deprive the poor of their rights
And withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
Making widows their prey
And robbing the fatherless.
-Isaiah 10: 1-2
AFL-CIO marchers in 2012.
Join us and our coalition partners for the 7th annual Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) People's Assembly and Coalition Mass Mobilization. Last year was the biggest assembly, yet. This year needs to be even bigger! What: HKonJ7 When: Saturday, February 9, 2013 -- assemble at 9:30 AM; march at 10:30 AM Where: Assemble at Shaw University, South Street, Raleigh, NC Click here to see pictures from HKonJ6. North Carolina's state constitution vests all power in the people of North Carolina. It requires our elected representatives to use that power only for "the good of the whole." "And yet the far-right, Tea Party-backed ultra-conservative leadership" which controls our state legislature has done the opposite, says Rev. Dr. William Barber, president of the NC NAACP, in calling for HKonJ7:"...the General Assembly has attacked public education; assailed our voting rights; ignored the cries of the poor and unemployed; sought to divide us by race, income, region and sexual orientation; and tried to sell off our environment to the highest bidder; all in the service of private greed and far-right ideology. This attack on the most vulnerable among us comes at a turning point in our history, when everything we hold dear is on the line." -- Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, IIEverything is on the line. Already, our out-of-control state legislature has introduced legislation to gut our vital unemployment insurance system - a move the News & Observer called "petty, hurtful and unnecessary". And that is just a taste of what's to come. So save the date! Join us for HKonJ7 on Saturday, February 9 - the day the people will come together to take our power back.
Get the flyer for HKonJ7.
By the way, if you want to march with labor, behind the AFL-CIO banner, at HKonJ7, let us know with an email to [email protected].
"Poverty & Economic Justice" legislative briefing on Jan 15
You don't have to wait for HKonJ Feb. 9th to engage lawmakers on the challenges facing North Carolina, like a 17.9% poverty rate or over 9% unemployment - currently the 5th highest jobless rate in the nation. Join us as we remind the Governor and members of the NC General Assembly, who recently swore on the Bible to uphold the North Carolina Constitution, that Article I , Sect. 2 of the Constitution requires them to govern "for the good of the whole." Registration begins at 9:00 AM; a 30-minute powerful documentary based on the 2012 Truth and Hope Poverty Tour at 9:30 will be screened at 9:30 to begin the program. What: HKonJ legislative briefing When: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 9:00 AM Where: Legislative Auditorium, 16 West Jones St, Raleigh, NC 27601 The policy briefing's theme is "Addressing Poverty and Economic Justice in NC." Registration begins at 9:00 a.m.; a 30-minute powerful documentary based on the 2012 Truth and Hope Poverty Tour at 9:30 will be screened at 9:30 to begin the program. On Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s actual birthday, we will come together to present and address the issue of poverty and economic disparities. The key issues which must interconnect in order to address the issue of poverty and economic justice include:- Economic sustainability - addressing poverty, full employment, living wages, disparate unemployment and labor rights, affordable housing, minority access to contracts, targeted empowerment zones and fair tax reform;
- Educational equality - every child deserves a high quality, well-funded, constitutional, diverse public education - and equal access to community colleges and universities;
- Healthcare for all - ensuring access to and protection of Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security and providing environmental protection;
- Addressing the continuing inequalities in the criminal justice system for black, brown and poor white people;
- Protecting, defending and expanding voting rights for all people.