National Candlelight Campaign Against Cuts Coming to Downtown Greensboro
Media Advisory for December 10, 2012
Contact: Jeremy Sprinkle, Communications Director, 336-255-2711, [email protected]
WORKING FAMILIES TO BRING NATIONAL “CANDLELIGHT CAMPAIGN AGAINST CUTS” TO DOWNTOWN GREENSBORO
Rep. Watt urged to say: No cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security and end tax breaks for top 2% at vigil on Monday, Dec. 10
(Greensboro, NC - 12/6/12) North Carolina working families will gather at sunset on Monday outside Congressman Mel Watt’s office in Greensboro for a candlelight vigil to show public support and a moral imperative for Rep. Watt and the rest of our congressional delegation to do right by workers, veterans, students, and retirees in budget negotiations. Doing the right thing means making sure the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes and opposing any cuts in benefits to Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Reverend Niels Chapman, minister of Genesis Baptist Church in Greensboro, will open the candlelight vigil with a prayer. Two Triad-area residents will then share a personal story about what Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have meant to their lives. The vigil will end with a minute of silent reflection.
Since the election, working families in North Carolina have been mobilizing around the “Lame-Duck” session of Congress. On Nov. 8, workers and retirees joined others across the country for meetings in Congressional district offices. On Nov. 27-28, a delegation of North Carolina labor leaders traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby Rep. Watt and other members of our delegation. The Candlelight Campaign Against Cuts is the latest effort to make sure Congress gets the message that standing against tax fairness and for cuts to earned benefits is not only hugely unpopular but morally indefensible.
What: Candlelight vigil against cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and taxes on the rich
Where: Congressman Mel Watt’s office, 301 S. Greene St., Greensboro, NC 27401
When: Monday, December 10, 2012 at 5:00 PM (sunset)
Who: N.C. State AFL-CIO, MoveOn.org, Working America, Genesis Baptist Church, N.C. Alliance for Retired Americans
Speakers:
1. Rev. Niels Chapman of Genesis Baptist Church
2. Two Triad-area residents with personal stories about how social insurance programs have saved their lives
Photo ops:
1. A group of two to three dozen North Carolinians lighting candles at sunset and holding vigil in the heart of downtown Greensboro
2. Signs urging Congressman Mel Watt to stand strong for North Carolinians
Interview opportunities:
1. Rev. Niels Chapman of Genesis Baptist Church
2. Triad-area denizens with a personal stake in negotiations on averting the “fiscal cliff”
3. A policy spokesman with facts and figures for your story provided by the N.C. Budget and Tax Center
###
The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of local unions and union councils in North Carolina, representing over one-hundred thousand union members, fighting for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of all working families. PO Box 10805, Raleigh, NC 27605.
