September 13, 2020
WHAT: The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival steps up its voter engagement efforts with a national Moral Monday on Voting is Power Unleashed! In June, over 3 million people viewed the campaign’s Mass Poor People’s Assembly and Moral March on Washington. On Monday, thousands of people will learn the tools to empower poor and low-income people not only to vote but also to protect their right and the rights of others to cast a ballot. They will take this knowledge to the families and communities and build coalitions to fight voter suppression.
WHO: The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, co-chaired by Rev. Dr. William Barber and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Caitlin Swain of Forward Justice and Sherrilyn Ifill of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund will lead the training, including how to respond if approached by an aggressive poll watcher, what happens if you’re still in line when the polls and other situations. Poor and low-income people from every color, creed and geography will issue calls to vote along with representatives from faith, civic and social organizations. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden also will speak. President Donald Trump has not responded to his invitation to speak. Also joining the Poor People’s Campaign for this program are artists/activists Erika Alexander, Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda and Barbra Streisand.
WHY: Poor and low-income people make up 25% of the electorate and can change the political calculus of this country in the presidential election in 15 states with increases in voter turnout of 1% to 19%. Over 27 million poor and low-income who could vote in 2016 did not for three main reasons: they didn’t hear politicians address their issues; voter suppression; and transportation or time off to vote. Those who participate in the program will learn how to overcome the racist voter suppression that hurts both people of color and poor whites because the politicians who get elected then also vote to block health care, living wages, environmental protections and other issues that lift up poor and low-income people of all colors.
WHEN: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern, Monday, Sept. 14.
WHERE: Join online at www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/livestream
A virtual pressroom will be set up for reporters’ to watch the event and to ask questions. Media can register for it here.
**The event will be closed captioned & ASL interpreted. Spanish language interpretation also will be provided.
BACKGROUND: The Poor People’s Campaign has released a groundbreaking report titled “Unleashing the Power of Poor and Low-Income Americans: Changing the Political Landscape.” The report shows that poor and low-income people can change the political calculus of this nation in the presidential race in 15 states and 16 U.S. Senate races with just a small uptick in voting. More than 140 million poor and low-income people live in the United States or 43% of the country’s population, and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, with organizing committees in 43 states, is building a moral fusion movement to address the five interlocking injustices of systemic racism, systemic poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and militarism and a distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. Our demands are reflected in our Jubilee Platform.
For additional information: poorpeoplescampaign.org https://youtu.be/PmOjcUoDhEs
Twitter: @unitethepoor / Instagram: @poorpeoplescampaign / Facebook: @ANewPPC
CONTACT:
Martha Waggoner: [email protected]