Washington, D.C. — On Thursday, June 21, people gathered outside of a large white tent near Capitol Hill to revive the mission that Martin Luther King Jr. began 50 years ago.
These people were rallying as members of the Poor People’s Campaign.
According to John Wessel-McCoy, a volunteer for the campaign who was at Capitol Hill, the focus of the Poor People’s Campaign is to give a voice to those who do not have one. “We are trying to build the organization in states all over the country,” McCoy said as music blared from speakers, grabbing the attention of people walking by.
“Tens of millions don’t have access to healthcare. People are dying because they don’t have access to healthcare,” McCoy explained. He also went on to discuss how the Poor People’s campaign is trying to create a moral revival.
At Capitol Hill on Thursday, the Poor People’s Campaign was working to bring attention to problems occurring in D.C. Such problems include racism and its effects on poverty, ecology and health, militarism and the war economy, the homeless population and more.
They base their agenda on fundamental rights, and they say the campaign is “a national call for moral revival,” according to the Poor People’s Campaign. “There is a distorted moral narrative out there,” said McCoy.
At Capitol Hill, the Poor People’s Campaign handed out papers with information about their campaign and what they are trying to accomplish. They also give the history of the campaign and how it all began with Martin Luther King Jr.
“Fifty years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many other leaders launched a Poor People’s Campaign to tackle the pervasive problems of systemic racism, poverty, and militarism,” according to the Poor People’s Campaign. “By many measures, these interrelated problems are worse today than they were in 1968. And if you add in climate change and ecological devastation, the urgency is even greater.”
The Poor People’s Campaign is based on people’s religious and constitutional values that call for justice. They are committed to aiding people affected by systemic racism, poverty, discrimination, the war economy, and more in a peaceful way. The Campaign promotes peaceful protests, and violence is not tolerated by them.