Do Marches and Rallies Really Work??? Oct 2, 2010 (215 hits)
Do Marches and Rallies really work or do they shine a light on problems that are already recognized? Do Marches offer solutions??
One Nation Working Together Rally set for October 2 , 2010 by AFRO Staff
One Nation Working Together will host a rally on Oct. 2 at the Lincoln Memorial in the District. The group’s demonstrators advocate for a number of human rights causes in New York on Sept. 1.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Oct. 2 for the One Nation Working Together organization’s rally for jobs, justice and education.
A conglomerate of “progressives” is “heeding a call to put America back to work and pull America back together,” the march’s organizing group said.
“We are facing unprecedented economic and social challenges in this country,” George Gresham, president of 1199 Service Employees International Union’s United Healthcare Workers East, said in a statement. “Unemployment and recession, struggling public school systems, and recent attempts to take away basic civil and human rights compel us to come together and act by demanding one million new jobs now.”
Over 150 organizations nationwide, including Gresham’s union, make up One Nation Working Together. Some of those include AFL-CIO, the NAACP, National Congress of Black Women, the National Urban League and the Human Rights Campaign.
The organization says its purpose is to make sure that all people, regardless of race, gender, class or s*xual orientation, have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Benjamin Jealous, president of the NAACP says the group brings together a multitude of people from different backgrounds to help solve the nation’s problems.
“We are coming together--people of all faiths, nationalities, and races to demand that everyone has the opportunity to work at a good job, that every child be able to go to a great school, and that justice for all be a reality not just a promise,” Jealous said in a statement.
“Our movement strives to make real the promise of America for everyone,” Jealous said. “On October 2nd, our voice for progress and hope will be raised in a clarion call. Our vision of unity and progress represents the true majority of Americans. It will ultimately prevail over those seeking to divide us and turn the clock back.”
The organization will be working through the month of September to hold several local events across the country including job fairs, affordable housing summits, educational forums and town hall meetings. The nationwide events will culminate with the rally in Oct. 2.
