From left: Michael, Jeff, Pastor Elizabeth O'Neill, Gwendolyn, Jason, Bill, Shamako, Abel

We had the privilege to interview Robert and Genie Graetz at the church. The Graetzes were part of the original Poor People’s March in 1968. Before that they were key members of the civil rights community in Montgomery and helped organize the famous Bus Boycott of 1955. They were the only white people who had a church in the black community at that time. They lived across the street from Rosa Parks and were close friends with her and Dr. King. Miss Parks even helped them clean up the glass after their home was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan. Their house was bombed a total of three times. Them and their children survived every attempt to murder them, and the violence didn’t kill their spirits either.

Jeannie and Bob Graetz talk about their involvement in the Civil Rights Movement

“All of us knew that some of us were going to die and we just had to accept that reality and move on. Dr. King used to say in our board meetings, 'Now some of us are going to die. If you can't deal with that you shouldn't be here. It's time for you to leave the meeting and go on your way.' And nobody ever left," Bob told us.

The amazing courage and commitment of the Graetzes and others in that movement empowers us to face the tremendous challenges ahead in the movement to end poverty and build a just world. The Graetzes reaffirmed to us Dr. King’s commitment to economic justice in the last years of his life. Most of the church and civil rights groups who had supported him in the civil rights movement turned against him when he moved his focus to ending poverty and war. Every major news media outlet in the nation attacked him viciously. He continued to follow his conscience and address what he felt were the “giant triplets” causing so much suffering on the planet – racism, imperialism, and capitalism.

“Don’t be afraid to stand by yourself,” Genie Graetz offered us as advice. “A lot of people don't want to do something unless someone else is doing it.”

We also had the pleasure to interview Georgette Norman, Director of the Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University and a long time community activist and scholar. She reminded us about all the behind the scenes work that went into making the Civil Rights Movement happen. She gave us a historical context beginning in the late 19^th century of activities and organizing brewing which would eventually lead to the Civil Rights Movement.

Interviewing Georgette Norman

“In our culture we like to talk about moments, not movements. But it’s movements that create those powerful moments,” Georgette told us. “They talk about these things in a disempowering way so that no one thinks they can be a King or a Rosa Parks.”

Georgette reminded us that Parks did not just decide to sit down on a bus one day. She was a long-time organizer and was trained in nonviolent civil disobedience. She had been the director of the youth branch of the NAACP. She was part of a network of people who were attending meetings, educating themselves, and strategically planning how to take action in order to win goals that would move them forward. Her act of resistance on that bus was more than a grand moment in history, it was part of a calculated and powerful movement for social justice.

Today, most of the racial and economic inequities that existed then are still around. In some cases they are much worse. The prison population has skyrocketed, and it disproportionately affects poor people and people of color. Wealth inequality is far worse than it was then. The U.S. military, hand in hand with Wall Street thugs, is murdering civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Palestine. So where is the mass movement in opposition?

The U.S. Social Forum will be a space for all of our disconnected movements around the U.S. and the globe to unite, strategize, and plan to take concrete actions to target the systems that affect us all, and fundamentally change our society for the better. Our situation today is also very different than it was in the fifties and sixties. New communication technologies serve to distract, but also empower us in unprecedented ways. Mass media is more consolidated and controlled than ever before. All these factors magnify the need for affected communities and people of conscience to unite in order to build a movement that can truly liberate us from the power structures and heartless institutions that oppress us. We need to unite to build institutions that have compassion, cooperation, and liberation as their driving force. Housing, healthcare, and jobs are not privileges - they are human rights! The U.S. Social Forum will be a major step towards building grassroots movements of courage and conviction that are powerful enough to build the beloved community our ancestors and elders fought for.

Will you join us in Detroit? Register now at ussf2010.org!

Edmund Pettus Bridge into Selma. Site of the infamous Bloody Sunday.

Selma, Alabama was the fourth stop on our 29-city tour from New Orleans to the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit, and it was an unforgettable experience. Ancestors were whispering to me all along the three-hour drive from Mobile to Selma. History has much to say. From slavery to the Civil Rights Movement, Selma has an extraordinary history of African American resistance to white supremacy and economic injustice. Slavery in the United States was the most despicable and barbaric manifestation of capitalist greed and economic exploitation probably in all of human history. Selma was one of its major hubs. That cruel and unjust system was overthrown after hundreds of years of unrelenting struggle. A century later African Americans in Selma played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement which dismantled Jim Crow racial segregation and won the 1965 Voting Rights Act. With such a rich legacy of social struggle to advance the cause of freedom it was shocking to arrive in town and learn almost immediately that Dr. Cecil Williamson, member of a white supremacist hate group, the League of the South, had just become president of City Council in Selma. It was also surprising to see all of the boarded up and abandoned buildings, which bear such a physical resemblance to the Lower 9^thWard in New Orleans. It’s an economic storm, not a natural one that boarded up these buildings.

Former headquarters of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Selma. Now another boarded up building.

James Bevel being interviewed on camera.

“The real issue here is what you all are fighting. It’s the poverty,” James Bevel told us, son of the famous Reverand James Bevel, who was perhaps the greatest strategic mastermind of the Civil Rights Movement, a close partner of Martin Luther King Jr. “The only way things will get better is if we address the root causes of poverty instead of applying superficial band aid solutions.”

Bevel is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and currently works as a police officer in Selma. He took us on a tour of the ghettos to show us the economic reality that so many are living. “Poor people stealing from other poor people is a huge problem here. We get calls about people breaking into homes to steal the copper wire out of the walls so they can sell it to feed their addictions or feed their families. Imagine that! That just goes to show you how bad the situation of poverty is here.” Bevel, a strong and independent thinker who was immeasurably influenced by his father, kept returning to the need to address the root causes of the problems facing our communities, our nation, and our planet. He is convinced that capitalism is the root cause of poverty.

The visible signs of economic hardship were clear as soon as we entered town, as they have been in every city of our caravan so far. Here the abandoned buildings and failed businesses bore the scars of deep economic wounds. We wondered how locals would relate this recession to the history of the Civil Rights Movement. From the moment we arrived in town our wonderful hosts expressed how grateful they were for the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign to be there. They were hungering for change.

“It’s still 1965 here,” said Mother Imani, a wise and powerful spirit who called James Bevel Sr. a close teacher and comrade for over 30 years. She has a long history of raising consciousness and community building, especially in Chicago, where she lived before moving to Selma a few years ago. “This is a very important time for Selma. It’s divine intervention that you showed up right now.” The pivotal time comes because poverty and racism can no longer be ignored.

PPEHRC hosted a roundtable discussion on poverty with a number of local community members, radio personalities, and a former city councilman, Johnny Leashore. Leashore’s fearless mother was once beaten with a baton after punching the infamous segregationist sheriff Jim Clark in the face.

From left: Shamako Noble, Sister Mahidera Selassie, Beta Mariam, Jeff Rousset, James Bevel, Cheri Honkala, Lady Freedom, Mother Imani, Johnny Leashore

Race has been used as a weapon to divide people in Selma for hundreds of years while the economic and political elite prospered. Imani and others pointed out to us how Dr. Williamson’s appointment to President of City Council a couple days before our arrival is a testament to how deep the roots of fear and division run within the political establishment and collective consciousness of the people. Everyone kept telling us that inadequate education was central to maintaining the popular stereotypes that keep folks divided along racial and class lines. Poverty, racism, and ignorance need each other to survive. Education, therefore, is crucial to liberation.

Four of our wonderful hosts (and dear new friends), Faya Toure, Sister Mahidera, Beta, and Lady Freedom host radio shows at the Selma based WBFZ 105.3, which reaches up to half of Alabama with hip hop and conscious dialogue about the issues affecting the city and beyond. WBFZ uses media as an educational tool to challenge dominant narratives, raise consciousness, and support social struggles. We had the pleasure to be on the station 6 times to discuss our caravan to the USSF and how it relates to the issues of poverty and racism in Selma.

Faya Toure founded the station years ago and hosts the morning show Faya’s Fire. She is a prominent civil rights attorney and was the first African American woman judge in the state of Alabama. She graciously hosted us in a beautiful loft just blocks from the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Besides getting on the radio we continued creating our own media by filming, photographing, interviewing people and collecting stories to share. One of the fascinating stories was about the slave trade. It’s a story that remains largely hidden. Long underground slave tunnels run beneath Selma. This is not the underground railroad, which was actually above ground. These tunnels were used to transport slaves and goods throughout the city for distribution to the wealthy white people who could afford them. Locals believe city officials may be planning to destroy these historic landmarks when developing new real estate in order to erase the history of slavery in Selma.

“We have to tell people about what happened here,” said Mahidera. “They don’t want people to think of slavery when they think of Selma. We can’t let them cover it up.”

In order to get a closer look, Abel, Lady Freedom, and I actually crawled into one of these dark tunnels, not a historically preserved landmark, but a small opening overgrown with weeds and hidden from sight off the banks of the Alabama River. Locals believe it’s here that slaves were taken off the boats from Africa and moved underground through the tunnel system. They were held in underground dungeons before being sold on Water Avenue. We saw one of the original iron doors from a holding cellar at Major Grumbles, a former slave auction house which is now a restaurant.

The city’s plan to hide the truth about slavery is a way to manipulate history. It’s a common practice used by economic and political elites to disempower people by making invisible the structural and institutional realities that have for centuries caused the miserable conditions they endure. Without this historical context of economic terrorism, exploitation, and government support for the wealthy at the expense of the many, it is easy for people to blame themselves for being poor. Today there are concerted efforts to hide history and hide reality: the poor, the homeless, the masses who are marginalized by our economic system. A major function of the March to Fulfill the Dream is to shine a light on those who have been disappeared.

Lady Freedom and Jeff inside an underground slave tunnel.

Major Grumbles Restaurant, formerly the site of slave sales.

PPEHRC has several powerful ways to get the truth out on this caravan. One we debuted in Selma is the stage and sound system on the 24 ft long Bands for Lands truck traveling with us to Detroit! The stage pulls out the side and two huge sliding doors open for impromptu performances. We put on two open mic shows in Selma, featuring local artists and our own Shamako Noble. One show was at a local park and another at the only public high school in the city. The high school students, as well as our gracious hosts, Lady Freedom and Sister Mahidera from WBFZ, busted out awesome talent with spoken word, singing, rapping, and freestyling. Conscious hip hop and old freedom songs gave us inspiration and unity. Arts and culture have always strengthened social justice movements.

3127 Boys singing "City of Selma" at Selma High.

Nonviolence may be the greatest lesson that Selma has to offer us. Nonviolence was a core principle of the leading civil rights organizations in Selma, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC is celebrating its 50 year anniversary this weekend) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Our hosts welcomed us with a spirit that reminds us that nonviolence is more than just a strategic way to campaign - it’s a living code of conduct for all relationships and situations. Imani referred often to the science of nonviolence that James Bevel spent his life developing. She spoke about the importance of nonviolence to animals and the Earth and to ourselves, especially with regards to the food we eat. She says, “Nonviolence to the Earth will gain us a beautiful future.” Nonviolence provides important core principles for building a mass movement to end poverty in Selma and beyond.

Bloody Sunday Memorial across from National Voting Rights Museum at the entrance of Edmund Pettus Bridge.

On March 7^th, 1965 over 500 demonstrators with the Civil Rights Movement embarked on a nonviolent march from Selma to Montgomery in their struggle for voting rights. While crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge out of Selma they were brutally attacked with batons, tear gas, and police on horseback. Dozens were hospitalized and some nearly killed. That day has come to be known as Bloody Sunday. The images of peaceful people being viciously attacked by police helped gain national support for the Voting Rights Act and it was passed shortly thereafter. The courageous action of the nonviolent warriors of the Civil Rights Movement, especially those who were beaten, arrested, and murdered for taking a stand, gives us inspiration and strength as we move forward with our nonviolent movement to end poverty.

The best part of our visit to Selma was the incredible people we met. We were embraced with open arms before even arriving. The authentic human connection we found there is rare, but reminds us of our connection to each other and the Earth. We know that we’ve built long-term relationships that will carry into the future to help Selma and the rest of the world create the beloved community which Dr. King dreamed of.

On our way out we were told that two 15-passenger vans will probably be required to bring folks, especially youth, from Selma to Detroit for the U.S. Social Forum! We are looking forward to reconnecting with our new family in Detroit or sooner along the caravan route.

Much love and thanks to Mother Imani, Faya Toure, Johnny Leashore, James Bevel, Lady Freedom, Beta, Justice, Hari, all the children, WBFZ 105.3, and especially Sister Mahidera, who spent tremendous time and energy organizing logistics during our visit. We love you all!

Sister Mahidera singing in the park.

Ward "Mack" McClendon - Executive Director of Lower Ninth Ward Village

Stephanie Mingo - Survivor's Village

Sam Jackson - Mayday New Orleans

From Left: Sandra, Daniel, Luisa, Cheri Honkala, Courtney, Khalil

Labels: USSF 2010

// posted by Jeff Rousset @ 5:36 AM 0 Comments

Monday, August 10, 2009

Press Release: "Marching to Fulfill the Dream: Campaign Will Mobilize Thousands to Claim Economic Rights"

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POOR PEOPLE'S ECONOMIC HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

For immediate release

Contact: Cheri Honkala, 267 439-8419

Marching to Fulfill the Dream: Campaign Will Mobilize Thousands to Claim Economic Rights

"Martin Luther King dreamed not only of racial justice, but of organizing across racial lines to secure economic justice for all. In 1998 the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) picked up the mantle of MLK and vowed to work until the dream was fulfilled. If you think we're there, you can ignore this. But if you're hurting, or your mother or your brother or your neighbor or friend is hurting, put on your walking shoes," said Cheri Honkala, National Organizer of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC).

At its national conference in July, nearly 400 representatives of PPEHRC member organizations voted to organize the next phase of the campaign—a march from the Katrina-torn Gulf through the Mississippi Delta and on through the Rust Belt.

The march will culminate in Detroit at the 2010 US Social Forum, which expects upwards of 20,000 participants from around the country and the globe.

As was the case in the 1968 Poor People's Campaign, other marchers will follow Freedom Roads from other parts of the country to join the main branch, which will visibly unite south and north in their common cause.

In 2003, PPEHRC recreated the 1968 Poor People's March, caravanning from Marks, Mississippi to Washington, DC. Commemorating the 35^th anniversary of the campaign planned by King before his assassination, organizers of that march pointed to the shameful lack of achievement of the original economic justice goals of jobs, housing, and health care. Since then things have gotten worse—much worse.

"In 1968 the white middle class liberals who had supported civil rights largely abandoned the struggle for economic rights," said a PPEHRC organizer, "but today whites and people of all colors increasingly understand out of their own experience that poverty is not the result of moral failure and laziness. They have worked hard, educated themselves and their children, served their communities and their country, and yet they are losing their homes and their health care. Robots are doing their jobs, and if they can find a job they work harder and longer for less."

Another PPEHRC leader elaborated on today's growing understanding of poverty. "People who have followed all the rules of 'middle class America' are having to choose among their basic human rights: Shelter or medicine? Food or clothing? Education or basic necessities? Water or pre-natal care? That's the nature of poverty. It's structural. Millions who thought of themselves as middle class are awakening to that fact—that securing economic human rights for all is not a safety net for the fallen, but a foundation on which the people of this country can rebuild this country. We are calling them to this march and to the US Social Forum to create a people's solution to the economic crisis."

Marian Kramer, Co-Chair of the National Welfare Rights Union, announces PPEHRC plan to continue pursuing MLK’s dream in 2010 national march for economic justice.”

The plan to undertake the march was announced by Marian Kramer, Co-Chair of the National Welfare Rights Union, at the July PPEHRC event, "Building the Unsettling Force:A National Conference to End Poverty," held in Louisville, KYIt was endorsed enthusiastically by the participants, most of whom represented over 60 of the 131 member organizations of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC). The theme of the conference was based on Martin Luther King's call to organize the "dispossessed of the nation" into an unsettling force to demand economic human rights. The conference was co-sponsored by the Social Welfare Action Alliance, and hosted by Women in Transition, both PPEHRC member organizations.

Labels: Detroit, Economic Justice, Marching to Fulfull the Dream, Martin Luther King, Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, PPEHRC, SWAA, USSF 2010, WIT

// posted by Arun @ 11:17 AM 0 Comments

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