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| Rev. William Barber II at a Moral Monday. |
In a couple of days, I will be
in Raleigh, NC responding to the call to clergy and people of faith to join the
“Most Massive Moral Rally in the South since Selma”.
The Forward Together Moral
Movement (the broad coalition of activists issuing the call) writes, “As
ministers and citizens of North Carolina… we have borne witness to a movement
across our state that is resisting the immoral and undemocratic actions of our
legislature and governor. With many from
the congregations we serve we’ve taken part in Moral Mondays… On Saturday, Feb.
8th, the Forward Together Moral Movement is calling on all people of faith and
conscience from Southern states and across the country to join us for a Mass
Moral March on Raleigh.”
The Forward Together Moral Movement was largely started by The
Rev. William J. Barber II, a Disciples of Christ minister and president of the
North Carolina NAACP. In 2013, “Moral
Mondays” were held in Raleigh, NC to protest state legislation that was hurting
low income residents. Specifically,
North Carolina legislation has created voter ID laws that threaten voting
rights in the state. There have been harsh cuts to unemployment benefits and
public school funding. There have been efforts to reject Medicaid expansion
that is part of the Affordable Care Act.
There have been tax “reform” proposals that would further reduce benefits
for low income residents (and that generally seem to take from the poor to give
to the wealthy).
As Rev. Barber says, “We believe North Carolina is the crucible… If you’re
going to change the country, you’ve got to change the South. If you’re going to
change the South, you’ve got to focus on these state capitols.”
Protesters in the Moral Movement have been gathering on Mondays all year, engaging in civil disobedience – in some cases, getting arrested. Clergy and other faith community leaders have been prominent, and many of those (including UU clergy) have been among the arrested for “trespass and failure to disperse” and similar charges.
As of this writing, more than 750 Unitarian Universalists are signed up to participate in this weekend’s march and activities, and several hundred more UUs are planning to drive in from local congregations on Saturday. I am very happy to be the UU Congregation in Andover's representative this weekend.
On February 16, I will be leading a “Standing on the Side of Love
Sunday”. For several years now, the
UUCiA has participated in the UUA’s effort to reimagine Valentine’s Day as a
day for a greater love, the work of humanitarianism and justice. I will
report back from Raleigh, and we will think together about how to bring more
love into the world.
In the meantime, check back here for an update from the trip... [Addendum: My "report back" post is here.]
