John,

In 2016, we had 26 debates in the election season and not one hour was dedicated to poverty or voter suppression. Ignoring these realities facing 140 million people — more than 40% of our population — is a moral failure of our political system.

This is why we have been organizing the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival: to build power and change the national narrative to focus on the real issues facing nearly half of this country.

At our Poor People's Moral Action Congress last month, we showed the potential of the power we are building. From June 17–19, we brought together more than 1,000 delegates from over 40 states to Washington, D.C. Our coordinating committees organized delegations from dozens of states and our national partners and faith organizations showed up in the numbers.

During those three days, we released our Poor People's Moral Budget, held the largest Presidential Candidates' Forum before the official debates, organized dozens of workshops, and testified at an official hearing before the House Budget Committee. We again showed that when poor and impacted people, clergy, and other moral leaders gather to demand an end to the policy violence afflicting our communities, the political and media establishment must listen to us. At the bottom of this email, we have shared just a few examples of how our narrative broke through the national media.

We will continue to organize over the next year for a Mass Poor People's Assembly and Moral March on Washington in June 2020. Please share this news far and wide and bring people you know into this Campaign to revive the heart and soul of this nation.

This is just the beginning.

Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II and Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis,
President of Repairers of the Breach & Director of the Kairos Center
Co-Chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival

2020 Democrats Address Poverty and Systemic Racism at Presidential Forum

“The word ‘poor’ has basically become a four-letter word for the past half a century,” Dr. Theoharis said in an interview. “If some politicians talk about it, it’s to punish and demonize people who are poor. And many, including many Democrats, refuse to even talk about the poor."

The Democrats’ Cautious Return to the War on Poverty

“We are here to challenge the greatest myth of our times,” [Rev. Barber] told activists at the conference. “And that is that extreme policies only hurt a small subset of people. We are here—we will stay here, because, like they used to say in the civil-rights movement, “How much freedom do we want? We want all of it, and we want it now.”

Biden spars with Warren and Sanders at first event facing rival Democrats

The Rev William Barber, the co-chair of the campaign, urged the audience to refrain from cheering or clapping any of the nine candidates but rather focus on listening. “If you don’t do that, the media will misinterpret it, and our issues won’t get out,” he said. “The movement is bigger than any one person.”

Finally, Presidential Candidates Are Talking About Poverty

An historic forum revealed consensus on the need for policies like raising the minimum wage and affordable childcare—and some big differences.

2020 candidates to face questions from low-income Americans at forum

"During the 2016 Presidential primaries and campaign, there were 26 televised debates, but not a single hour was devoted to how candidates would address America's poverty," Barber said in a statement announcing the forum.

How to raise $9 trillion for working-class people without really trying

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Elected officials are calling faith leaders and social workers to Capitol Hill to talk about how the U.S. might begin helping the poor.

A moral economy would save taxpayers billions every year

If we stop handing out tax cuts for the rich, welfare for big corporations, and lucrative weapons contracts and instead prioritize the needs of the poor and the planet, we will create more jobs, strengthen our infrastructure, and create short- and long-term benefits that will boost our economy and protect our resources for future generations.

Anti-poverty advocates urge Congress to pass a 'moral' budget

“We are here to say that our nation’s budget as it now stands reflects the values of the rich, large corporations, and military contractors at the expense of the poor,” Theoharis will say. “We are here to say we need a moral revolution of values that instead places the needs and demands of the poor and the planet at the heart of our budget.

The Right’s Cure for Poverty: Hard Work and Father Figures

After more than two hours of testimony and five rounds of questions from members on both sides of the aisle, Reverend Theoharis admonished both parties for not asking these three witnesses any questions ...“It feels very important to me to say that we need a real serious conversation in this country, led by those who are most impacted.”

At House Hearing, Poor People's Campaign Demands End to 'Systemic Policy Violence Against the Poor'

"It is time for Americans to find out the truth about poverty for all Americans," said Barber. There are 140 million poor and low-wealth Americans, said Barber, adding that the extreme wealth gap in the country is a "direct result of policy decisions" that are "supported by well-funded myths."

Rev. Jesse Jackson: Mobilizing the Poor People’s Campaign

The Poor People’s Campaign picks up the unfinished work of Dr. Martin Luther King ... It understands that change will come not from the top down, not from our corrupted big money politics, but from the poor, the worker, people of conscience coming together to revive our democracy and to change our course.