Dear John,

If California were its own country, it would represent the fifth-largest economy in the world, and yet more than half of California’s residents are poor and low-income with costs of living rising quickly. In L.A. county, a single individual would need to make three times the poverty threshold to meet basic expenses like housing, child care, health care and transportation. These are just some of the reasons why we are holding a Mass Moral Monday tonight in downtown Los Angeles as we head towards the Mass Assembly in D.C. on June 18. The California Poor People’s Campaign, along with poor and low-income leaders from Arizona, Oregon and Washington, will join the chorus of voices refusing to be silent in the face of immoral poverty in the land of plenty.

Tune in tonight as we stream live from Los Angeles, making the priorities and demands of poor and low-wealth people front and center. We’ll put forward a Third Reconstruction agenda that demands: updating the poverty measure to reflect the real cost of living; enactment of a living wage; a guarantee of the right of all workers to form and join unions and guaranteed quality health care for all and more to transform our nation from the bottom up.

Our movement family will gather in front of Los Angeles City Hall at 200 N. Spring St at 4:30pm PT and march through the streets of downtown, followed by a 6:00pm PT mass meeting featuring the testimonies of movement leaders who are directly impacted by the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation and the denial of healthcare and the false moral narrative of religious nationalism.  

From there, we’re heading to Memphis on May 23 then, on June 18th, we’re gathering in D.C. for the Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls. It is NOT just a day of action. It is a declaration of an ongoing, committed moral movement to 1) shift the moral narrative; 2) build power; 3) make real policies to fully address poverty and low wealth from the bottom up.  

See you tonight!

Rev. Dr. William Barber and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis

Co-Chairs, Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival