Dear John,
As we look back on this incredible year, we are grateful for the thousands of you who joined the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival in 2019, and to all of you who have supported our work since we launched in 2018. You joined this Campaign because you believe that this nation needs a moral fusion movement that can break through the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, systemic poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism in our nation. For many, this Campaign has brought light to darkness in one of the most challenging periods in America’s history. We remain encouraged by your continuous support, and we hope that you will consider making an end-of-year donation to support our work in the new year.
Photo credit: Valerie EguavoenWhen we launched this campaign almost two years ago, we sought to uplift the struggles of poor people by nationalizing their issues and demands. This year, we began with a National Emergency Poverty and Truth Bus Tour to the most poverty-stricken areas in the country to reclaim the narrative of a real national emergency in America. In June, we held the first Poor People's Moral Action Congress in Washington, D.C. Over one thousand people from across forty states gathered in the nation's capital to demand that we bring these issues of poverty to the forefront of the national political discourse and we released a Poor People’s Moral Budget that demonstrates the economic benefits of adequately addressing poverty in America.
Most recently, we launched a mass mobilization tour titled "We Must Do MORE (Mobilize, Organize, Register, and Educate)." From September 2019 – May 2020, we are collaborating with over 22 state-based Poor People’s Campaign coordinating committees to host mass gatherings and register people in their states for a moral movement that votes. As we enter 2020, we will continue to organize for the long-term, develop new leaders, and strategically build the Campaign across the country.
Photo credit: Steve Pavey
Even with the progress in our work, we recognize that many people in this nation are still suffering. One hundred and forty million people are still living in poverty or with low wealth, and there are still powerful forces that seek to oppress our communities and destroy our land. We need your support, now more than ever, to continue building grassroots power that can bring desperately needed change to this nation. Today, we ask that you become a first-time donor or make an end-of-year donation to the Poor People's Campaign so we can continue to challenge these oppressive systems in our society.
We also want to stay directly engaged with you in the new year. We ask that you join us on the road as we continue the ongoing We Must Do MORE Tour and that you register your family, friends, and colleagues for the Mass Poor People's Assembly and Moral March on Washington on June 20, 2020. People in over 40 states have already signed up to stand together, march together, and RISE together in 2020.
Once again, thank you for your continuous support. We wish you a happy new year!
Forward together, not one step back,
Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, President of Repairers of the Breach
Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis, Director of the Kairos Center
Co-Chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
P.S. - Stay connected with us online at www.poorpeoplescampaign.org, and follow us on twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
