‘Poor People’s Campaign’ readies nationwide mobilization
RALEIGH, N.C. — The renewed version of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign to lift poor people is holding its first national mobilization, with actions and events planned Monday in 32 states and the nation’s capital.
Poor people, clergy and activists in the Poor People’s Campaign plan to deliver letters to politicians in state capitol buildings demanding that leaders confront what they call systemic racism evidenced in voter suppression laws and poverty rates.
Among those who have signed on to the campaign is the Rev. John Mendez, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who recalled protesting in New York City in the 1960s.
“I’ve been waiting for almost 50 years for this to actually happen,” said Mendez, 68.