On Tuesday, June 12, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings convened a hearing on Capitol Hill on economic inequality, union rights, voter suppression and other issues raised by the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. The heart of the hearing was the powerful testimonies from poor and impacted people from around the country who are organizing with the Poor People’s Campaign.
Aaron Scott, organizer with Chaplains on the Harbor in Grays Harbor County, WA and member of the National Steering Committee of the Poor People’s Campaign, had this to say about attending the hearing:
I’m still struggling to find words for yesterday with the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. We didn’t have a nice sit-down meeting with Capitol Hill progressive senators and representatives. We staged a full-on narrative takeover … Young Black moms from Flint keeping Corey Booker on the ropes. Generations of Appalachians eviscerating the myth that you can’t organize for revolution in the coal fields. Apache Stronghold women grieving for their sacred sites buried under concrete, forcing the government to hear them. Undocumented moms with their children in their arms closing us out in deafening chants …
What I saw yesterday made it very clear that we have what it takes to build a politically independent force. We have what it takes in terms of clarity, commitment, competence and connection to each other. We have what it takes to force this government, this country to atone for its sins.
Read more about our hearing on Capitol Hill in the Huffington Post.