Moral Monday actions also taking place in nearly 40 states
The Poor People’s Campaign, along with partners, will continue its Season of Nonviolent Moral Direct Action with a rally, march and sit-in Monday at the Phoenix office of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to demand that she take action to protect democracy.
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival; civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson and Barbara Arnwine, president of the Transformative Justice Coalition, were invited by Arizona leaders to join the rally, march and nonviolent sit-in.
They are demanding an end to the filibuster; passage of the full For the People Act; restoration of the full Voting Rights Act and a federal minimum wage of $15/hour.
Hundreds of concerned Arizonans will join the rally and march, with at least 20 intending to participate in the sit-in, including Jackson, Barber, Arnwine, Doug Moore, executive director of United Domestic Workers, Arizona State Sen. Martin Quezada, prominent local Black clergy and community leaders, and other Arizona faith leaders.
Also on this Moral Monday, Poor People’s Campaign activists in about 40 states will take action at U.S. Senate offices in their home states. The actions will be held at different times during the day and then can be seen in an online program at 8 p.m. ET.
The campaign launched a Season of Nonviolent Moral Direct Action with a news conference and call-in to all U.S. Senate offices on July 12. On July 19, nearly 100 women were arrested as they protested in the streets of Washington, D.C.
Next week, the campaign and partners hold a 27-mile march from Georgetown to Austin to nationalize the assault on voting rights happening in Texas. That will culminate in a rally Saturday, July 31, at the state Capitol in Austin, which will be followed by a march of clergy and faith leaders with poor people and low-wage workers on Aug. 2 in DC.
The sit-in comes only days after Republican senators filibustered an initial vote on the bipartisan infrastructure deal negotiated by Senator Sinema. Last month, a Republican filibuster also blocked a vital voting rights bill, the For the People Act, from passing despite the bill’s majority support.
WHO: The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Barbara Arnwine, Arizona State Sen. Martin Quezada, labor leader and adviser to Democracy Initiative Doug Moore, the Poor People’s Campaign, and the Arizona Coalition to End the Filibuster, which brings together dozens of community groups, labor unions, social justice organizations, and faith-based organizations including the African American Christian Clergy Coalition and the Arizona NAACP.
WHAT: Rally, march and nonviolent civil disobedience calling on Sen. Sinema to end the Jim Crow filibuster and pass legislation that Arizonans and all Americans need.
WHEN & WHERE: 9 a.m. MT, Monday, July 26, 2021, Kachina Park, 4304 E Campbell Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85018. Note: The march from Kachina Park to Sen. Sinema’s office (3333 E Camelback Rd Suite 200, Phoenix, AZ 85018) will begin at 9:45am. Marchers will arrive at Sinema’s office at 10:30am (approximately). You can watch the livestream here.
BACKGROUND:
Recent polling indicates that Senator Sinema’s stance on the filibuster is hurting her with Arizona voters; her approval ratings are significantly lower than those of President Joe Biden and Senator Mark Kelly, largely due to plunging support from Democrats. Two-thirds of likely Democratic primary voters say that they would support a challenger to Senator Sinema if she does not change her filibuster stance.
The Arizona Coalition to End the Filibuster has been organizing since the beginning of this year to demand that Senators Sinema and Kelly end the Jim Crow filibuster. The coalition is made up of dozens of social justice and labor organizations, including: LUCHA, Sunrise Movement Tempe, Poder Latinx, Progress Arizona, Progressive Democrats of America, Arizona AFL-CIO, Communication Workers of America, Arizona Faith Network, Arizona Dream Act Coalition, Arizona Working Families Party, Democracy Initiative, Our Revolution, Arizona Students Association, Jobs with Justice, Fuerte AZ, Care in Action, Rural Arizona Action, Mi Familia Vota, Catch Fire Movement, For All, Sierra Club, African American Christian Clergy Coalition, Our Voice Our Vote, Arizona NAACP, the African American Leadership Legislative Council (AALLC), Uri L’Tzedek, Arizona Jews for Justice, Arizona Medicare for All Coalition, Common Defense, Arizona VetsForward, Indivisible AZ, and Indivisible West Phoenix.