By Timothy Wotring
The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the Kairos Center or its staff.
The Moral Mondays movement has had such an impact on me since I attended the Historic Thousands on Jones St. rally last year. Their way of fusion politics and having a wide enough umbrella for all who face injustice has become foundational for me in joining movements. This year’s Moral March was no exception. An array of faith leaders took the mic before we marched and witnessed to another world, one where everyone is treated with dignity and justice rules the land. The weather was rather frigid, but when we marched we felt the revolutionary spirit warming our bones. When we made it to the main stage, the speakers shared their stories about how the repressive North Carolinian laws affect their everyday lives. Rev. Barber concluded the rally with a powerful speech of unity and action.
After the march Larry Cox, the co-director of the Kairos Center, and I boarded a bus traveling with the Fight for $15 folks to Greenville, SC, where a protest was set to happen outside the Republican presidential debate. The bus was packed with families and labor organizers. Most of the protesters make minimum wage in North Carolina, a measly $7.25. On the bus, I thought about my own employment history and realized that for its entirety I’ve always had at least one job where I make minimum wage (including presently!). In 2005, I was living in Maryland making $5.15 an hour and can remember how blessed I felt when I received my yearly 10 cent raise. I am not sure how I did not see myself in the Fight for $15 movement before, but now I am joining this struggle.
[aesop_image img=”https://kairoscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tim.jpg” alt=”justice in the streets” align=”center” lightbox=”off” caption=”Timothy at the Fight for $15 rally in Greenville, SC.” captionposition=”left”]
When we finally reached Greenville, a mere 4 hours later, we were provided a hearty dinner at a community center. When we got back onto the bus, we could see helicopters in the distance hovering over where we would soon be protesting. We were dropped off at a park where we rallied. About 400 people were there total. Yellow balloons and $15 signs were passed around the crowd. There we heard three stories from people who struggle to scrape by with minimum wage. It included a Latina Hardee’s worker in her early 20s, a mid 20s Black Lives Matter activist, and a middle aged white woman who was a home health care aid. Their stories were moving and they were all locals from Greenville.
We then began chanting and marching towards the Republican Debate. “We work. We sweat. Put $15 on our check!” resounded proudly in the streets. Repeating that chant over and over reminded me that political discourse begins in the streets. Our demands were not for all of us to become middle class, but to be paid just wages. Along our protest route, we encountered white supremacists, Trump and Cruz supporters, white men in their early 20s wearing fancy suits, and, of course, the police. After two hours of protesting, we headed back to our buses and left for Raleigh.
Over Valentine’s weekend, I was not expecting to have an economic epiphany. I’m sure glad I did though. This trip has inspired me to get involved with economic struggles including the Poor People’s Campaign. Moral Mondays and the Fight for 15 became my new Valentines and I could not think of anyone better.