In the spirit of the Selma-to-Montgomery March of 1965, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is hosting a four-day, 27-mile march in Texas from Georgetown to Austin. 

The purpose of the Moral March for Democracy is to demand that the U.S. Senate and the White House stop the attacks on democracy. The march and rally, which span July 27 through July 31, is one part of the Poor People’s Campaign’s Season of Nonviolent Moral Direct Action. To attend the march and/or rally, participants must register here.

“We want all of our rights, and we want them now,” said the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign and president of Repairers of the Breach. “It is time to resist the extremist and monied powers that want to deny, abridge, and undermine all of our votes. The same people challenging voting rights are also challenging economic justice.”

The Poor People’s Campaign and other event partners are urging Congress to:

  • Act now to stop attacks on democracy.
  • End to the filibuster. 
  • Pass all provisions of the For the People Act.
  • Fully restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 
  • Raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
  • Offer permanent protections, dignity, and respect for all 11 million undocumented immigrants.  

“If these demands aren’t met, all people are vulnerable,” Barber said. “Black people, Brown people, white people and Asian people, native people, and poor and low-wealth people. Women and men, children and teens, persons who are differently-abled, everyone is impacted. We must connect the dots in this moment and have a moral fusion response.” 

Video about the march is here. 

WHO: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, co-chair of The Poor People’s Campaign 

Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of The Poor People’s Campaign  

Denita Jones, TX Poor People’s Campaign Tri-chair 

Rev. Stephanie Wilkinson, TX Poor People’s Campaign tri-chair 

Rabbi Steinman, TX Poor People’s Campaign, Temple Beth Shalom

Karen Ball, TX Poor People’s Campaign, Impacted Person 

Ron Craston, TX Poor People’s Campaign, ADAPT 

Geneva Warsworth Colbert, TX Poor People’s Campaign  

Diana Ramirez, TX Poor People’s Campaign, Workers Defense 

Jason Lee, TX Poor People’s Campaign, Texas Right to Vote 

Dr. Frederick Haynes, Friendship-West Baptist Church, Dallas, TX

Dr. James Dixon, Community of Faith, Houston, TX

Beto O’Rourke 

Barbara Arnwine, Transformative Justice Coalition 

Daryl Jones, Transformative Justice Coalition 

Bishop Tavis Grant, Rainbow Push Coalition 

Julio Acosta, Border Network for Human Rights 

WHAT: 4-day, 27-mile Moral March for Democracy and rally

WHEN:

(times and locations subject to change) 

July 27

5:00 p.m. CT – Press conference at Christ Lutheran Church, 510 Luther Dr., Georgetown, TX

6:00 p.m. CT – Evening service to launch the march from Georgetown-to-Austin at Christ Lutheran Church, 510 Luther Dr., Georgetown, TX

July 28 

7 a.m. CT – March begins at Christ Lutheran Church, 510 Luther Dr., Georgetown, TX. 

2 p.m. CT – March ends at Good Hope Baptist Church, 207 Chisholm Trail, Round Rock, TX.

July 29 

7 a.m. CT: March starts at Good Hope Baptist Church, 207 Chisholm Trail, Round Rock, TX.

2 p.m. CT – March ends at North Austin Muslim Community Center 11900 N. Lamar Blvd Austin, TX 78753

July 30 

7 a.m. CT – March starts at North Austin Muslim Community Center 11900 N. Lamar Blvd Austin, TX 78753

2 p.m. CT – March ends at University Baptist Church 2130 Guadalupe St. Austin, TX 78705

July 31 

7 a.m. CT  – March starts at University Baptist Church 2130 Guadalupe St. Austin, TX 78705

10 a.m. CT – Mass rally at the Texas State Capitol. 1100 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701 

Texas Partners of The Georgetown-to-Austin March for Democracy are: Border Network for Human Rights/Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance, Black Voters Matter, Texas AFL-CIO, Workers Defense, Powered by People, Next Generation Action Network (NGAN), LUPE- La Union Del Pueblo Entero, Wilco Patriots, Nonviolent Austin, Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas/ADAPT of Texas, YWCA Greater Austin, Faith Forward Dallas, Friendship-West Baptist Church, Dallas, Community of Faith, Houston, Temple Beth Shalom, St. James’ Episcopal Church, Austin, TX, Proyecto Santiago, Beta Psi Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, Clean Elections Texas, , Austin Airwaves, Texas Drought Project, ACT (Anti-racists Coming Together), Round Rock Black Parents Association, Interfaith Action of Central Texas, Wheeler Baptist Church, Houston, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Austin, ELCA World Hunger & Bread for the World, San Gabriel Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Georgetown, The Congregational Church of Austin, Coalition Against Pipelines, Pax Christi San Antonio, Unite Here Local 23, About Face: Veterans Against the War – South-Central Texas.

The National Partners are: Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), UNITE HERE! Sunrise Movement, Indivisible, Center for Popular Democracy, Fight for $15, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Black Women’s Agenda Inc., Center for Constitutional Rights, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Climate Crisis Policy, CodePink, Communications Workers of America (CWA), Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., Democracy Initiative, Domestic Workers United, Emily’s List, Episcopal Church, Faith for Black Lives, For All, Forward Justice, Greenpeace USA, I.T.C. Student Christian League, Institute for Policy Studies, National Civil Rights Museum, National Welfare Rights Union, New Georgia Project, Pax Christi USA, Presbyterian Church – USA, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Rainbow Push Coalition, Red Letter Christians, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Sadhana Hindus, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Sunrise Movement, Transformative Justice Coalition, Unitarian Universalist Association, United For Respect, Until Freedom!, Union for Reform Judaism, Women’s March, Disciples Center for Public Witness, Disciples Justice Action Network (DJAN).

###SUBJECT LINE: Moral March for Democracy begins this week in Texas

CONTACT:

Martha Waggoner, mwaggoner@breachrepairers.org

Sydney Bagley, sydney@spotlightpr.org