Newsletter Archives
WA PPC JULY 23 NEWSLETTER
OPEN HOUSE MONDAY 7/10
At our next Open House on Monday July 10th from 7 to 8:30 PM we will reflect on what we learned at the Moral Poverty Action Congress and on how we can move forward together to plan a powerful statewide assembly in Olympia next February to put our lawmakers on notice about the interlocking injustices of poverty, systemic racism, militarism, ecological devastation, and the false narrative of religious nationalism.
Please let us know if you would like Spanish interpretation when you RSVP
so we can plan ahead. If you can't make it to our Open House but want to get involved please email us at: washington@poorpeoplescampaign.org.
POVERTY KILLS: THE MORAL MANDATE FOR ENDING POVERTY IN AMERICA
From June 19th to June 21st WA PPC organizers joined our siblings from across the nation in DC for the third Moral Poverty Action Congress. We deepened our understanding of how poverty is at least the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.
In the United States poverty is often a death sentence. A new report demonstrated that poverty is the fourth leading cause of death across the nation taking a greater toll on our communities than homicide, overdoses, and most diseases. The Moral Poverty Action Congress began on June 19th with a discussion on poverty's deadly impact led by Rev. Dr. William Barber II and movement scholars.
WA PPC supporters met with our Senators and Representatives to demand that they pass just policies in line with our Third Reconstruction Agenda. Prepared with our testimonies and with an updated fact sheet describing poverty in Washington State, we put them on notice about the death toll of poverty and the losses we experience due to policy decisions.
We convened a National Speak Out: Poverty, America's Death Sentence, Will Not Have the Last Word. The speak out began with movement songs, faith leaders, and testimony at the footsteps of the Supreme Court and which was followed by a walk to the dome of the US Capital where hundreds of poor and low wealth people and their moral allies witnessed the introduction of the Resolution for a Third Reconstruction. Carol, a WA PPC leader, spoke during the press conference at the capitol calling out elected leaders for making poverty a death sentence in the wealthiest country in the world. Please take a moment to watch Carol's testimony (Carol speaks at 1:51:00).
WE NEED YOU
To build our movement to 30,000 supporters statewide, to keep pressure on elected officials, to mobilize a State Mass Assembly in Olympia next February and a National Mass Assembly in Washington D.C. next June, we need each other and all our collective skills.
Right now our campaign is building teams of several people across every congressional district in the state who will lead in applying consistent pressure on their Representatives to ensure they support our Third Reconstruction Agenda.
With the new state fact sheet, the resolution for a Third Reconstruction, and upcoming mobilizations it is critical that WA PPC gets the word out in our state. Our Communication's Team could use your help especially if you can assist with:
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Movement music (we call it theomusicology).
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Getting information out to members of the media.
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Posting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
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Creating social media posts.
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Editing or contributing to our newsletter.
In the months ahead we will continue to follow up with more opportunities for everyone to support our movement but remember: we don't need anyone to do everything just everybody to do something.
Thank you for all that you do in communities across the state
and for this campaign! Forward Together! Not One Step Back!