In these days of so much unrest, destruction of property, the terrible and unnecessary death of George Floyd, the pandemic, and the ugly sin of racism in our country, this message from the Office of Social Concerns of LCWR seems appropriate to post here.  It is about inequality and poverty and the need for us to confront these issues and find some action that will address these issues.  The Women of Providence urge all who can participate in this online gathering to do so.  

“The Poor People’s Campaign had planned a moral march on Washington, DC for June 20 to dramatize the pain and prophetic leadership of the poor and build power to enact their demands. Now, due to the coronavirus pandemic, they will unite online in the largest digital gathering of poor, dispossessed and impacted people, faith leaders, and people of conscience. 

In a powerful video invitation to the gathering, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, one of the campaigns’ national co-chairs, describes the need “to lift the voices and faces of poverty in the midst of pandemic for a massive historic online gathering that will embolden us, strengthen us and prepare us to fight for the type of society we know we so badly need and deserve.” The program will include the stories, solutions, and songs of movement leaders and artists. 

As this nation enters another election season that will likely be filled with political rancor and a distorted moral narrative designed to divide, a moral movement that revives the heart and soul of this nation has never been more necessary. Fifty years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King saw that the evils of racism, militarism, and poverty required a broad movement that could unite folks across the lines that divided them. Today, the Poor People’s Campaign is rebuilding that movement.

The coronavirus is awakening many to the political and economic crises that have long been buried under the surface: before COVID-19, nearly 700 people died every day because of poverty and inequality in this country. Learn more and sign up to participate at www.june2020.org.”

Barbara McMullen, CDP