Marching Forward as One: North Carolina's Moral Movement Wants to Change America

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http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/02/12-6

Rev. William Barber: 'We must begin to see ourselves as existing in society not as isolated selves but as part of the whole'


Kathy Jones reacts during the closing remarks by Rev. William Barber at the "Moral March on Raleigh" on Fayetteville Street in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014.(Photo: Robert Willett/News & Observer, via AP)


Last Saturday, upwards of 80,000 youth, clergy, activists, immigrants, union members, and people of all races took to the streets of Raleigh, North Carolina uniting under a single call for a moral revolution. Following the march, many were left wondering if it's possible for this cross section of races, generations, and causes to really change the national conversation.

Under the banner of the Forward Together Moral Movement, this patchwork group is what leader Rev. Dr. William J. Barber refers to as an “agenda-based coalition: anti-racism, anti-poverty, pro-justice.”

The agenda covers a wide swath of issues that include equitable and well-funded public education; universal health care; environmental protection; voting rights; poverty reduction; fairness for minorities and the poor in criminal sentencing; and equality for women, immigrants, and LGBTQ people.

But, according to Barber, they are united by the overarching principle of morality. “We are deeply committed to a society where people love one another and don’t kick people when they are down,” he said in an interview with Common Dreams.