Sun shines on #MoralMarch as massive crowd sings "We Shall Overcome"
Feb 10, 2014
The emergence of the sun from behind cloud cover for the first time on Feb. 8, 2014 was taken as a sign by many from the faith community, and inspired an emotional moment for most of the tens of thousands who attended the Moral March on Raleigh. The freedom song "We Shall Overcome" had just shifted into "we are not afraid" as the day's first sunlight pushed through the clouds.
VIDEO BY: Emily Frachtling, Rhett Rebold, Eric Byler, Annabel Park
Peter Montgomery writes for RH Reality Check:
The bright sun finally broke through the clouds just as Saturday's Moral March in Raleigh, North Carolina, was ending, drawing cheers from the tens of thousands of people who had been fired up by the Rev. William Barber's keynote speech. "Even the universe says yes to justice!" Barber hollered joyfully from the stage in front of the state capitol. Stevie Wonder's funk classic "Higher Ground" briefly turned Fayetteville Street into a giant dance party before the diverse, exuberant crowd began to disperse.
Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP, had made "higher ground" a theme of his remarks, contrasting the movement's public policy ideals with a litany of the "mighty low" policies that became law after a far-right takeover of state government in the 2010 and 2012 elections.
March organizers issued five demands for state government that reflect the broad concerns of its coalition—and the targets of right-wing leaders:
1. Secure pro-labor, anti-poverty policies that insure economic sustainability.
2. Provide well-funded, quality public education for all.
3. Promote health care for all, including affordable access, the expansion of Medicaid, women's health, and environmental justice in every community.
4. Address the continuing disparities in the criminal justice system on the basis of race and class.
5. Defend and expand voting rights, women's rights, immigrants' rights, LGBT rights, and the fundamental principle of equality under the law for all people.
= new reply since forum marked as read
