GREAT IDEA to Fight Voter Suppression - 2005 DU MLK Selma MARCH IN OHIO!

[Pooka Fey]

Original posted in 2004 Election Results and Discussion, where it is sinking like a stone. Help???

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x281608
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Original Text:

The following idea is the brain child of Darknyte7, one of the DU attorneys that we are so fortunate to have on our side. See the following thread for the original:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

2005 is the 40 year anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We have an amazing opportunity here!!! We can publicize the outrageous voter suppression and disenfranchisement of African Americans in Ohio in the November 2004 election. AND we can tie it to a campaign of public awareness, pride, and celebration of the anniversary of this historic law, passed under the administration of democratic president Lyndon Baines Johnson. Let’s recreate the spring, 1965 Selma marches led by Dr. King, but this time let’s march in Ohio!

Darknyte7’s idea is to recreate this historic event on March 25th; this will involve approximately 25,000 marchers on a 40-50 mile journey. We need to start planning this NOW: we need to decide upon a route, and we should find out if we can expect any problems like the original marchers had. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on this Monday, Jan. 17th would be a good opportunity to start spreading the word about this idea.

This will create public support for ENFORCEMENT of the current law and publicize the legal battles in Ohio which are currently in progress. I’m kicking this out to you DUers to start the ball rolling. Let’s keep this kicked please. This is Darknyte7’s idea, I just wrote it up. Peace.
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What do you think, everybody? Do you think we can make this happen? Do you think it's a good idea?

[BQueen]

1. I like, I like....

big :kick:

(did the same in the other forum...)

I think this is a great idea. I also liked your other thread on enforcing the laws already in place now -- bookmarked since I haven't had time to review thoroughly.

[Pooka Fey]

2. Thank you! :-) n/t

[intheflow]

3. Your second link is broken.

And I'm confused: where are you and Darknyte7 proposing we march to and from? I'm all over this idea--thought a similar thing to myself just this morning on the way to work--but wasn't the Selma march from Selma to DC? How long would a march from OH to DC take?

[Pooka Fey]

4. Repost of original link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=276145#281074

(see post #87)

Well this is still a seedling of an idea - not a plan. I'm going to list some obstacles I have thought of - but I'm not trying to kill the idea; just help it take some shape. I actually had 3 thoughts about this today. The first was prompted by the guy who said we would never get the numbers. I do worry that democrats have not been as historically oppressed as African Americans & it may be hard to convince people to commit to several days of marching; also we don't have a social network like the Black church to spread the message, and we don't have Rev. King. The second thought was - maybe Ohio isn't the best location for this. Maybe it would have more of an impact in D.C. - or going from NYC to D.C. (I have no idea how far that is). Our third problem is - back in '65 there was still a free press. The marchers were beaten and tear-gassed by the police and public outrage about that fueled support for the Voting Rights Act. I stopped watching the whore media but people said that the Jan. 6th marches & protests never made the evening news.

Someone in the 2004 election results forum said this is something to take up with 51 Capital March & Rainbow/Push, but this is a seedling and not a plan yet. I have absolutely no experience being involved in something like this, and also I'm merely the messenger and not the author of the plan.

I just thought it was a great idea and I wanted to put it out on the DU table. I wrote the above editorial saying we should enforce the Voting Rights Act, and Darknyte7 read it and said a march would be a great thing to publicize it and highlight the current abuses. So here we are, talking about it - which is a great beginning!!!
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ed.

[Nashyra]

5. Great Idea

If there is a march in Ohio I'll be there. Family lives in Ohio, maybe I can convince my daughter to go and we can take the kids in their strollers.

[KaliTracy]

6. If we could get a start and end place in Ohio.... Now that Conyers has

called for an Independent Investigation of Blackwell... Something in/around the Columbus area? I know nothing about this kiind of stuff either -- but feel if we spent the next few weeks informing people who were in areas of disenfranchisement that they weren't supposed to be treated like that, and that Someone needs to be accountable for it.... who knows?

[BQueen]

7. What about Gambier to Columbus (Blackwell's home?)

Gambier (where the students were on national news) is just East of Mount Vernon -- mapquest says about 56 miles to Columbus, but that's going over to I-71, and we would want to go back routes, which would make it about right, I would think... If not, there are some other schools that might work as well, but Kenyon got the national notice so I thought it would be a good hook.

That would help with the tie in to modern-day inclusion of students in the voter suppression, and coming in on the East side of Columbus would take the march through many many African-American neighborhoods

I'm going to a meeting Jan 30 which appears to be addressing your other concerns, and will send the idea on to my contacts ahead of time.

Another thing I considered was getting the provisional lists for all the counties and sending postcards to everyone who had their vote tossed informing them of that fact asking them to join the march.

[Pooka Fey]

8. I'm so glad that you are running with this. AWESOME :-) n/t

[Darknyte7]

9. I still haven't forgotten about this thread...

I hope we can get some more people to focus on it now that we're beyond the inauguration.

[FogerRox]

10. how about may 1st

Or hooking up witha major march later in the Summer.

think Million voter March

[Darknyte7]

11. The summer may be a better time to hold it...

Paticularly if we're talking about a march of that scale.

[lonestarnot]

12. This is fine if one lives in the east but what about the wild wild west

Could only afford one plane tic this year. Jan 20th...

[FogerRox]

13. We are looking for Coordinators for May 1st

What would yoiu like to do? In your area--- Protest what? Media outlet--State Capital---You tell me--and we can get you rolling.

[e-mail]

[KaliTracy]

14. May 1st would work -(much better here in May than March for participation)

Would we be protesting Blackwell?

[FogerRox]

16. Of course-protest Blackwell & Bush & Cheney &Rice & GOnzales & ETC

[AtLiberty]

15. Isn't there already another march planned earlier?

Here's a post I made:

Please write Oprah and urge her to devote a show to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery, March 3-12. Ask her to invite John Conyers to address massive voter suppression and his remarkable work on meaningful election reform.

(Thanks to those who have already suggested writing Oprah here; I'm taking it to the next level, tying it with an historical event.)

Oprah
Harpo Studios
1058 W. Washington St.
Chicago, IL 60607

E-MAIL:

www.oprah.com/email/reach/email_showideas

INFORMATION ON THE ANNIVERSARY MARCH:

http://www.crmvet.org/anc/0503selm.htm