Forty Days of PPC Nonviolent Direct Action Culminate at the US Capitol
Published on July, 19 2018
Brenda McGowan, Rockford IL Branch, and Mary Hanson Harrison, WILPF-US President, at the June 23 Poor People’s Campaign Rally in Washington, DC. Photo: Phoebe Sogren.
By Mary Bricker-Jenkins
Chair, ad hoc WILPF4PPC Committee
“This is a movement, not a moment,” Rev. Dr. William Barber reminded us as we gathered on the mall with about 5,000 others from around the country at the June 23 rally. That message resonated for us WILPF-US members, who brought with us the energies of the twenty-one branches that had worked in their communities during the forty days to change the nation’s moral narrative.
Our delegation was led by our Section President, Mary Hanson-Harrison, who also carried the Iowa state banner. She was joined by Mary Bricker-Jenkins, chair of the ad hoc WILPF4PPC Committee, and our host Moya Atkinson—a once and future WILPFer. (Hosting the president has consequences!) Katherine Flaherty of the DC/Northern Virginia Branch returned to carry the WILPF PPC banner she’d carried at the launch of the campaign in May. Dianne Blais of Fairfax, VA, having just completed her term as president of the Virginia League of Women Voters, was there to bring her energy to WILPF. From California we welcomed Phoebe Sogren, and from Rock Creek, Illinois, Beth McGowan with her sister Jill and husband Stan Arnold. Spotting our banner, Judy Elson and friends came to greet us. And we sought out in the crowd our brothers and sisters of the Triangle, NC Branch—many of whom had been arrested earlier in the week with Rev. Barber for “demonstrating without a permit” as they took a spirited but disciplined two-by-two walk from the PPC tent to the capitol.
Here’s a collection of photos from the June 23 DC Rally.
Like most rallies, this one featured blessings from leaders of many faith traditions, energizing music, and a few—very few—messages from “luminaries.” Unlike most rallies, most of the speakers were people directly affected by the campaign’s current conditions of concern: systemic racism, poverty, environmental devastation, and the war economy. Testimonies illustrated the tragic consequences of inaction and revealed the common roots of these conditions.
Meanwhile, rallies were held around the country in support of the June 23rd event, and WILPF-US was active. From Santa Cruz, CA, Randa Solick referred to the week’s ravages of immigrant families as she wrote, “That [WILPF-PPC] banner was so useful! We had about 50 people, good rally, Grannies sang, marched with signs around the town clock/post office, music and relief at doing SOMETHING after this miserable week.”
The Greely, CO Branch held a rally the day before—a warm-up for the DC crowd.
Linda Lemons of the Des Moines Branch reported on their final rally held on June 18: “Sixty or seventy people gathered for our last Poor People’s Campaign Rally on the steps of the Iowa State Capitol. The theme of the rally was ‘A New & Unsettling Force: Confronting the Distorted Moral Narrative.’ Ministers or speakers from various faiths shared their messages with us. Together we read the Poor People’s Campaign Demands addressing the evils of Systemic Racism, Poverty and Inequality, Ecological Devastation, and the War Economy. Singing songs, clapping and enduring the heat together created a sense of support and unity.” Photos of the Des Moines event can be viewed here.
Three videos from the Des Moines Branch rally can be viewed on YouTube:
And Cherrill Spencer reported, “We in the Peninsula/Palo Alto branch held our weekly sidewalk demo in support of all the PPC aims on Friday 22nd at our usual very busy intersection in Palo Alto.” Perseverance furthers!
So where have we been, what have we done, and where do we go from here? Those are the questions that all of us involved in the campaign are asking. As Rev. Dr. Barber said, this is a movement, not a moment. To be a movement, we are obliged to take stock before stepping out again. Have we shifted the conversation in the country and in our communities? Are we clearer about the interlocking conditions of racism, poverty, the war economy, and ecological destruction? Do we have a vision of a future for WILPF, our branches, and our country that will address the needs of those directly affected by these? Do we understand more deeply how they affect each of us?
These are questions that our WILPF-US ad hoc Committee for the PPC will be asking ourselves this month. We ask each member and each branch to reflect on them as well. Our participation in the Poor People’s Campaign has been intended to draw upon and expand our local capacity for nonviolent fusion direct action. Have we developed our skills, leadership, and partnerships through this work? Are we ready to press our demands?
Will we join Barber and Theoharis, and the thousands of others who stood before the Capitol in DC on June 23rd and promised, “We’ll be back!”?
