Dec. 1 - Rosa Parks Anniversary National Strike Against Poverty, Racism, and War
How do we remember Rosa Parks?
By making The 50th Anniversary Of Rosa Parks' Arrest, December 1, a Nationwide Day of Absence and Protest Against Poverty, Racism & War.No School, Work Or Shopping - Protest Across the Country
March on Wall Street in NYC to demand:
*Bring the Troops Home Now*Cut the War Budger, Not Healthcare, Housing and Education
*Justice for Hurricane Katrina Survivors
*Military recruiters out of our schools.
*Jobs - A Living Wage - the Right to Organize
Momentum is growing for the Rosa Parks Anniversary National Day of Absence:
The Boston City Council unanimously adopted a resolution supporting Dec 1--read the text of the resolution.
In New York, a dozen members of the City Council joined Troops Out Now organizers for a press conference on the Steps of City Hall to announce the introduction of a City Council Resolution declaring December 1 as Rosa Parks day and calling on businesses and schools to close or allow people to attend protest events on that day.--Read the text of the resolution with video and audio clips from the press conference.
Fifty years ago, Rosa Parks Helped Start a Movement - We must re-start that Movement.
The 50th Anniversary of Rosa Parks' arrest is much more than the anniversary of single person's actions. It is the anniversary of the opening of the mass Civil Rights movement and the struggle that brought Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to prominence. The war in Iraq that has now destroyed the lives of more than 2000 U.S. soldiers and 50 times that number of Iraqis; along with Katrina; growing poverty and inequality; the drive to make the Supreme Court even more anti-woman and anti-civil rights; and Rosa Parks' death just days ago, have made this 50th Anniversary of her act of defiance an even more serious and somber occasion to reflect on the need to restart the movement against poverty, racism and war.
Let's utilize this anniversary to move the movement forward.
We urge you to join the more than 1,000 organizations that are also supporting and participating in the Dec.1st Rosa Parks Anniversary Nationwide Day of Absence Against Poverty, Racism and War.
On that day, no school, no work, and no shopping--only protest marches, rallies and teach-ins.
50 years ago, Rosa Parks helped start a Movement.
We must re-start that Movement.
Part of the problem is that our movement is too fragmented.
Surely, the memory of Rosa Parks should provide us with fresh inspiration to build the bridges between movements that would make all of us so much stronger.
From the Sept. 24 antiwar protest to the Millions More Movement to the "World Can't Wait" day of protest, it is clear that the people are ready to end both the war in Iraq, and the war against so many of us here at home.
During the course of Dr.King's journey from Montgomery to Memphis where his life was cut short, he came to see not only segregation, but poverty, economic inequality, and war as the enemies of freedom.
We must restart the Movement for social justice, equality and peace because if we don't, we will not only fail to finish the unfinished business of the civil rights movement-- we will also continue to loose ground.
Let us use this anniversary as an occasion to affirm that we know the struggle must continue, and that we should not separate the struggle against racism from the struggle for the right to health care, a quality education, affordable housing, and jobs that pay a living wage with benefits including the right to organize.
Moreover, central to a new Movement must be ending the war in Iraq and bringing the troops home now.
Most of all, we must recommit ourselves to the goal of uniting all who can be united.
On Dec. 1, people will march in every region of the country, and in NYC, thousands will march and rally on Wall St because a relatively handful of people who either own, control or profit from the economy, must know that we consider the right to live free of war and the right to a job, to be as much of a civil right as the right to sit in the front of the bus.
It is time to declare that poor and working people will not sit in the back of the economic bus that only runs to make the rich richer.
We will not ride in the back of a bus that wants to run over the rights of women, people of color, immigrants, youth, LGBT people and workers.
We will not ride in the back of a bus that will cut health care, food and housing programs to pay for war and transfer more wealth to the rich.
Let us signal a new resolve that we will not be pushed backward-- that we will march forward, and keep Dr. King's dream alive through courage, commitment and struggle, which is the legacy that Rosa Parks has left us.
* ENDORSE the December 1 Rosa Parks Anniversary National Strike Against Poverty, Racism, and War
* LIST your local activity
* VOLUNTEER to help build the Strike* <>!
* DONATE to help build a movement against war & racism
Troops Out Now Coalition
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