Sixth Wave of 'Moral Mondays' Continue to 'Shine a Light'

In the sixth wave of actions against "extreme and immoral" far right policies, North Carolinians Monday are marching on the Governor's office to draw attention to the state's attack on teachers and public education.

According to local news outlet WNCN, before this evening's protest students will deliver wagons filled with petitions to Governor Pat McCrory's office. The petitions represent an estimated 16,000 signatures in support of maintaining small class sizes and decreasing private school vouchers.

The Moral Monday civil action will take place on Halifax Mall at 5:00 pm with an expected turnout of over 1,000 people, and will be followed on Wednesday (referred to as "Wednesday Witness") with an event marking the 50th anniversary of Medgar Evers' assassination.

MSNBCreports that Rev. William Barber, President of the state's NAACP and protest leader, shows no sign of stopping the protests. Rev. Barber explained:

The issue here is [the far right] policies are so extreme and immoral that when exposed it makes them respond in a frenzy of vitriolic words... the power of Moral Monday is that it shines a light on attitudes and actions that might have otherwise gone on without the public knowing.

Individuals taking part in the weekly actions are risking arrest to draw attention to the policies of GOP Governor Pat McCrory and the conservative-run General Assembly--including cuts to social programs, education reforms, a rejection of federal funding to expand Medicaid coverage, and changes to voting laws--which protesters call "an assault" on the state's poor and unemployed.

The rallies have received strong conservative backlash, including State Senator Thom Goolsby's commentFriday that the event would be better titled "Moron Monday."

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Lucia Brown is a summer editorial intern at Common Dreams.