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Supporters of the Moral Monday movement in Raleigh, N.C. last month. (Photo: United Workers/cc/flickr)
I Think They Can
Some of the states where the Moral Monday movement is rising are mighty steep political hills for progressives to climb.
Apr 02, 2014
Like that little choo-choo in the classic children's book "The Little Engine that Could," Moral Monday is the little movement that says, "I think I can" and keeps chugging up the hill.
This new progressive coalition became a full-throttle citizen uprising in North Carolina early last year.
Fueled by rising public outrage at the rampant right-wing extremism of the Republican-run state government, a few advocates for workers, civil rights, and other people's issues went inside North Carolina's state capitol on a Monday in April.
Led by Rev. William Barber, head of the North Carolina NAACP, they literally put their bodies on the line in protest of the GOP's reckless crusade to turn the state into a privatized utopia for unfettered corporate greed and tea party wackiness.
Several members of the small group were arrested that day, and Republican leaders berated their protest as "Moron Monday."
To build a movement, you've gotta start moving.Those politicos aren't laughing now.
The protesters kept coming and their numbers kept growing, for Moral Monday had struck a chord. The protest spread across the state. A rally in February drew more than 80,000 people, and public approval ratings for the governor and state assembly have tanked.
The legislature is now out of session, but Moral Monday still has weekly meetings and is launching a 50-county organizing and voter education campaign this summer.
It's now a burgeoning multi-issue, grassroots movement for progressive change. And it's literally on the move, branching out to other states -- Moral Monday Georgia is going full steam this year, South Carolina has a Truthful Tuesday movement gaining steam, and the movement is getting started in Alabama, Florida, New York, and Wisconsin.
Some of these states are mighty steep political hills for progressives to climb, but success begins with someone saying, "I think I can." To build a movement, you've gotta start moving.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
This column was distributed by OtherWords.
Jim Hightower
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the books "Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow" (2008) and "There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos: A Work of Political Subversion" (1998). Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
Like that little choo-choo in the classic children's book "The Little Engine that Could," Moral Monday is the little movement that says, "I think I can" and keeps chugging up the hill.
This new progressive coalition became a full-throttle citizen uprising in North Carolina early last year.
Fueled by rising public outrage at the rampant right-wing extremism of the Republican-run state government, a few advocates for workers, civil rights, and other people's issues went inside North Carolina's state capitol on a Monday in April.
Led by Rev. William Barber, head of the North Carolina NAACP, they literally put their bodies on the line in protest of the GOP's reckless crusade to turn the state into a privatized utopia for unfettered corporate greed and tea party wackiness.
Several members of the small group were arrested that day, and Republican leaders berated their protest as "Moron Monday."
To build a movement, you've gotta start moving.Those politicos aren't laughing now.
The protesters kept coming and their numbers kept growing, for Moral Monday had struck a chord. The protest spread across the state. A rally in February drew more than 80,000 people, and public approval ratings for the governor and state assembly have tanked.
The legislature is now out of session, but Moral Monday still has weekly meetings and is launching a 50-county organizing and voter education campaign this summer.
It's now a burgeoning multi-issue, grassroots movement for progressive change. And it's literally on the move, branching out to other states -- Moral Monday Georgia is going full steam this year, South Carolina has a Truthful Tuesday movement gaining steam, and the movement is getting started in Alabama, Florida, New York, and Wisconsin.
Some of these states are mighty steep political hills for progressives to climb, but success begins with someone saying, "I think I can." To build a movement, you've gotta start moving.
Jim Hightower
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the books "Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow" (2008) and "There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos: A Work of Political Subversion" (1998). Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
Like that little choo-choo in the classic children's book "The Little Engine that Could," Moral Monday is the little movement that says, "I think I can" and keeps chugging up the hill.
This new progressive coalition became a full-throttle citizen uprising in North Carolina early last year.
Fueled by rising public outrage at the rampant right-wing extremism of the Republican-run state government, a few advocates for workers, civil rights, and other people's issues went inside North Carolina's state capitol on a Monday in April.
Led by Rev. William Barber, head of the North Carolina NAACP, they literally put their bodies on the line in protest of the GOP's reckless crusade to turn the state into a privatized utopia for unfettered corporate greed and tea party wackiness.
Several members of the small group were arrested that day, and Republican leaders berated their protest as "Moron Monday."
To build a movement, you've gotta start moving.Those politicos aren't laughing now.
The protesters kept coming and their numbers kept growing, for Moral Monday had struck a chord. The protest spread across the state. A rally in February drew more than 80,000 people, and public approval ratings for the governor and state assembly have tanked.
The legislature is now out of session, but Moral Monday still has weekly meetings and is launching a 50-county organizing and voter education campaign this summer.
It's now a burgeoning multi-issue, grassroots movement for progressive change. And it's literally on the move, branching out to other states -- Moral Monday Georgia is going full steam this year, South Carolina has a Truthful Tuesday movement gaining steam, and the movement is getting started in Alabama, Florida, New York, and Wisconsin.
Some of these states are mighty steep political hills for progressives to climb, but success begins with someone saying, "I think I can." To build a movement, you've gotta start moving.
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