Just got this today about walk starting today with event across from White House in Lafayette Park. Perhaps Thomas and/or Ellen were at event and may have some report/feedback on this walk. -----Original Message----- From: Sandi Brockway / Macrocosm USA To: David Crockett Williams (by way of *STRIDER*) Date: Sunday, October 03, 1999 5:59 PM >X-Sender: rc@vom.com >Date: Sun, 3 Oct 1999 17:21:48 -0700 >To: Select List >From: *STRIDER* >Subject: Fwd: Day 1 of the March of the Americas >Cc: bay_area_activist@onelist.com > >From: Rockrap@aol.com >Date: Sun, 3 Oct 1999 11:35:16 EDT >Subject: Day 1 of the March of the Americas > > > Day 1- Washington DC > >The March of the Americas began today in front of the White House in >Washington DC. Marchers have gathered from places as diverse as Philadelphia, >Boston, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Florida, Toronto, Quebec, New Zealand, >Brazil, and Bolivia. The Marchers gathered in Lafayette Park at 10 am to >kickoff the March with speakers from across the hemisphere. Cheri Honkala, >National Spokesperson for the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign >and Executive Director of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, began by >explaining the activities of the March and read stories of American families >whose rights have been violated by poverty and welfare reform. > >International human rights lawyer, Peter Weiss, described the legal case >called "The Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign vs. The United >States." Its a legal complaint submitted to the Inter-American Commission of >the Organization of American States, claiming welfare reform and the growing >economic problems in the United States as violations of all of our economic >human rights. He said, "Everyone says in principle that true individual >freedom cannot exist without economic security and freedom, and yet in the >United States poverty rates have been rising for the last 10 years and the US >has the lowest proportion of health insured people in the industrialized >world" > >Tony Mazzochi, Interim National Organizer for the Labor Party, spoke in >support of the march and . He spoke of the 43 million people in the US with >no health insurance, and to the need for a national health plan. > >Rene Maxwell of the Coalition to Protect Public Housing in Chicago, noted >that when in the 1930's there was a housing crisis, the government responded >by creating public housing. When faced with a similar crisis today, the >government is responding by destroying public housing. Rene shared a song >that he wrote for building the movement to end poverty, "Our Fight Must Go On" > >Patricia Ireland, the Director of the National Organization of Women, spoke >of the fight to bring the issue of poverty to the US Congress as well as the >United Nations and the International Monetary Fund. She noted that one-third >of working women in the US earn less than $10,000 a year. > >John Lonetti of the United Mine Workers spoke of poverty in Appalachia, like >in Welch, West Virginia where the mines closing have left a population that >has unemployment rates of 90%. > >Josephine Gray from Low-Income Families Together in Toronto Canada spoke of >how the corporate elites are organizing global trade agreements to fight for >corporate rights; and that we, the poor of the world, must organize globally >to fight for human rights. > >Njoki Njoroge Njehû, Director of 50 Years is Enough, said the poor around the >world are being devastated by neo-liberal economic policies, whether by the >US government in this country or by the World Bank and the IMF in poor >countries around the world. > >Maria Dos Santos, a representative of the MST, the landless movement in >Brazil (who are holding their own march across Brazil right now), came to >support the March and presented Cheri Honkala a MST cap, while they in turn, >donned a March T-shirt. The MST and other groupings of poor people in Brazil >are conducting a 1000 mile march to the capital of Brazil ending on Oct. 12. >Thousands of Brazilians are marching to call attention to the economic crisis >in Brazil and its affect on poor people. The media in Brazil has not covered >any of their march. > >Also speaking were representatives from AFSCME District 33, the Chicago >Coalition of the Homeless, and the Gray Panthers. Also performing was >sixth-grade poet Langston Tingling-Clemons. > >After the rally, we marched through Washington DC to the Inter-American >Commission where the complaint put together by Cathy Albisa and Rhonda >Copeland from the International Womens Human Rights Clinic, Peter Weiss of >the Center for Constitutional Rights and lawyer, Cecilia Perry, was filed. >After leaving the Inter-American Commission, we marched to the Organization >of American States Building, where we were met by the Coalition of Immokalee >Workers, member organization of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights >Campaign, who will be marching for the entire march. > >>From there we marched to the Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial to honor a vision >that says that the role of government is to guarantee its people "freedom >from fear and want". Also honored here is Eleanor Roosevelt, a champion of >the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including economic >human rights. > >We marched 20 miles from DC to Bethesda, Maryland. We marched long into the >night before finally coming coming to a place to rest. > >Keep checking our website for a day-by-day account of the March of the >Americas. http://www.libertynet.org/kwru > ><<<<<< > >From: Rockrap@aol.com >Date: Sun, 3 Oct 1999 15:56:02 EDT >Subject: The March of the Americas' new friend > >Jam Rag is a Michigan music magazine (circulation: 30,000) with deep roots in >that state's music scene.... > >Subj: Re: Day 1 of the March of the Americas >Date: 10/3/99 12:48:20 PM Pacific Daylight Time >From: jamrag@glis.net (Tom Ness) >To: Rockrap@aol.com > >Rock & Rap friends > >Just wanted to let you know, we just went to press with a big, full-color >two page article on the March. We can't think of anything more important for >our readers to know about. > >TN > >Tom Ness >Jam Rag Press/Michigan Music is World Class Campaign >PO Box 20076, Ferndale MI 48220 >248-542-8090 * jamrag@glis.net >-----Original Message----- >From: Rockrap@aol.com >To: dalexand@gvi.net >Date: Sunday, October 03, 1999 11:52 AM >Subject: Day 1 of the March of the Americas > ><<<<< > >------------------------------------------------------------------------- >------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Search /RENEGADE/ for articles on Human Rights - >http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi?RIGHTS > >/RENEGADE/ Search - GO TO: http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi? >and just type in your topic. For differing results you may uncheck >"article" and search on just "subject," etc. /RENEGADE/ also has >"time-frame" in the search, so you can tailor your results that way, too. > >----- > > >Peace! > >*STRIDER* Sector Air Raid Warden at /RENEGADE/ > > /RENEGADE/ news_service: http://fornits.com/renegade/ > DEDICATED TO SPIRIT, TRUTH, PEACE, JUSTICE, AND FREEDOM >Bay_Area_Activist list: http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi?fetch=54 > usenet: news:alt.thebird news:misc.activism.progressive > chat: http://jupiter.beseen.com/chat/rooms/i/1055/ > e-mail: mailto:strider@fornits.com > strider@fornits.com > > WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -- Ethiopian Proverb > > > >