LIVE! Love Forward Together Mass People’s Assembly & Moral March Mobilization In Raleigh, NC
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The 'This Is Our Selma' march covered 50 miles from Wilson to Raleigh, NC, protesting gerrymandering and voter suppression.
- ❖The movement emphasizes a 'love forward' vision, advocating for proactive solutions rather than just resistance against the Trump administration's policies.
- ❖North Carolina's First Congressional District was specifically targeted by gerrymandering to dilute Black and Democratic voting power.
- ❖Speakers highlighted attacks on healthcare, voting rights, social services, and the need for living wages and public education.
- ❖The rally aimed to mobilize infrequent voters, particularly Black, Brown, and low-income individuals, whose turnout could 'foil' legislative plans.
- ❖The historical context of St. Valentine and Frederick Douglass was used to underscore the enduring power of love and persistent agitation against tyranny.
- ❖Former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt joined the movement, framing the current political climate as a fight of 'right versus wrong' and a 'great awakening'.
Insights
1Gerrymandering as a Direct Attack on Democratic Power
North Carolina's First Congressional District was specifically redrawn by the state legislature, under pressure from the Trump administration, to dilute Black, Democratic, and poor people's voting power. This action is framed as a direct assault on the enfranchisement and representation of marginalized communities, aiming to make it easier for Republicans to secure congressional seats.
Wesley Lowry states, 'North Carolina has been one of the key battlegrounds in the fight over how we district in Congress. President Trump demanded Republican state legislatures... to attempt to redraw the congressional maps as a means of diluting black power, Democratic power, power of poor people.' ()
2Shifting from Resistance to a Proactive Vision of Love
The movement emphasizes that it is not merely a rally of despair or resistance, but a 'celebration' and a 'fight for vision moving forward.' Reverend Barber stresses the need for a clear, positive vision of what activists are 'standing for' and 'fighting for,' rooted in a tradition of multi-racial democracy and advocacy for the poor and disenfranchised.
Wesley Lowry reports, 'one of the key things... is that this is not a rally that is about despair. This is not a rally that is about resistance, but rather this is a celebration and is a fight for vision moving forward.' ()
3Voter Turnout as the Antidote to Gerrymandering
The core strategy to counteract gerrymandering relies on significantly increased voter turnout, particularly among Black, Brown, and poor voters who have historically stayed home. Organizers believe that if these infrequent voters show up in large numbers, it can 'foil those plans of the Republican legislature' and President Trump.
Reverend Barber notes, 'There were assumptions that went into how they redrew these maps... if more black, brown, and poor voters who've stayed home in previous elections show up, it can foil those plans.' ()
4Love as a Force for Political Change and Moral Courage
The concept of 'love forward together' is presented as a powerful, active force for political and social change, drawing parallels to historical figures like St. Valentine and Frederick Douglass. This 'love' is not sentimental but a 'love with a backbone' that demands dignity, builds bridges, and rejects systems of oppression, even praying for the 'clean heart' of opponents.
Reverend Barber recounts the story of St. Valentine defying Emperor Claudius to marry people, stating, 'love was more powerful than an empire's army.' () Bishop Sonia E. Williams states, 'Love is not dominance. It is dignity. It is not about control but it is about conscious. Not about building walls, but building bridges in God's image.' ()
5The Crisis of Character in Elite Classes and the Rising American Coalition
Former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt argues that a 'tremendous crisis of character' exists in elite classes, leading to widespread 'cowardice' and capitulation to fascism for selfish reasons. He sees a 'great awakening' forming a new, non-partisan 'American coalition' of ordinary people across ethnic, racial, and age lines, united against what is 'wrong' and for human dignity and freedom.
Steve Schmidt states, 'We have a tremendous crisis of character in this country in the elite classes... the cowardice is extraordinary... for selfish reasons, personal ambition, people genulecting, getting on their knees to what they know is wrong for convenience.' He adds, 'a new coalition, an American coalition I sense is rising all over the country.' ()
Bottom Line
The movement aims to train other states to replicate North Carolina's grassroots mobilization model, rather than just sending leaders to other states. This involves taking over news media, ending up at state capitals, and organizing at the micro-level with an agenda.
This suggests a scalable, decentralized approach to social and political activism, empowering local communities to lead their own movements rather than relying on external figures. It could lead to a nationwide network of similar 'love forward' campaigns.
Organizations and activists in other states can actively seek training and resources from Repairs of the Breach to adapt and implement similar 'mass public education organizing' strategies in their local contexts.
The strategy explicitly targets 'infrequent voters' – those who are registered or have previously voted but sat out recent elections – by conducting research to identify their locations and engaging them directly.
This highlights a critical, often overlooked demographic that holds immense potential to shift electoral outcomes without needing to register entirely new voters. It challenges conventional campaign strategies that may focus more on swing voters or first-time registrants.
Political campaigns and advocacy groups can invest in data analytics and community outreach programs specifically designed to identify, understand, and re-engage infrequent voters, potentially unlocking significant electoral power.
Key Concepts
Moral Fusion Politics
This model, championed by Reverend William Barber, advocates for uniting diverse racial, ethnic, religious, and socio-economic groups around a common moral agenda for justice and equality. It seeks to build broad coalitions that transcend traditional political divides to achieve systemic change.
Power of the Infrequent Voter
This concept posits that significant political change can be achieved not just by converting opponents or mobilizing new voters, but by re-engaging and turning out registered voters who have historically abstained from elections. These 'infrequent voters' often represent a large, untapped demographic whose collective participation can dramatically shift electoral outcomes.
Lessons
- Visit breachrepairs.org to learn more about the 'Repairs of the Breach' movement, donate, and find ways to participate in voter mobilization efforts.
- Engage in local community organizing by going 'county by county, precinct by precinct' to talk to infrequent voters and those often ignored by political consultants.
- Exercise your voting rights in all elections, understanding that your ballot is valuable and essential to influencing policy decisions and countering voter suppression tactics.
Love Forward Together: A Strategy for Moral Fusion Mobilization
**Mobilize to a Rally for Public Education:** Organize mass assemblies and marches to generate public awareness and educate both participants and a wider audience through social media and traditional media.
**Organize from the Rally:** Transition from public demonstration to sustained, micro-based organizing efforts, focusing on specific communities and issues.
**Identify and Engage Infrequent Voters:** Conduct research to locate registered voters who have not participated in recent elections and engage them directly through door-knocking, phone banks, and text banks.
**Champion a Proactive Vision:** Articulate a clear, positive agenda for justice, healthcare, living wages, public education, and environmental protection, rather than solely focusing on grievances or resistance.
**Build Multi-Racial, Multi-Ethnic Coalitions:** Foster unity across diverse demographics, emphasizing shared values and the collective power of 'the people' against authoritarianism and systemic injustice.
Notable Moments
The march began in Wilson, NC, and covered 50 miles to Raleigh, specifically targeting the First Congressional District, which was gerrymandered to dilute Black voting power.
This demonstrates a strategic, physically demanding act of protest directly confronting a specific instance of voter suppression, drawing historical parallels to the Selma marches.
Reverend Barber used the historical narrative of St. Valentine defying Emperor Claudius to illustrate that 'love is more powerful than an empire's army,' emphasizing love as a force for civil disobedience.
This recontextualizes Valentine's Day from a commercial holiday to a symbol of moral courage and resistance against tyranny, reinforcing the movement's 'love forward' theme.
Steve Schmidt, a former Republican strategist, spoke at the rally, highlighting a 'crisis of character' in elite classes and the rise of a 'new American coalition' against fascism.
His presence and message underscore the movement's appeal beyond traditional partisan lines, suggesting a broader, non-partisan concern for democratic values and human dignity.
A speaker from Second Chance Alliances, a formerly incarcerated individual, shared his inmate number and spoke about the importance of restoring voting rights for justice-involved people.
This personal testimony humanizes the impact of disenfranchisement and highlights the specific fight for voting rights for a marginalized group, directly connecting to the movement's broader goals of justice.
Quotes
"North Carolina has been one of the key battlegrounds in the fight over how we district in Congress. President Trump demanded Republican state legislatures... to attempt to redraw the congressional maps as a means of diluting black power, Democratic power, power of poor people."
"This is not a rally that is about despair. This is not a rally that is about resistance, but rather this is a celebration and is a fight for vision moving forward."
"If your theology puts people in cages is not holy. If your economy needs poverty to uplift the wealthy, then it's not healthy. If your politics needs lies, it's not leadership."
"If your vote didn't matter, they wouldn't be trying so hard to suppress it."
"We're not fighting for normaly. We're not fighting to go backwards. We're fighting to go forward to the America that never was, but yet must be."
"There are only two parties in America: patriots and traders. And hereafter, I wish to be associated with the former, not not the latter."
Q&A
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