Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin stand at the center of a fierce campaign against voting rights. As a result of their refusal to end filibustering and advance federal voting rights legislation in the Senate, they have been targeted by members of their own political party and voting rights advocacy organizations.
Several organizations are engaged in the effort to persuade Manchin and Sinema to change their minds, such as The Poor People’s Campaign, which is led by Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis. A campaign called the Poor People’s Campaign’s “season of nonviolent direct action” is now underway to save our democracy.
As of July 12, the group has held a sit-in at Sen. Sinema’s office in Phoenix, where Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Barber have been arrested. Four days and 27 miles later, they held the “Moral March for Democracy” in Texas from Georgetown to the Statehouse in Austin. Prior to the end of the month, hundreds of clergy and low-wage workers were arrested along with Rev. Jackson, Rev. Barber and other protestors from The Poor People’s Campaign outside of the Hart Senate Building.
Each time, their demands have been clear: end the filibuster, pass all provisions of the For The People Act, restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hour. On Thursday (Aug. 26), the group’s West Virginia chapter will host a “Mass Moral Motorcade on Manchin” to demand the West Virginia Senator “stop hiding behind the ‘coward’s filibuster’ and do what’s right for our country,” a press release reads.
“We believe it’s time for Sen Manchin to be a statesman for West Virginia and serve the poor and low-income residents of the state; end [the] filibuster so that the Senate can pass voting rights legislation; In a press release, Barber said “pass $15/hour and go down in history with the legacy of the miners on Blair Mountain and with the Constitution and justice in the case.
At least 151 vehicles are scheduled to pass through Boone, Lincoln and Kanawha counties on this trip. They will stop at Manchin’s office in Charleston before making it down to Statehouse. Poor People’s Campaign says a hearse, symbolizing how Sen. Manchin has buried voting rights expansion and protection bills by using the filibuster, will lead the motorcade. Additionally, there will be a rally at the Statehouse where most participants will remain in their vehicles to hear from Revs. Barber and Theoharis, mine workers, union leaders, and voting rights attorneys. A live stream of the event will be available on the Poor People’s Campaign website.
© 2021, Jonathan P-Wright. All rights reserved.
