The Rev. William J. Barber II ignited the United Steelworkers convention today, urging some 5,000 delegates and guests to forget about geographic, racial, age, gender or other lines and come together to build an all-inclusive movement to “save the soul of this democracy.”
Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP, has already started the movement, known as the Moral Monday Movement, uniting people of faith, students, workers, unions and others.
More than a year ago, Barber and his supporters began gathering every Monday at the State Capitol in North Carolina to protest legislation that is threatening voting rights, civil rights, women’s rights, labor rights, jobs, education, health care for children, the poor and elderly and pretty much everything that matters. It started with just a few people. Then week-by-week, the crowds grew. Tens of thousands have shown up to fight back against anti-worker, anti-family, anti-student, anti-union proposals. Many, including Barber, end up jailed for civil disobedience. Barber had the USW crowd on their feet several times, moving some to tears.