‘We Are One’ Rally Commemorates Dr. King’s Work

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Oralene Simmons, chairwoman of the Martin Luther King Association, mingles with the crowd before her speech at the “We Are One” rally April 4, 2011.  Photo: Urban News

Under a cloudy sky on April 4, 43 years after Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, a group of community leaders, union members, working people, and activists for justice, fair pay, and equal rights met in Pack Square Park to commemorate Dr. King’s murder and stand together for the civil rights he fought for. According to rally organizer Mark Case, president of the Central Labor Council of WNC, the local affiliate of the AFL-CIO, the crowd of 150 “was the most diverse group I have been with.”

As if by divine intervention, the rain held off until all 17 speakers had addressed the gathering. Tyrone Greenlee, Executive Director of Christians for a United Community, began the event with an opening prayer, and retired Teamster and veteran Warren Dupree led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The purpose of the rally was to remind the public that Dr. King’s
work went far beyond civil rights and voting rights for minority
citizens. In the final years of his life he was actively engaged in a
wide range of justice issues, including rights for women and labor. In
fact, he was in Memphis to support the sanitation workers union members
who had gone on strike over pay and working conditions, and he had
addressed the strikers shortly before his assassination.

As president of the Central Labor Council, Case gave the keynote
speech, and he was joined by City Councilman Gordon Smith, Buncombe
County Democratic party Chairman Charles Carter, and other progressive
leaders. Elected officials who were unable to attend sent letters of
support, including State Senate Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt and
Congressman Heath Shuler.

Case fired up the crowd with his remarks. “Who is a union member
and who is not? Who is a janitor, factory worker, cashier, teacher,
nurse, fireman, policeman, letter carrier, clerk, minister, small
business owner, lawyer, bus driver, community organizer?” he called out.
“You can’t tell, can you!” he answered, emphasizing the theme of the
rally: “We Are One.”

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People from all over Western North Carolina participated in the “We Are One” Rally.  Photo: Urban News

“This country is at a crossroads,” Case said, on “the brink of
civil war.” He compared the vast divide in the country to the racial
divide of the 1960s, only this time, instead of whites and blacks, “it
is the haves and the have nots! Two percent of this country holds the
enormous wealth of this land; 98% of us make that wealth for them! Two
percent of this country want all the power, want control of this
land—and 98 percent of us have sat back and watched!”

Case also pointed out that it was the union movement—and union
battles against plutocratic conservatives—that led to the 40-hour work
week, overtime, paid leave, child labor laws, equal pay, and the end of
discrimination based on sex, race, or age. And those gains, made at the
expense of life and limb, are under direct attack in Wisconsin, Maine,
Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and other states, including North Carolina.

“We need investment in education, technology, infrastructure,” he
demanded to shouts of support from the crowd. Instead of laying off
teachers and police and firemen and attacking the working person’s right
to organize, he called on government to put people back to work. “Fix
our roads, bridges, cities; build schools; build plants and
manufacturing facilities! Jobs, jobs, jobs,” he declared. “It’s all
about having a job.”

The message was clear, from Mr. Case and every other speaker. The
working people of the country must stand up to the far right’s
determination to return America to the era of the robber barons. We the
people, the speakers said, must hold Wall Street accountable, cut
loopholes for corporations that export jobs and avoid taxes, rein in the
banks with their untaxed profits and unrestrained bonuses, and hold
elected officials to a high standard of honesty and transparency.

Though the numbers were small, the energy and enthusiasm at the
rally was palpable to all who participated. It was hard not to remember
the words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the
only thing that ever has.”