Thousands of people are expected to march in downtown Raleigh on Saturday, some coming in buses from other states, to call on North Carolina legislators to reverse laws they鈥檝e signed over the last year including requiring voters to show IDs in polling stations, reducing unemployment benefits and blocking Medicaid expansion.
The march, which has largely been organized by the state NAACP, follows a year-long movement known as Moral Mondays that mobilized thousands to the state capitol building and cities across the state. They protested the state鈥檚 Republican-controlled government, which they said was writing 鈥渞egressive鈥� policies, and in turn drew rebuke from governmental leaders.
In the eve of the march, and in a representation of the tone of dialogue over the last year, liberal and conservative leaders took turns calling the other side extremist.
State NAACP President Rev. William Barber, the unofficial leader of the Moral Monday movement, said the priorities Republican Gov. Pat McCrory had set for the state this year would hurt minorities and poor people.
"We are challenging what the governor is calling the Carolina Comeback. This is the Carolina Setback." - William Barber
鈥淲e are challenging what the governor is calling the Carolina Comeback,鈥� Barber said in a press conference Tuesday. 鈥淭his is the Carolina Setback.鈥�
In return, state GOP Chairman Claude Pope told reporters Friday that the Moral Monday movement is 鈥渞adical left-wing鈥� activism and said Barber was trying to 鈥渆viscerate鈥� Republican leaders.
"Barber's use of inflammatory, divisive, and offensive rhetoric has no place in the public arena of ideas. We need to have a respectful, political discourse here in North Carolina." - Claude Pope
鈥淏arber鈥檚 use of inflammatory, divisive, and offensive rhetoric has no place in the public arena of ideas,鈥� Pope said,. 鈥淲e need to have a respectful, political discourse here in North Carolina.鈥�
Saturday鈥檚 march, which builds on an annual tradition started in 2007 called Historic Thousands on Jones Street, after the address of the state legislative building, will draw people coming in buses from Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts and Virginia, organizers said, .
National leaders of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland and the president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, have said they鈥檙e also joining the rally. McCrory and other elected leaders have said the Moral Monday marches are led by out-of-state leaders looking to 鈥渃hange the subject鈥� of conversation in the state.
Moral Monday resulted in more than 900 arrests last year. The movement has inspired similar ones in Georgia, under the name , and South Carolina, called .
