One Nation Working Together rally…
Thousands of people from around the country are expected to convene at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday for the latest in a series of ongoing politically charged rallies in the nation’s capital. With November elections approaching, such Washington events provide forums for those seeking to voice their opinions on various social issues.
Just over a month after the highly publicized “Restoring Honor” rally, organized by Glenn Beck, and the “Reclaim the Dream” rally, organized by Al Sharpton, the “One Nation Working Together” march will call for “jobs, justice and education for all,” according to the movement’s website.
Sponsored by more than 500 liberal groups from all 50 states, the movement aims to refocus national priorities and investment on working-class Americans, said Denise Gray-Felder, communications director for the District’s One Nation Working Together office, in a phone interview.
“We’re often the majority in this country, not the minority,” Gray-Felder said of average working people in America. “Though it’s not always painted that way.”
Supporters of the social movement will gather at the Lincoln Memorial as part of a larger plan to “chart a bold, pragmatic path toward a more unified, sustainable, prosperous future,” according to the movement’s website.
One Nation Working Together, which has been endorsed by the Green Party of the United States, is a self-proclaimed progressive alliance of human and civil rights organizations, union and trade associations, and environmental, peace, education, religious, non-profit and student groups across the U.S. Endorsing organizations include the United States Student Association, the NAACP, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Council of La Raza and the National Baptist Convention.
The movement’s platform emphasizes providing support for the unemployed, ensuring quality and affordable public education, reforming fiscal priorities and criminal justice processes, investing in sustainable energy and fixing a “broken” immigration system, among other initiatives.
Gray-Felder said the march organizers hope to engage supporters in the civic engagement process, and to encourage them to vote for – and hold accountable – candidates who “really care about jobs, justice and education.”
“To get involved and stay involved – that’s the only way we’re going to change this country,” Gray-Felder said.
Unemployment in America…
As of August 2010, the jobless rate in the U.S. was about 9.6 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. See below the D.C. unemployment rate, alongside some of the states with the highest rates, as posted on TradingEconomics.com.
- D.C. – 9.9%
- California – 12.4%
- Florida – 11.7%
- Michigan – 13.1%
- Rhode Island – 11.8%
- Nevada – 14.4%
- South Carolina – 11%
