At the rally, Matilda held conversations with colleagues she knew from Northampton and the Hilltowns who came to be in solidarity with the protesters, and I too greeted fellow activists I knew from Springfield. However, I found myself wondering where all the people of color were, in a city whose public school system is comprised of over 80% black and brown children. The predominant race of the crowd was white. They were mostly older, and clearly committed to this worthy cause, but removed, to some degree, from those most affected.\u00a0Allyship and witness are crucial, and we are seeing more and more intersectionality in social movements. However, the fact remains that many people who live in poor communities and many people of color specifically, apply their physical, mental and financial resources to just attend to their families. By virtue of being poor, many work low wage jobs which may not allow for the flexibility to attend a daytime rally. One of the clergy who spoke, a trans black man, passionately encouraged the protesters to reach out to poor people\u2014it was, after all \u201cThe Poor People\u2019s Campaign.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n We started walking to the state building up the street, ending up in front of the Western Massachusetts Office of the Governor State Office Building on Dwight Street. As the crowd chanted the \u201cThe people, the people rule,\u201d drivers honked their horns in support. I was glad we were representing Smith\u2019s Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, lifting our voices and sounding the alarm.<\/p>\n Looking back, I hope we somehow made a difference that day, raising consciousness about the concerns of poor people and how we can create change at the local level. Two questions still remain. Will those we were fighting for come forward in larger numbers to demand justice? And will those of us invested in the movement be able to help more of the affected people make their voices heard? By the same token, we must also remember that we are all affected, to greater and lesser degrees, and many of us here at Smith\u2014students, staff, and faculty\u2014come from low income backgrounds, are currently poor, and have fought poverty, racism, and oppression, and will continue to do so. <\/span><\/p>\n The Poor People\u2019s Campaign is a \u201ccall for moral revival\u201d <\/span>based in the principle that \u201cour deepest religious and constitutional values […] demand justice for all<\/span>.\u201d In the words of the original founder of the Poor People\u2019s Campaign, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cInjustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n To learn more about the Poor People\u2019s Campaign, visit their website<\/a> or follow them on Facebook<\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I didn’t plan on going to a grassroots activist rally that day, June 4, 2018. But my days as Muslim Student Adviser offer many different opportunities, so I wasn\u2019t surprised. Director of Religious & Spiritual Life and College Chaplain Rev. … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/religious-spiritual-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/126\/2018\/07\/20180604_poor-ppl-protest-2-300x300.jpg\")
<\/a>We met up with the group of protesters in the central grassy area of Court Street across from City Hall. There were a couple hundred people of all backgrounds with homemade signs and spirited attitudes. Taking turns at the podium were a local Springfield minister, the director of Arise for Social Justice, a young rap artist, and a series of mother-activists deploring the mold in the public school buildings where their children face the devastating effects of asthma. They charged the city with negligence in enforcing the state sanitary code that governs Springfield\u2019s aging housing stock. According to literature distributed to the crowd, \u201cSpringfield has the highest number of asthma-related emergency room visits in the nation,\u201d ranking number one \u201cas the most challenging city for asthma in the United States.\u201d Speakers lamented about poor families subjected to asthma triggers such as rodent droppings, mold, and cockroaches.<\/p>\n
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