Last week, Rachel Dawn Davis attended the second in-person Moral Poverty Action Congress, which gathered hundreds of impacted people, faith leaders and moral advocates to plan and strategize focused actions toward eradicating poverty. What does this have to do with water?
Everything. Throughout the conference, people shared personal stories centered on water and Poor People’s Campaign national leadership called out water inequality, flooding, sacrifice zones and sewage filled streets and rivers when making the case, as we do here, for preventative action that is urgent. Rachel Dawn and others in New Jersey’s Poor People’s Campaign Coordinating Committee connected with other state campaigns throughout the land to strategize next steps to build and focus power at each statehouse.
Notably, H. Res 532 a.k.a. the 3rd Reconstruction Resolution, fully addressing poverty and low wages from the bottom up, was introduced on Summer Solstice, highlighting demands, such as:
“Whereas an expansion of oil and fossil fuel infrastructure led to over 5,000 significant oil and gas leaks or ruptures on United States pipelines, more than 2,400 oil spills in United States waters, and 1,100 coal ash ponds, all of which are disproportionately proximate to poor communities;
Whereas tens of millions of Americans cannot afford access to clean water, 44,000,000 people are living with water systems that violated the Safe Drinking Water Act, and approximately 540,000 households lack access to complete plumbing, with Native American households more likely to face water access issues than other households;”
Be it resolved:
“(i) investing in a green infrastructure package that provides for equitable public transit, fixes roads and bridges, ensures equitable and affordable housing, education, and care work and access to broadband, electricity, water, sanitation, and other public utilities, expands public health infrastructure, sustainable food production and distribution, and community-based institutions like libraries, fire stations, and recreation facilities;
(ii) dramatically curtailing air, water, land, and climate pollution
(vi) guaranteeing the right to water by ending water and utility shut offs and making clean water and sanitation services accessible to all;”
Read/Listen to the full text here HERE.
This 3rd Reconstruction Resolution introduction came one day after the ~1000 member group descended on Congress to demand poverty prevention be made a priority for the people.
New state by state data was released at the conference; explore and share the New Jersey Fact Sheet. Seeds were planted for New Jersey, strategies were created and bonds were deepened. A big upcoming goal for the modern day Poor People’s Campaign is to galvanize thousands of New Jersey’s most affected people to the NJ Statehouse in February. Want to help? We want you!
Want to learn more? The New Jersey Poor People’s Campaign Coordinating Committee attendees were covered in an article via InsiderNewJersey: “2024 Politics as if Our Life Expectency Mattered” by Bob Hennelly; and Rachel Dawn was featured as a co-host on the WBAI Radio show What’s Going On Labor Monday June 26, 2023. Take a listen!
To learn more about NJ Poor People’s Campaign, please email: newjersey@poorpeoplescampaign.org