Today is the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., a day that activists across the country will mark with a series of “We Are One” events, including a march and rally this afternoon in downtown Springfield.
In an announcement of local events, western Mass. We Are One organizers link the labor struggle that brought King to Memphis that day—he was there to stand with striking sanitation workers—to the present-day assault on union rights in Wisconsin, where “a sleazy contingent of state legislators met in secret to do the bidding of big bucks corporate donors and right wing extremists when they voted to strip public service workers of their rights to bargain for a middle class life.
“And now, just as in Memphis in 1968, nurses, teachers, students, firefighters, small business owners, and all working people are standing together. We honor Dr. King with our determination to stand up to this political overreach and ensure we build the future our children deserve.”
In Springfield, the day will include a “March for Economic Justice,” beginning at City Hall at 3:30 p.m. Marchers will head to the Bank of America, where they will “picket against the economic crisis that the Wall Street banks created.” That will be followed by a 5 p.m. rally on the steps of City Hall, where elected officials will be called on to “stop evictions, tax the rich, and reinvest in our communities.”
Other events are planned for today, tomorrow and Wednesday in Greenfield and at UMass, Smith College and Westfield State. For information on all the Valley events, go to www.we-r-1.org.
