On Saturday, members of the St. Louis Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists traveled with six busloads of marchers from St. Louis to attend the One Nation Working Together rally in Washington, D.C.
“We came from all across this country – one month before the critical midterm elections – because we are determined to build an America defined by unity, not division,” said James “Jay” Ozier, vice president of the St Louis Chapter of CBTU.
The Nov. 2 national elections are described as “midterm” because they fall midway through a presidential term. Voters in Missouri will elect a U.S. senator and their congressional representatives, among other seats and initiatives.
An estimated 175,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall for speeches by NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, activist and actor Harry Belafonte, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and others.
“I was overwhelmed to see the incredible swell of support for education, for jobs, and for justice,” said Jealous, whose NAACP was the lead organizer.
“I was also sobered, however, by the reality – that we still have a lot of work to do to bring that momentum from Washington to every state and every corner of the country on Election Day.”
Ozier said the diversity of the crowd “showed America what a progressive economic vision looks like.”
“The marchers included union members, human and civil rights organizations, youth and student groups, religious organizations, gay and lesbian groups, peace and environmental groups,” Ozier said.
This description of diversity was intended in contrast to the recent rally organized in Washington by right-wing pundit Glenn Beck, which was overwhelmingly white.
“We’re fighting back. The Tea Party and its corporate backers are not going to get the final word,” Ozier said.
“Corporate donors are plowing a stunning $445 million into these elections. They want to block corporate accountability, block job creation, block workers’ rights and turn Social Security over to Wall Street.”
Jobs – or the need for them – provided a keynote for the speeches.
“We bailed out the banks,” Sharpton said. “We bailed out the insurance companies. And now it is time to bail out the American people.”
Thousands also attended a One Nation rally the same day in Los Angeles. Activist and actor Danny Glover told the diverse crowd that they represented a movement to “continue to fight for the change we voted for in 2008.”
Speakers kept pointing toward the importance of the Nov. 2 elections. Though President Obama will not be on the ballot, the outcome of the elections could effect the balance of power in Congress and his ability to get anything done in the second half of his first term.
Sharpton said that the midterm elections were like “midterms exams” for the nation and encouraged the audience to earn a passing grade.
“Saturday’s march marks the 30-day kickoff to elect candidates who will support Main Street over Wall Street,” Ozier said.
“So let us all roll up our sleeves, get our families, friends and co-workers to vote like our lives depend on it!”
