Young people will take lead during Feb. 13 Moral March
The N.C. NAACP will hold a Moral March and rally on Feb. 13.
By Cash Michaels
For NCBPA
For the past ten years, the annual Historic Thousands on Jones Street Moral March and People’s Assembly in Raleigh has not only always involved young people, but also empowered them as well.
“Every moral reconstruction movement has had young people at the center of its development,” Rev. William Barber, president of the NCNAACP and convener of the upcoming Moral March/HK on J People’s Assembly on Feb. 13, says. “In the 1960s during the civil rights movement, in the second reconstruction, youth – black, white and Jewish – were at the center. And so it must be as we build a modern day third reconstruction moral movement today.”
This year, young people, known as the #JusticeSquad, will actually lead the Moral March through downtown Raleigh to the Fayetteville Street Mall side of the State Capitol, where the People’s Assembly will take place. It is there where young activists will then pass out pledge-to-vote cards and literature to attendees for both the March 15th primaries and the Nov. 8th general elections. There will also be tables for voter registration.
Applicants can register online at HKonJ.com on the home page by clicking the “sign up” link per the third choice under “#Become a MoralMarch Volunteer.”
“Dr. Barber felt that it would be amazing if this year, we had 200 young people leading this march,” Ty Lawson, N.C. NAACP Field Secretary, said. “We’re getting the youth involved and saying, hey, it’s our time.”
“Over 50 years ago there were young folks out in the streets registering people to vote, fighting for this cause. Now it’s time for us to answer the call of duty. It worked then; it’s going to work now. We’re going to make sure we get the job done.”
Indeed, voter registration for the March 15th primary ends on Friday, Feb. 19, with early voting beginning on Thursday, March 3 and ending Saturday March 12 at 1 p.m.
Young people have always played a role in the Forward Together Movement, Lawson says, recalling how he took part several years ago. “We’ve built a movement that’s inclusive. This is an intergenerational movement, and everyone has their eyes on the prize – making sure that our right to vote is no longer being attacked. And our Youth Council and College Division is very strong …. doing great work and mobilizing for HK on J.”
Lawson says the strong, principled leadership of N.C. NAACP Pres. Rev. William Barber inspires everyone across race, gender and generational lines, but he is particularly inspirational to young people.
“He’s such a charismatic leader. Young people across the state see that leadership and wisdom. It’s not a movement that has young people on one side and older people on the other. It’s a movement that has all of our issues at the core.”
Lawson says young people who take part in the Moral March should be proud.
“This is our moment. This is the generation that this world has been looking for, and we need to answer to that call.”
The 10th annual Moral March on Raleigh/HK on J People’s Assembly is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 13. Marchers will gather across the street from Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium at 8:30 a.m. for a pre-march rally. Then at 10 a.m., the march down the Fayetteville Street Mall to the State Capitol begins. For more information, go to www.hkonj.com.
