"The War Economy is Killing our Nation's Spirit"
I would go farther than that and say that our war culture and our society's militarism is killing our Nation's Spirit, just as it is killing people, the environment and our future both at home, in the United States, and across the planet. Tonight, I'll be with Reverend William Barber and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove in Raleigh at The Gathering, the monthly meeting of Repairers of the Breach and the Poor People's Campaign. This month Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Agains the War and Code Pink are partners and I'll be speaking. You can listen online or if you are in Raleigh you can join us.
Below is the announcement for tonight's event:
Tax payers in the United States have spent nearly $4 Trillion for wars since 2001 - money that should have been used to transform our nation.
Just $1 Billion of our bloated military budget could pay for 12k elementary school teachers, 7k infrastructure jobs, 100k headstart spots for children, and 30k scholarships for university students. The moral question we must put before America is: What will make us safer? More and more and more money for building the mother of all bombs, money for jobs, education, healthcare, and infrastructure? We must choose community and peace over chaos and greed, recognizing that to fight against the war economy is to challenge the policies that advance poverty, and suppress democracy.
This Sunday, Nov. 5 at The Gathering, we're partnering with Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and CODEPINK to hear from people affected by militarism around the world on how we can join the struggle for peace.
If you're in North Carolina: RSVP here to join us this Sunday, Nov. 5 from 6-7:30pm ET at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh.
If you can't make it in person: Watch the livestream this Sunday beginning at 6pm ET on our website or Facebook. Make sure you share the stream on social media so the #PoorPeoplesCampaign can reach more people!
The Gathering is a new movement resource by Repairers of the Breach, live on the first Sunday of every month in North Carolina and available via livestream and podcast. It's co-hosted by us, Bishop William J. Barber II, Pres. & Sr. Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach; and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Director at School for Conversion. The Gathering aims to equip communities with resources for faithful reflection and public action on moral issues through an hour of storytelling, music, interviews with community organizers and impacted people, and a powerful call to join the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Erica Williams, Repairers of the Breach National Social Justice Organizer (ewilliams@breachrepairers.org).
Forward Together!
Bishop William J. Barber II President, Repairers of the Breach
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove President, School for Conversion
P.S. Did you miss last month's powerful Gathering on climate justice? You can watch the video or listen to the podcast here.
------------ I also strongly recommend Reverend Barber and Jonathan Wilson-Hargrove's book, The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear. Wage Peace!