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December 10, 2004
The March to End AIDS Follows in the Footsteps of Martin Luther King's Poor Peoples' Campaign
"The nation is sick: trouble is in the land, confusion all around.... But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see stars." The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. April 3, 1968, Memphis Tennessee
In the last year of his life, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. recognized growing walls of public indifference and the multiple impacts of the Vietnam War as new, major barriers to the continued advancement of the civil rights movement. In response, Dr. King began a nationwide organizing campaign for jobs, peace and economic justice. He called on poor people and front-line service, faith, political and labor organizations to support caravans and mule trains to Washington to demand government action to end poverty, joblessness, and employment discrimination. He called on everyday people and local leaders to organize themselves and bring themselves to the seat of American power.
Dr. King was killed before he could see his march happen. Nonetheless, thousands of Americans from all over the country did organize, and two months after his death over 8,000 people, traveling for weeks in 9 large caravans from around the country, came to Washington and camped out in a tent village called Resurrection City for a month of action. Despite massive disorganization, (the organizers had planned for only about a thousand to make it) the crowds spent the whole month demonstrating, lobbying, praying and learning from one another - those who were there say it changed their lives and made them activists for life.
The proposed March to End AIDS is intended to replicate that campaign in spirit. Starting in mid-April, caravans will travel from around the country, holding events along the way, arriving in Washington by the end of the month, for four days of prayer, demonstrations, lobbying visits and learning from each other, building a base to mobilize to end this pandemic
The March to End AIDS can achieve important goals for the AIDS movement.
We all know that the AIDS movement in the United States needs new energy, new participation, and new connections among people living with AIDS and HIV and those who care about fighting this global pandemic. We all know that the ability to end the epidemic is close to us, but that we cannot win it without a strong and mobilized base of hundreds of thousands of people and unified action on national, regional, local and global issues. We need more solidarity between our diverse communities. We need to help the media understand what's really going on with AIDS in towns and cities all over the country. We need the support of people of faith and their institutions. We need to connect global and domestic activism and organizing, and we need to save lives from South Africa to South Carolina to the South Side of Chicago. We need to utilize modern methods like shared databases and free or cheap internet tools to keep ourselves informed and ready to act. We need to build a political force that can defeat those who oppose us and elect our own leaders to replace them. Our work to organize a march and maintain the network of those we reach can achieve these goals - we'll put as much effort on the 'before' and 'after' as the 'during.'
The March to End AIDS comes at the right time.
In Washington this year, our elected officials will determine the future of the Ryan White CARE Act, Medicaid and Medicare, Social Security, the Global Fund, and immigration, HIV prevention, sex education and LGBT civil rights policies - they're going to make decisions that will determine the future of America's response to the AIDS pandemic. Not next year - this year. Our elected officials need to hear directly from us - the experts - as they determine the fate of millions. Next year will be too late.
The March to End AIDS can only work with your support - come to Washington to plan it.
In two days of discussion and work this January, we will certify the goals and purposes of the march, build demands around the AIDSVote platform, build a national and regional organizing structure and an action plan for implementation, and establish founding list of endorsers. Then we'll announce to our communities, to the nation and to the world that the AIDS movement is alive, vibrant, strong, organized, motivated and ready to come to Washington to share our expertise, demand action to save lives, support each other in this lifesaving work, and pray that our elected officials develop the wisdom to end the AIDS pandemic now.
Download a PDF version of this announcement