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Our March Campaign Will Not Be Silenced

By Cathy Kristofferson, August 30, 2013

At Wednesday’s 50th anniversary March on Washington celebration Dream Defender’s Philip Agnew and United We Dream’s Sofia Campos were denied their opportunity to speak at the last minute. The excuse given?  Officials said they had “run out of time.”  This follows the reprehensible cutting of Julian Bond’s microphone at Saturday’s festivities. Too many important voices were cut in favor of pasteurized and homogenized party-line speeches. There was a reason Bayard Rustin did not allow politicians to speak at the original March on Washington in 1963. This year’s organizers should have taken note.

Philip Agnew has turned his lemons into amazing lemonade by creating the #OurMarch campaign. His own campaign-launching video is breathtaking:

“BY THE TIME WE FINISH ANOTHER BLACK BOY WILL LAY BLEEDING IN THE STREETS OF CHICAGO AND AS WE REST OUR HEADS TONIGHT 300,000 OF OUR VETERANS LAY HOMELESS, AND I WANT TO EXPLAIN HOW THE HATE WE SPREAD ABROAD IS THE REASON THAT HATRED WASHES ON OUR SHORES….BUT I ONLY HAVE TWO MINUTES.

AND, I COULD TELL YOU THAT PHILADELPHIA JUST CLOSED 23 OF ITS SCHOOLS AT THE SAME TIME IT BUILDS A $400 MILLION STATE OF THE ART PRISON AND THAT NORTH CAROLINA AND FLORIDA CONTINUE TO SILENCE ITS CITIZENS AT THE BALLOT BOX- BUT I ONLY HAVE TWO MINUTES.

I COULD TELL YOU HOW AS WE CELEBRATE DR. KING’S DREAM, OVER 400,000 OF OUR IMMIGRANT BROTHERS AND SISTERS LANGUISH AWAY IN PRIVATELY OWNED DETENTION CAMPS…AND HOW WE STILL FIND OUR QUEER BROTHERS AND SISTERS IMPRISONED IN THE SHADOWS OF CLOSETS—BUT I ONLY HAVE TWO MINUTES.

I’D TELL YOU HOW OUR MOTHERS, SISTERS, WIVES AND DAUGHTERS STILL EARN LESS, HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THEIR BODIES, AND ARE TRADED AND TRAFFICKED LIKE SLAVES….OR THAT IT’S EASIER FOR SOMEONE TO BUY A GUN AND PUT IT TO THEIR HEAD THAN IT IS TO DIAGNOSE THE ILLNESS WITHIN IT. – BUT I ONLY HAVE TWO MINUTES.

IF THERE WAS TIME, I’D TELL YOU THAT MILLIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND QUEER PEOPLE AND POOR PEOPLE AND PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE ASKING WHAT WE DO WITH THIS ANGER, FEAR, DISAPPOINTMENT, AND FRUSTRATION. THIS MAD THAT WE FEEL??? —BUT, ALAS, I ONLY HAVE ONE MORE MINUTE.

AND WITH IT. THIS LAST MINUTE OF OUR CONVERSATION I’D LIKE TO TELL YOU THAT…THOUGH IT MAY SEEM THAT ALL IS LOST…THAT THERE IS A GENERATION OF DREAMERS, FIGHTERS, DEFENDERS, LOVERS BUILDERS BUBBLING, BUBBLING, BUBBLING BENEATH THE RUBBLE.

AND BENEATH YOUR FEET YOU MAY FEEL A COLLECTIVE QUAKING…TREMORS OF A SLEEPING GIANT AWAKENING. EMANATING FROM FAULT LINES AT THE ARIZONA-MEXICO BORDER, AND RALEIGH AND AUSTIN, AND CLEVELAND, AND CHICAGO, AND TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA.

AND WE’VE COME HERE FROM EVERY CRACK, CREASE, AND CREVICE OF OUR COUNTRY TO OUR CAPITOL TO SAY, THAT FOR ALL WHOSE CARES HAVE BEEN OUR CONCERN. WE WILL NOT BE CO-OPTED. WE WILL NOT BE BOUGHT. BUT, WE ARE READY.
AND FOR THOSE THAT DOUBT OUR ENERGY, AND DISCIPLINE. WE ARE READY.

FOR THOSE THAT BELIEVE THAT FUTURE FINGERS MAY FAIL THE TORCH. FEAR NOT. WE ARE READY.

FOR ALL THOSE THAT BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF NONVIOLENCE AND LOVE AS UNCONQUERABLE. WE ARE READY.

FIFTY YEARS AGO A MAN TOLD US OF A PROMISED LAND. AND FOR 50 YEARS WE’VE WANDERED AND WONDERED. WHERE ARE THE YOUTH?…A CONSTANT WHISPER IN OUR EARS.

AND SO WE HAVE COME, ASKING NEITHER PERMISSION NOR QUESTIONS, BUT TO SAY THAT WE ARE HERE. BELIEVING INDEED THAT WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL HISTORY, AND THAT THE ONE WE WILL BUILD IN THE FUTURE WILL ASTONISH THE WORLD.
AND WE ARE READY.

MAY THE OUTCOME ALWAYS PROSPER OVER INCOME. PEACE OVER PROFIT. REVOLUTION OVER REVENUE AND ALL PEACE AND POWER TO THE PEOPLE. DON’T BELIEVE US JUST WATCH.”

Cayden Mak of 18 Million Rising has contributed his own amazing entry:

What would you say with your 2 minutes? Go ahead – record it, post it, and use hashtag #OURMARCH. Let your voice be heard! Let us know of your entry in the Comments.

Go here to see current entries:  http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23ourmarch

Related links:-

• Dream Defenders #OurMarch Campaign
• 18 Million Rising Facebook page
• Taking Over Florida’s State Capitol | Racism in America (oblogdeeoblogda.me)