I keep my “March on Washington” Protest participation ever before me in relativity to the aliveness of the spirit of the original March in 1963 whose ‘Civil Rights’ motivation gave purpose as “Jobs and Freedom”.  I am a founding member of the ‘Southern Christian Leadership Conference/Women’s Organizational Movement for Equality Now’ from my Seminary days at I.T.C. Atlanta in student ministry at Central Church.  In 1983 while serving my first appointment as Pastor to the Gordon Road, Atlanta Church, the Annual Meeting of SCLC was held as the “20th Anniversary of the March on Washington”.  My presence that year was not only in assistance to Dr. Lowery in his agenda for SCLC but also in assistance to Evelyn Gibson Lowery in her work as Vision Founder of SCLC/W.O.M.E.N.  Then in 2013 I participated in the “50th Anniversary of The March on Washington”.

In 2019 the “March on Washington” took on a life all it’s own.  This review of THAT year’s protests barely scratches the surface of the unrest in the national life of the times.

The January 18th annual “March for Life 2019” brought the protest to D.C. for their 47th time; in dissent of the decision made in the 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade.  Also on January 18th, the “Indigenous Peoples March” gathered first at the Department of the Interior to personify the national and global injustices against the native and indigenous peoples. When these two groups met at the Lincoln Monument Mall, it became one of the most incident filled Marches of the year.

The following day, on January 19th the “Women’s March on Washington” —for the 2nd time.  What began in 2017 as resistence to the Trump Administration’s misogyny, turned into a political electoral sweep by women across the land.  This 2nd March became, as they said, ‘Agenda’ driven.

On February 16th the “Take Back the Vote March on Washington” was a protest prelude to the Congressional introduction of the new ‘Voting Rights Act’.

On March 14th the Kids at Washington Liberty, Yorktown, and other schools near D.C, marched in protest of “Gun Violence”.  The photos of the children in their orange garments documents their place in this history.

Significant in October was the “Fire Drill Fridays” movement begun by America’s celebrity protest child, Jane Fonda.  She moved to DC and staged weekly protests, being arrested week after week giving purpose to the demand for action from Congress on the “Green New Deal”.  She brought various celebrities with her each week adding credence to this stand.

Also in October “Targeted Justice” Marched on Washington as a civil rights movement.  While I have followed the “Occupy Wall Street” protests since day conception, this movement right here has taken the most serious levels of protests from the street of New York City to the Streets of Washington DC.  Disclaimer: not for the faint of heart!

And then there is the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II who began a movement at the North Carolina State House as “Moral Mondays”.  Now compounded with a revival of MLK,jr’s vision of a “Poor Peoples Campaign”; Moral Mondays grew into “A National Call for Moral Revival”. Barber’s Vision took what is now a very well organized at State levels, oiled, tested and, tried and found true movement to Washington DC to FORUM the 2020 Presidential Candidates on their ‘Poor People AND Moral’ agendas.   What I saw and said from it’s origins in 2019 is that this is the Movement to watch and… follow.

But, I am for the very first time this week, in reviewing this “2019 Year of Protest” as the greatest year (apart from 1963) of protest in the life of national unrest… seeing the fact of 2019 ALSO becoming “That Year” of never seen or heard of devastation of the “Covid-19 Pandemic”.  While I was listening to the folk of New York City talk about their survival of what many would call ‘conspiracy theories’ concerning the root and causation of this, now recorded historically as “Number One on the List of Disasters in the United States by Death Toll” —the results is an entire nation on ‘Lock-Down’… including The Church, by the end 0f 2019!  So, let me see; The Greatest Year of Protest became The Highest Disaster Death Toll in the national life…  Hummmmmmm!

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