PENSACOLA, FL – “This is a MARCH FOR EQUALITY FOR ALL”- states Art Rocker, who is an advocate for Human and Civil Rights. Rocker is the Chairman of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) State of Florida and Chairman of Operation People for Peace, Inc., an SCLC affiliate. Rocker continues, “We are not in Selma, Alabama to neither mourn nor grieve, we are here to wake up America and the World to begin a movement of equality all over the world.”
Dr. King and the SCLC Movement in the 1960’s affected the entire globe for a shift towards Equality for All. The march on Sunday, March 3, 2013 is not only to commemorate Bloody Sunday but it is a prelude to the 50th Anniversary of the “I Have a Dream Speech” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., where 1000’s are emerging at the Lincoln Monument on August 24, 2013.
Rocker continues, “We have been awakened to the type of disasters that can occur in underserved and underrepresented communities by the damage that British Petroleum (BP) has done in the Gulf Coast Region. They have left the afflicted people and churches in the dark for years since the spill by refusing to assist the churches and the poor people all across the Gulf. BP has paid the wealthy and the well connected but left the poor and disenfranchised in a toxic environment, jobless, medically neglected and starving. We will continue to march and advocate for this group until BP decides to meet with our organization to resolves these issues.
Due to BP’s greed and gross negligence on the Deepwater Horizon, BP choose to put greed before safety and now has caused a ripple effect in the economy starting with the Gulf Coast, permeating throughout America. It took 100’s of years of work, on the backs of poor families in the Gulf Coast to build the foundation of the seafood industry.
Now, the entire economy surrounding that business is dying due to BP’s greed. It is fights like these that we cannot ignore, for they set the standard of how such hard working families, communities and their environments can be impacted by giant corporations.
We have so many struggles to overcome. We are marching to the drums of Voter’s Rights Suppression, Equality for Farmers, Women’s Rights, Fair Housing, Equality in Education, Jobs and the fight against divisiveness in the US Houses of Representatives because America deserves a functioning government. We are marching for those affected by Gun Violence, Environmental Issues, Veterans and Military Families and for the future of America’s children, etc. We are coming together to march peacefully and nonviolently on these issues.
“The struggle continues, our goals are still the same.” Rev. Rocker continues, “We are not going to be like Jonah and run and hide hoping for the worst. We know that our God is a God of Mercy and we trust our God, but, we are going to fight for our beliefs and continue to ask God for deliverance from this storm and have mercy and forgiveness from the oppressor.”
We will meet for Sunday Church Service and rally at 10:00am at First Baptist Church, 709 Martin Luther King St, Selma, AL 36703 (at the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and J.L. Chestnut), in Downtown Selma, Alabama. We are lining up to march across the Selma Bridge, and to commemorate the footsteps and cries of our ancestors and to wake up America and the World.
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