The People’s Organization for Progress To Hold March Voting Rights On MLK Birthday In Newark

A Newark group is planning to hold a march on Saturday, the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., in support of voting rights and several social justice issues.

The People’s Organization for Progress (POP) is spearheading a rally at noon. It will begin at the Lincoln Statue, 12 Springfield Avenue in Newark. Those who plan to attend the march are asked to wear masks and practice social distancing.

“The right to vote in the United States is under attack,” POP Chair Lawrence Hamm said. “We are calling this march to demand passage of legislation that will protect and strengthen voting rights.”

“Since the November 2020 presidential election nearly 400 bills have been introduced in 48 states to restrict voting rights, and 34 of these have become law in 19 states,” Hamm continued. “The POP is calling for passage of the Freedom To Vote Act (S 2747), For The People Act (H.R. 1), and The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4). These bills will protect and strengthen voting rights.”

Bernice King to Steve Bannon: My dad would not be proud of Trump

In an interview with BBC’s “Newsnight,” Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist cited historically low unemployment rates for black and Hispanic workers and credited the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

“If you look at the policies of Donald Trump, OK, anybody — Martin Luther King — would be proud of him, of what he’s done for the black and Hispanic community for jobs,” Bannon said.

In a series of tweets Bernice King, the Rev. Martin Luther King’s daughter blasted Steve Bannon’s claim that her father would be proud of President Donald Trump.

#SteveBannon has dangerously and erroneously co-opted my father’s name, work and words.

Bannon’s assertion that my father, #MLK, would be proud of Donald Trump wholly ignores Daddy’s commitment to people of all races, nationalities, etc. being treated with dignity and respect.

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 24, 2018

My father’s concerns were not sectional, but global. He was an activist for the civil rights of Black people in America, but he was also an activist for human rights. #MLK

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 24, 2018

In addition, he would never pit one group against another in the struggle for justice, as Bannon attempts to use him to do in discussing those he termed as “illegal aliens” and Black people. #MLK

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 24, 2018

Bannon’s comments are like feeding someone empty calories, in that they don’t convey a comprehensive view of #MLK as a global humanitarian who cared about the well-being of all people.

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 24, 2018

My father would be extremely disturbed by the climate created by leaders, who have emboldened people to easily express and demonstrate cruelty, predominantly toward people of color and immigrants. #MLK

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 24, 2018

Finally, #MLK would be proud of a livable wage for all and not merely a low unemployment rate. #PoorPeoplesCampaign

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 24, 2018

Arkansas lawmakers advance plan to seperate Robert E. Lee day from MLK day

A proposal to end Arkansas' dual holiday for Robert E. Lee and slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. easily won Senate approval Tuesday, but faces an uncertain prospect in the House where a competing plan would honor the Confederate general the same day as the nation's first president.

The Senate voted 24-0 in favor of the proposal to remove Lee from the state and federal holiday honoring King on the third Monday in January. Only two other states, Alabama and Mississippi, honor the men on the same day.

"It's a day spent in prayer. It's a day spent in remembrance. It's a day that needs to stand alone," Republican Sen. Dave Wallace told the Senate before the vote. "It's a day that needs to stand for Martin Luther King."

The proposal would designate the second Saturday in October as a state memorial day, not a holiday, to honor Lee. It also requires the state to expand what is taught in schools about civil rights and Civil War history.

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson has urged lawmakers to approve the change, which he says would help unify Arkansas and improve its image.

"While both men have left their mark on history, dually celebrating them, as we have done in Arkansas since 1985, is an obvious incongruence," Hutchinson said in a statement after the vote.

Read more: Arkansas lawmakers advance plan to strip Robert E. Lee from MLK day