One Nation Working Together rally
Encyclopedia
The One Nation Working Together rally was held on October 2, 2010 in Washington, D.C.
by a coalition of liberal
and progressive
organizations operating under the umbrella of "One Nation Working Together". It was held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
to demand better jobs, immigration and education reform and as an "antidote" to the Tea Party movement
.
One of the masters of ceremonies for the event was television personality Ed Schultz
. The coordinator for the event was Leah D. Daughtry
.
The rally attracted criticism from the right because the Communist Party USA
and International Socialist Organization
were among the 400 sponsors who endorsed the rally.
Organizers claimed the rally had more attendees than the Restoring Honor rally, but various media outlets rejected this claim. The Associated Press
said "Saturday‘s crowds were less dense and didn’t reach as far to the edges as they did during Beck’s rally." The New York Times said "significant areas of the National Mall that had been filled during Mr. Beck’s rally were empty." ABC News
, Politico
, and NPR
agreed.
Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin
reported that One Nation was using a photograph of of MLK
's famous I Have a Dream
speech on their website two days after the rally took place. The image included text thanking the participants and asking for them to share their stories. The site has since updated the page with an image from October 2, 2010.
Communist Party USA
sponsored and participated in the rally, and Sam Webb, CPUSA national chair, said, "There's never been anything quite like this march. The great thing is that it happened, who was there, who spoke, the spirit and politics."
Before the event took place, it received derision from right-wing oppositional circles, with Glenn Beck criticizing the participation of Marxist and Communist groups. He also criticized it as "truly, truly Astroturf" and said labor unions
paid travel expenses for many while Restoring Honor attendees paid for themselves.
From the other side, many on the left offered advance criticism for it being organized as a "pep rally" for the Democrats, and limiting criticism of the War in Afghanistan
and the Obama administration.
The United Methodist Church
's General Board on Church and Society withdrew its endorsement the day before the rally, saying what "began with a clean, clear message consistent with the social teachings of The United Methodist Church" devolved into nothing more than a gathering organized in opposition to the Restoring Honor rally. It also denounced the "un-Christ-like tone" of discourse in the country, including within the church itself. It was the only major endorser to withdraw.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
by a coalition of liberal
Liberalism in the United States
Liberalism in the United States is a broad political philosophy centered on the unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion for all belief systems, and the separation of church and state, right to due process...
and progressive
Progressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
organizations operating under the umbrella of "One Nation Working Together". It was held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
to demand better jobs, immigration and education reform and as an "antidote" to the Tea Party movement
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
.
Rally
With crowds assembling as early as 6:00 AM EST, the rally began with an interfaith service at 11:00 AM, followed by the beginning of musical performances by various recording artists and groups at noon. The event progressed with a series of speeches by various figures before concluding at 4:00 PM.One of the masters of ceremonies for the event was television personality Ed Schultz
Ed Schultz
Edward Andrew "Ed" Schultz Is an American television and radio host and a liberal political commentator . He is the host of The Ed Show, a daily news talk program on MSNBC, and The Ed Schultz Show, a talk radio show, nationally syndicated by Dial Global, promising "straight talk."-Early...
. The coordinator for the event was Leah D. Daughtry
Leah D. Daughtry
Leah D. Daughtry is the CEO of the 2008 Democratic National Convention Committee and chief of staff to Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. She was formerly Acting Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management at the United States Department of Labor...
.
The rally attracted criticism from the right because the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
and International Socialist Organization
International Socialist Organization
The International Socialist Organization is a revolutionary socialist organization in the United States that identifies with the politics of International Socialism, a current of Trotskyism, and the Marxist political tradition that American socialist writer and activist Hal Draper called...
were among the 400 sponsors who endorsed the rally.
Speakers
- Harry BelafonteHarry BelafonteHarold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
- Mary Kay HenryMary Kay HenryMary Kay Henry is an American labor union activist who was elected International President of the Service Employees International Union on May 8, 2010. She is the first woman to lead the union...
- Jesse JacksonJesse JacksonJesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
- Benjamin JealousBenjamin JealousBenjamin Todd Jealous is the current president and chief executive officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People . He is the youngest ever national leader of the organization.-Early life and education:...
- Van JonesVan JonesAnthony Kapel "Van" Jones is an American environmental advocate, civil rights activist, and attorney. Jones is a co-founder of three non-profit organizations. In 1996, he founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a California non-governmental organization working for alternatives to violence...
- Bob KingBob King (labor leader)Bob King is an American lawyer and labor union activist and leader. He was elected President of the United Auto Workers on June 15, 2010.-Early life:...
- Joe MadisonJoe MadisonJoe Madison, alternatively known as "The Black Eagle" or "Madison," is an American radio talk show host and activist.-Early years:...
- Marc MorialMarc MorialMarc Haydel Morial is an American political and civic leader and the current president of the National Urban League. Morial served as mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1994 to 2002. He is married to Michelle Miller, who has won awards as a CBS News Correspondent.- Early life and educations...
- Al SharptonAl SharptonAlfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
- Richard TrumkaRichard TrumkaRichard Louis Trumka is an organized labor leader in the United States. He was elected President of the AFL-CIO on September 16, 2009, at the labor federation's convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, from 1995 to 2009, and prior to that was...
Attendance
There is no official police or Parks Department estimate of Washington DC mass events. Most media outlets, including the Washington Post, Huffington Post, and New York Times estimated the crowd was in the tens of thousands. Organizers said the crowd was between 175,000 and 200,000.Organizers claimed the rally had more attendees than the Restoring Honor rally, but various media outlets rejected this claim. The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
said "Saturday‘s crowds were less dense and didn’t reach as far to the edges as they did during Beck’s rally." The New York Times said "significant areas of the National Mall that had been filled during Mr. Beck’s rally were empty." ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, Politico
Politico (newspaper)
The Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
, and NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
agreed.
Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin is an American conservative blogger, political commentator, and author. Her weekly syndicated column appears in a number of newspapers and websites. She is a Fox News Channel contributor and has been a guest on MSNBC, C-SPAN, and national radio programs...
reported that One Nation was using a photograph of of MLK
MLK
MLK may refer to:*Martin Luther King, Jr. , American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement...
's famous I Have a Dream
I Have a Dream
"I Have a Dream" is a 17-minute public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination...
speech on their website two days after the rally took place. The image included text thanking the participants and asking for them to share their stories. The site has since updated the page with an image from October 2, 2010.
Reactions
"This is true democracy and good old-fashioned organizing at work," wrote the official campaign director of One Nation Working Together. She claimed that even more attended than they expected, and it was "an important moment in the progressive movement." Ben Jealous of the NAACP said that "we're not an alternative to the Tea Party. We want to be an antidote... We want to make the mainstream of the country visible to itself."Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
sponsored and participated in the rally, and Sam Webb, CPUSA national chair, said, "There's never been anything quite like this march. The great thing is that it happened, who was there, who spoke, the spirit and politics."
Before the event took place, it received derision from right-wing oppositional circles, with Glenn Beck criticizing the participation of Marxist and Communist groups. He also criticized it as "truly, truly Astroturf" and said labor unions
Labor unions in the United States
Labor unions in the United States are legally recognized as representatives of workers in many industries. The most prominent unions are among public sector employees such as teachers and police...
paid travel expenses for many while Restoring Honor attendees paid for themselves.
From the other side, many on the left offered advance criticism for it being organized as a "pep rally" for the Democrats, and limiting criticism of the War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
and the Obama administration.
The United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
's General Board on Church and Society withdrew its endorsement the day before the rally, saying what "began with a clean, clear message consistent with the social teachings of The United Methodist Church" devolved into nothing more than a gathering organized in opposition to the Restoring Honor rally. It also denounced the "un-Christ-like tone" of discourse in the country, including within the church itself. It was the only major endorser to withdraw.
External links
- March website
- One Nation Working Together official website
- Peace Table section of One Nation Working Together
- CNN video of rally on You Tube
- Voices from the One Nation Working Together Rally for Jobs and Justice - video report by Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...