MLK Day rallies call for a Peoples Recovery for those who need it most

Rallies for a People's Recovery will mark the official Martin Luther King birthday on Monday, January 18 in Fairfield at 11 am and in New Haven at 5:30 pm (register below).

 In Fairfield, at the I-05 Northbound Plaza at 11 am, a socially distanced rally will be held in solidarity with Connecticut service plaza workers. Most earn less than the Connecticut standard wage, often with no benefits or sick days, and many have suffered harassment as they organize for better working conditions and a union. Meanwhile, McDonald's, Subway, Dunkin Donuts and their Connecticut franchise owners pocket millions in profit and government support. 

The workers have been organizing with SEIU 32 BJ to ensure the super-rich pay their fair share, and Black, brown and white working people receive the support they deserve. Along with the Common Good Coalition, they are demanding that the Connecticut legislature support a People's Recovery in it's virtual session that has just begun. 

The Common Good coalition of community organizations held a press conference at the Capitol last week to demand full funding and expansion of essential services, including public education, childcare, mental health services, affordable health care, long-term care, housing, environmental protections and livable wages and benefits for all working people. 

 The coalition includes the SEIU State Council, SEIU 1199, Connecticut State Employees Association (CSEA), the Congress of CT Community Colleges (4Cs), Connecticut Employees Union Independent (CEUI), Connecticut State University American Association of University Professors (CSU-AAUP), UAW Region 9A, SEIU 32BJ, New Britain Racial Justice Coalition, CT Working Families, and other organizations and individuals. 

 In New Haven at 5:30 pm, New Haven Rising and the Unions at Yale are hosting their annual Martin Luther King Day of Solidarity virtually. You can RSVP here.

 “We started 2020 with a call to Change the Maps of segregated development and systemic racism. Against the odds we stood up and took steps towards this goal; in 2021 changing the maps requires a just recovery,” said Rev. Scott Marks in an invitation letter. 

 “We will gather to honor Dr. King's legacy and call on Yale, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and our elected leaders to recognize the urgency of this moment by making commitments that ensure all families in our city can recover from this crisis. But we must also recognize the status quo was already a crisis for many of our communities. In 2021 we must make bold moves toward true equality and freedom. Together we can emerge from this crisis a stronger and more just community,” added Marks. 

 He concluded, “Join us for this year's MLK Day event as we build on the victories of last year. Amidst a pandemic that has ravaged our community, we have seen many rays of light—we won political victories in the Presidential election, delivered amazing work on the ground in Georgia, and the board of alders declared racism a public health crisis. These efforts show us the path forward. 2020 has reaffirmed how much stronger we are when we stand together. Join us in our mission for racial and economic justice and a better city for all.”  

On Friday, January 15, the actual birthday of Martin Luther King, the New Haven Peace Council hosted a zoom event and public reading of King's speech “Beyond Vietnam” delivered at Riverside Church in New York on April 4, 1967, exactly one year before he was assassinated. In the speech he developed his theme of the triple evils of racism, poverty and war.