The following is a report from the One Nation Rally earlier this month, written by KFTC leader and former statewide Chairperson Janet Tucker.  Pictures taken by KFTC member Denise Groves.

A large and diverse crowd rallied on the National Mall at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC on the beautiful and sunny Saturday afternoon of Oct. 2, 2010.  This was  the One Nation Working Together Rally. 

Denise Groves, a KFTC member from Louisville who attended the rally stated, “The rally represented America, white, black, brown, old, young, able, disabled, gay, straight, citizen, non-citizen, employed, unemployed, christian, non-christian. all together, unified, and working to restore America to her glory days.”

It was a sight to behold!  The rally for Jobs, Justice, and Education for All was sponsored by more than 400 organizations including trade unions, civil rights women's rights and community organizations, peace and justice groups, and many more.  The estimated crowd of 175,000 people came from all over the country, including 2 buses from Kentucky. 

“I hope they look at the mall today,” stated the Rev. Al Sharpton from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, referring to the political opposition to the values of the event, “because this is what America looks like, not just one color or one gender.”

The large outdoor TV screens along the mall helped a lot for those listening to the speeches. There were two overlapping but distinct messages coming from the platform. One was that everyone needed to get out the vote in November. In that sense, this was a rally to expand and fire up the voters in the progressive base. The other was to push Congress and the White House on jobs, education, immigrant rights, the environment and peace.

Harry Belafonte recalled the 1963 march. "In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of this memorial and declared that this nation should come together and  embrace its greater ideals, that we should rally together to overcome injustice and racism and that all citizens should not only have the right to vote but exercise that right and make America whole.  That is part of why we are here today.”

The participants were enthusiastic and determined to make there voices heard.  I found exciting to approach groups and ask where they were from and why there were there.  I spoke to people from New York, St. Lewis, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, just to name a few.  They were teachers, trade unionists, environmentalists, community activists of many stripes.  And we all had so much in common!

After harshly denouncing the ‘monied powers’ on the right, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka appealed to both union workers and progressive groups for broad unity: “Promise you won’t let anyone quiet us or turn us against each other. Promise to make your voices heard for jobs, justice, and education today — and on Election Day,” he declared. “Our best days are ahead, not behind us, and we will fight for them, and we won’t let anyone stand in our way.”

In closing just let me repeat: “Our best days are ahead, not behind us, and we will fight for them, and we won’t let anyone stand in our way.”  All out to vote on November 2nd!

                                                                       — Janet Tucker