The 2010 People’s Summit and March on the Capitol: Keeping MLK Day real
“We need health care, yes we do
We need health care, how about you?”
On Jan. 18, the voices of over 600 people filled the streets of Olympia as part of the 2010 People’s Summit.
That morning, people from across the state gathered at the Capitol Theater to attend workshops about the budget and how to lobby your lawmaker.
Carrying signs and stories, we marched on the capitol to voice our concerns for communities across the state. At the state Capitol, people rallied on the stairs and listened to stories from the people.
Standing behind hundreds of people, The voice Rev. Leslie Braxton rose through the crowd, reminding us that while we might come for different reasons and have different experiences, but we are all here because of economic issues: “King Holiday itself is a reminder that every conversation about racial issues is a conversation about economic issues. There is no conversation about one without the other. There is no conversation about gender discrimination without conversation about racial discrimination. There is no talk about immigration discrimination without a talk of economic discrimination.”
During the afternoon, groups from each county went to their lawmakers and repeated the same main goals. The people asked for: affordable housing and mortgage foreclosure protections; protection of safety net programs, such as basic health and critical services; and progressive revenue options.
In Washington state, proposed taxes must go to a state vote. Lawmakers usually claim that they can’t instate an income tax—that it must come from the people. However, they can instate up to a 1% income tax on the wealthiest of the state (those making over $250,000 per year) and gain more revenue and develop a more progressive tax system for the state. Washington currently has the most regressive tax system in the country.
This is just the start of the process of defending our state budget and working towards a fair budget. This is our fight, but it is also a fight across this country. Let this Washington tell the other Washington not to balance the budget on the backs of the poor.
People are resisting these budget cuts in many ways. Stay tuned and active as people organize to protect our basic rights.
Health care, housing and education are basic human rights that should never be put on the chopping block to balance the budget in favor of the wealthy. Your voice and actions can change the course of these issues.