Poor People’s Campaign Tours Louisiana

The Poor People’s Campaign is touring through Louisiana this week, aiming to mobilize more activists to join their national push for elected leaders to address poverty and adopt their “Moral Agenda.”

Louisiana Tri-Chair Omari Ho-Sang says at least 50% of Louisiana residents are considered poor or low-income, and they’re hoping to mobilize more of them to become politically active.

“If we really want to see some change in our country and in our state, let’s make voter turnout, voter education, voter inspiration, voter mobilization everyone’s number one priority,” says Ho-Sang

The campaign has visited Shreveport, and St. James Parish, and is scheduled to visit Baton Rouge next week.

Ho-Sang says the campaign is working to mobilize Louisianans around what they’ve defined as the four evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, and the war economy.

“No matter which parish you may live in or which city you may be in, we are impacted by one or two, if not all of those evils,” says Ho-Sang.

Campaign speakers have ruffled feathers at the State Capitol by accusing lawmakers of rejecting moral legislation like a minimum wage increase. Ho-Sang says the poor people they’re mobilizing appreciate the candor.

“In order to get anything done, number one, you have to be disruptive,” says Ho-Sang. “You have to push people beyond the bounds of comfort, but number two disruption is not the only strategy, but it is a key strategy that we must use.”