Bishop Barber, protestors gather on Moral Monday 10th anniversary, hold 'Recommitment Rally' at state capitol

In honor of the Moral Monday movement's 10th anniversary, Bishop William Barber and dozens of advocacy groups gathered at the state capitol Monday for what they call a 'Recommitment Rally' to mark the occasion.

The goal of the Moral Monday movement is to "reclaim democracy in the face of extremist attacks."

The event, which began at 5:30 p.m. at the North Carolina State Capitol on 1 E. Morgan Street in Raleigh. started with a fiery speech from Barber, which listed off legislation that he says is hurting the poor.

"We can't, we won't, be silent anymore," said Barber. "As long as justice is held back, we can't, we won't, be silent."

Ten years ago, 17 North Carolinians walked into the General Assembly to bear witness to the "immoral attacks on the most vulnerable residents of the state."

Before long, thousands joined in to help forge a new moral vision for North Carolina. As the weeks passed and the crowds grew, dozens were arrested on charges that included trespassing, when they refused to leave the state capitol building.

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The Moral Monday movement went on to be one of the largest direct action campaigns at a state legislature in U.S. history. More than 1,000 people were arrested while demanding that N.C. leaders stop committing "murder by public policy."

Protestors marched to the front of the General Assembly again Monday, but a steel gates blocked the entrance with two officers behind it. Protestors then placed their requests for state legislatures on the ground by the gate.

Those who spoke at the rally railed against laws that they say are hurting them.

"I worked at McDonalds, I make $16 an hour," said one speaker. "That is not enough, I'm on 14 different kinds of medication [and] I don't have insurance.

"I suffer from back pains going down to my arms," said another speaker. "I'm not sure why but I don't have any health insurance to do anything about it."

The group claims to have paved the way for Medicaid expansion, driven down Gov. Pat McCrory’s poll numbers and prevented attacks on voting rights – including preserving early voting and same-day registration and blocking voter ID requirements.

The group believes that "extremist leaders in the state capitol are hard at work scapegoating poor people, LGBTQ people, immigrants, women and people of color in order to concentrate wealth and power in fewer and fewer hands."

"We have fought and we have won because we came together in a fusion movement across lines of difference," said Barber. "Monday is the 10-year anniversary of our moral movement, but we won’t just commemorate. Instead, we will rededicate ourselves to the fight for a Third Reconstruction to make America the democracy it has never truly been."

Monday’s rally comes one week after a massive Moral Monday march into the Tennessee State Capitol to demand "lifesaving gun safety legislation and an end to extremists in state legislatures trampling over democracy."

The group said this rally forced extremists in the House to abandon a planned vote on a bill to arm teachers.

"Whether in Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia or Mississippi, Moral Mondays continue to build power and shift the moral narrative of this country."

Bishop Barber said the protesting is not over, as he and others plan to visit another time when the legeislature is in session.

No date was given for the next protest.