The Story of the New Poor People's Campaign

Fighting for What We Believe In. Together.

Talking to Kids –

In 2018, a 56-year-old Black Disciples minister, Rev. Dr. William Barber II - who founded the community-organizing group called Repairers of the Breach— joined efforts with White Presbyterian minister Rev. Liz Theoharis of the Kairos Center at Union Theological Seminary to launch the New Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival aimed at addressing divisions in the United States, from racism to economic and gender inequality. 

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Although this campaign is using somewhat different tactics than the original 1968 Poor People’s Campaign multi-racial campaign of poor people who advocated for racial and economic justice for all Americans through lobbying and direct action protest, the new campaign's vision remains basically the same as that of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Today’s campaign operates on the principle of what Rev. Dr. Barber calls “moral fusion,” which fosters a holistic view of the relationship among injustices, from ecological devastation to systemic racism and the simple faith-based affirmation that solutions must come from listening to and following the lead the 140 million poor or low-income persons in the United States. “Their stories need to be heard, their faces need to be seen. They have the answers.” (Time, Feb. 20, 2020 article)

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Following a bus tour to listen to the stories and needs of poor people around the United States, Rev. Barber and Rev. Theoharis launched PPC Campaign Committees throughout the United States. To find a PPC Committee near you please go to the map. 

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