Movement Envy
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| Protesters rally during "Moral Monday" demonstrations at Halifax Mall near the General Assembly in Raleigh, N.C., in July. More than 1,000 people have been arrested while protesting against policies being enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) |
I admit it. We have a great movement here in Chicago, but still, I'm jealous of Mondays in North Carolina.
Reviving the spirit and moral compass of the Civil Rights Movement of the ‘60s, protest has become the Monday Lifestyle in NC. People put their Monday evening rallies on the calendar. “Mon. 5:30 pm: Sit in, get arrested @ State Capitol.” It’s becoming sort of normal.
For the past 4 months in Raleigh, every Monday is Moral Monday. Late in the day, as people get off work, they surround the Statehouse with rings of protesters. Mass arrests are scheduled, followed on Thursdays by well-organized press conferences by those arrested. Every Monday the protests get larger—now exceeding 15,000 in Raleigh, with big rallies throughout the state. The movement is multiracial and has spread well beyond North
