As noted in Melissa Harris-Perry‘s extensive coverage on Saturday, the “Moral Monday” protests directed at North Carolina’s Republican general assembly and governor continued Monday. In a new column published Monday in The Guardian, Rev. William Barber—perhaps the most visible leader of the burgeoning movement—wrote:
The appeal for each Moral Monday has been the same: urging legislators to govern for the good of the whole, rather than for the wealthy. We didn’t come to this decision lightly. In fact, we made several attempts to meet with the far-right legislative leadership. Governor Pat McCrory invited us to his house for a 20-minute chat. We said we wanted to work with him to be sure he governed for the good of the whole, as the US constitution requires him to do. But it was clear he was marching to the beat of a different drummer.
Rev. Barber said much the same about Governor Pat McCrory in an extensive interview with host Melissa Harris-Perry last Monday. See that interview in full above to hear him explain why these protests are happening.
For video of the “MHP” Saturday coverage of the protests, start here.
Update: At least 89 protesters, including many clergy, were arrested at the June 10 “Moral Monday” protests at the North Carolina General Assembly. All were released by morning, per a Tuesday report from the New York Times.
Jamil Smith