Reflections on HKonJ

AFSC joins 5th Annual “HK on J” March on NC State Capitol

“Forward Together! Not one step back!” The words of the Reverend Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the NAACP NC State Conference, echoed through the crowd of anywhere from 2,500 to 3,000 attending the Historic HK on J (Historic Thousands on Jones Street) in downtown Raleigh. Several American Friends Service Committee staff, interns, and supporters attended the 5th annual march on the state capitol.

The protest began with a sea of signs bearing statements such as: “Keep our Schools Diverse”, “Execute Justice not People” and AFSC’s own creed: “No Human Being is Illegal”, in both English and Spanish.

HK on J has included support for immigrant rights as one of the priorities, and this year a large number of immigrants and allies marched together in light blue. “It was a beautiful day to march together for justice,” commented Lori Fernald Khamala, director of AFSC’s NC Immigrant Rights Program. “And hearing Loida (an undocumented immigrant student) speak was so moving; seeing such a diverse crowd support her was very powerful.”

Beginning in 2007, and led by the NC NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), HK on J brings together more than 90 groups, including AFSC, in support of a 14 point agenda which consists of:

1)the need for high quality diverse public schools
2)support for low income people (as well as the importance of livable wages),
3)health care for all,
4)a redressing of ugly chapters in North Carolina’s racial history,
5)public financing for elections,
6)the lifting of every Historically Black College & University,
7)the documenting and redressing 200 years of state discrimination in hiring and contracting,
8)provisions for affordable housing
9)the abolishment of racially-biased death penalties and mandatory sentencing laws
10)prison reform
11)environmental justice
12)the protection of immigrant rights
13)organization of civil rights enforcement agencies
14)the homecoming of war troops

There have already been steps made to put several of these points into action. For example, meaningful progress was made in North Carolina public schools in 2009, including the enactment of programs for at-risk students, reducing the drop out rate, and a Personal Education Plan for at risk children. North Carolina has also implemented groundbreaking laws in the public financing of elections in recent years.

Much work still remains to be done, however. One of the goals of the march was to emphasize this and demonstrate not only the importance of each one of the 14 points but also the fact that there is only one way to reach them - together, as a community dedicated to the core American values of equality and opportunity for all.