Freedom Church of the Poor: Martin Luther King Jr's Poor People's Campaign

King called the poor to lead the way in the Poor Peoples Campaign, part of a political strategy to tackle racism, poverty, and war. Colleen Wessel-McCoy's book explores King's theological ethics and the spirit of the campaign in responding to inequality today.

Format: Hardback
Length: 222 pages
Publication date: 19 August 2021
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

When King gazed upon the Promised Land and sought to discern the path to its arrival, he summoned the impoverished to guide the way. The Poor Peoples Campaign was a vital component of a political strategy aimed at creating a movement robust enough to confront the intricate web of racism, poverty, and war. In Freedom Church of the Poor: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Poor Peoples Campaign, Colleen Wessel-McCoy establishes King's political vision firmly in his theological ethics and explores the campaign's spirit among the community and religious leaders who are addressing the devastating crises of inequality in our present day.

The Poor Peoples Campaign was a political movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States in the mid-1960s. The campaign aimed to address the systemic issues of poverty, racism, and war that plagued the country. King believed that the poor had been marginalized and exploited by the dominant society and that they needed to be empowered to take control of their lives and fight for their rights.

The campaign was characterized by a series of nonviolent protests and demonstrations, including marches, sit-ins, and boycotts. King and his followers marched on Washington, D.C., in 1963, where they delivered a famous speech called "I Have a Dream" in which he envisioned a nation where people were judged by their character rather than their race.

The Poor Peoples Campaign also involved a number of community organizing efforts, where King and his followers worked to build grassroots organizations in poor communities across the country. These organizations aimed to provide services such as food, housing, and healthcare to those in need and to advocate for social and economic justice.

Despite the campaign's significant achievements, it was also met with opposition and violence from some members of the dominant society. King was assassinated in 1968, just months before the campaign's final rally in Washington, D.C.

The Poor Peoples Campaign remains a powerful symbol of the struggle for social and economic justice in the United States. It reminds us of the importance of empowering the marginalized and working towards a more equitable and just society.

Weight: 513g
Dimension: 228 x 160 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978710238