The Poor People’s Campaign kicked off its west Kentucky tour with a press conference in front of the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville on April 29. The tour of three stops in Kentucky was led by Poor People's Campaign co-chairs Rev. William Barber and Rev. Liz Theoharis.
Criminal justice reform was the main topic in Eddyville, where some inmates could be seen watching from the prison yard.
Tanya Fogle, tri-chair of the Poor People's Campaign of Kentucky, advocated for restoring voting rights to people once they've served their prison sentence.
"We had a dream before we committed a crime and all we're trying to do is get back to that dream," said Fogle. "To be stagnated by the vote, that's just unheard of."
Rev. Megan Houston, pastor of First Christian Church in Bowling Green and one of the tri-chairs of the Poor People's Campaign of Kentucky, said the group chose the state's only maximum security prison as a site for the press conference because it is a symbol of the broader criminal justice system.
Houston said the criminal justice system "targets the poor and communities of color through mass incarceration."
“Persons directly affected by this system and advocates will bear witness to the human costs of over-policing, cash bail, extreme and excessive sentencing, race-based excessive sentencing, and appalling conditions endured by inmates in overcrowded jails and prisons,” Houston said.
The campaign also made a stop in Hopkinsville, where speakers focused on the need for affordable housing.
The April 29 tour wrapped up with a community supper and speakers, including Rev. Barber, at Mount Zion Church in Bowling Green.
The Kentucky stops are part of a nationwide tour that began after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. Organizers said the tour by the Poor People's Campagin highlights "true emergencies," such as systemic racism, housing inequality and the many other issues related to poverty.
The tour through several states will culminate in 'The Poor People's Moral Action Congress' in Washington, D.C. in June.
The Poor People’s Campaignwas organized by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 to push for economic justice for those in poverty in the United States.
North Carolina pastor Rev. William Barber revived the grassroots movement with rallies at state capitol buildings and other public locations across the country, including Kentucky, to lead what’s called “A National Call for Moral Revival.”
