Inspiring music, fiery speeches at MLK “Gonna Take Us All” Ball
“If you can't fly, run. If you can't run, walk. If you can't walk, crawl. But by all means, keep moving.” Rev. Martin Luther King Jr’s revolutionary words infused last night’s MLK “Gonna Take Us All” Ball, as a near-capacity crowd jammed the upstairs bar at McGinty’s Public House in Silver Spring. Snowed out on January 19, the celebration of civil rights and solidarity was clearly overdue as activists gathered for inspirational music – by the DC Labor Chorus and Emma’s Revolution -- and fiery speeches – by Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin and AFA president Sara Nelson -- that pushed back strongly against the last month of attacks on workers by the Trump administration. Fired NIH worker Katie Sandlin choked up when recounting the devastating effects of Elon Musk’s indiscriminate firings on her fellow workers, “ I think it's so important for people like me that have lost our jobs to use our voices to speak up,” she told the supportive crowd. “ We the people created the (U.S.) constitution, and we have all of the tactics that popular movements all over the world have used to try to rein in an out-of-control, reckless, incorrigible, ungovernable monarch,” said Raskin. “ It's going to change when we build our unions,” said Nelson. “And we do not have to wait for the next election day to do that. And we do not need to have a functioning NLRB to do that. Because there are no illegal strikes, there are only unsuccessful ones!”
Thanks to event sponsors Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 1 of Maryland, Virginia and DC, the Insulators,LHF members, and the hard-working McGinty’s staff. Free pens provided by Tiger Eye Design; raffle prizes donated by Kurt and Lisa Stand. Opening remarks – which included the MLK quote above – by LHF board chair Saul Schniderman. Dancing facilitated by DJ Wah-Heed.
CLICK HERE for an edited version of the livestream and here for the complete Facebook stream.