In West Virginia, we were hosted by the Direct Action Welfare Group, or DAWG for short, as well as the Community Development Outreach Ministries located in the St Mark's United Methodist Church. Asbury United Methodist Church hosted a community forum, where many different organizations joined and shared their struggles.

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Rick Wilson, from the American Friends Service Committee, emceed the event: “Why are we here? I think one thing that many people in this room share is a real concern about the lives of working people: of low-income people. Some key beliefs are that the basic economic rights- the basic things people need to survive and thrive are and should be human rights for all people. That’s what we have in common that we share here today.”

 

 

Evelyn Dortch. founder of DAWG, addressed the forum: “There is no shame in admitting that the only way I could leave a very abusive husband and to care for my children was to get on welfare. I went to college and supported my children with welfare. Then welfare reform went into effect. The welfare office told me that if I wanted to continue to receive any type of assistance I would have to quit school and go to work. My caseworker actually told me to quit school and go to work at McDonalds if I wanted any help. I refused to, so I lost my assistance… That is why I formed the Direct Action Welfare Group, and that is why I fight for the voice of the poor to be heard.”

 

Cheri Honkala, KWRU director, said "We get told over and over again that we have to adjust to a lower standard to living. That somehow there is something wrong with us because we are poor. That somehow we don’t love our children enough. That we don’t have work ethics. That we are innately lazy. Well we know the truth. We know that we work our behinds off each and every day, and that the standard of living that we are being told to adjust to is absolutely criminal. That jobs are leaving our country and are never coming back. But you know what? One of the things I’ve seen as we’ve been going around the country, is that all of us love our children. And its because of the fact that we love our children, they are not going to be able to hide us anymore."

 

At the capitol building, we held a candlelight vigil, and remembered those affected by economic human rights violations in the US.

Freedom Rider Anna Sussman collects documentation of economic human rights violations.