|  The Freedom Bus left the office of ARISE for Social Justice in Springfield, MA at 6:30 in the morning. !
Arriving in Albany, NY the freedom riders dramatically marched into the "Does Work End Poverty?" conference just as Cheri Honkala (Executive Director of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union) began her address to the conference. Hosted at SUNY Albany, the conference was a gathering of service providers, social welfare advocates, academics, and representatives from a variety of other agencies and organizations.
Cheri's message was direct: The only way that we're going to change things in this country is by building organization, by building a massive movement capable of reaching the majority of people in this country. And like any struggle in history, it mus!
t be led by those most affected. However, people from all walks of life have an essential role to play. Before leaving the conference, the Freedom Bus' human rights choir performed on stage, receiving a standing ovation. Many at the conference showed their support of the bus riders. From Albany, the bus traveled to Rochester, where we were hosted by a number of social work students, recent social work grads, and community members from various organizations. Like everywhere we have been, people in Rochester were hurting - and dying - from the economic changes taking place in this country. Massive downsizing by Kodak and Xerox have rocked Rochester. Welfare recipients, of many differ!
ent races, told of their struggles to survive and meet  the confusing, often contradictory new welfare rules. The freedom bus brought inspiration to the local organizers, who resolved to try to come to New York City for the July 1st tribunal. "It's not enough to beg for our freedom, it's not enough to try and lobby for our freedom, but we need to build organization to take back this country to everyone is guaranteed, as human beings, the right to the basic necessities of life," was the message at the rally. One pastor told us how his church, with its poor congregation, was struggling for its survival. Wi!
th new workfare requirements, much of his congregation can no longer attend church - they have to work all Sunday (even though workfare jobs provide nowhere near living wages.) Other churches in the area have closed. Churches, which are often one of the few positive and stable institutions in otherwise devastated communities, are under economic assault in Rochester. Leaving Rochester, we arrived in Lorain, Ohio at 2 AM. We were greeted by a welcoming crew who had stayed up through the night with a banner "Bienvenidos: Lorain Welcomes the Freedom Bus." [Next] [Previous] |
