KWRU LEADS FOURTH ANNUAL PROTEST OF WELFARE REFORM

March 3rd marks the fourth year of welfare reform in Pennsylvania. Next year, tens of thousands of families will reach their 'lifetime limit' and be thrown off of welfare forever. KWRU brought together welfare recipients, homeless workers, labor leaders, social workers, students, and members of the religious community to protest the economic human rights abuses that are now occurring in Philadelphia and across the country as a result of poverty and welfare reform.

KWRU lead a march from North Philadelphia to the State Office Building at Broad and Spring Garden Streets. There was a lot of support for the march in the neighborhoods we walked through, and many ordinary people shouted their support, or honked their horns, or joined us in our march.

We rallied at the State Office Building, and Henry Nicholas, the President of the Hospital and Healthcare Workers Union, 1199c, spoke. "There are two Americas," he said. "The gap between the rich and poor is growing ever wider. What they called 'welfare reform' is really 'welfare repeal'. We must summon the moral courage to say no- to stand up and fight injustice."

Joe Rausher of the AFL-CIO also expressed his support, and re-affirmed the labor movement's dedication to fight this fight.

Eric from ADAPT, a disability liberation group, declared, "We will survive, despite the policies of George W., because of our unity. We will not be thrown away! We will take what is ours." Jen Jones, a social worker spoke of the moral crisis in social work now that welfare reform has been passed. She called on social workers to "make the decision as social workers for or against welfare reform." Jim Moran from PhilaPOSH, Esther Ortiz & Galen Tyler from KWRU, Sister Margaret from New Jerusalem, a recovery community in North Philly also spoke.

Cheri Honkala, Executive Director of KWRU, closed the rally. She announced that, "The snow won't stop us. We're getting on a bus to go to Harrisburg to let the world know that Feather Houston is an economic human rights violator. We're calling on the police to do the right thing and arrest Feather Houston. It is a crime to keep people hungry, to keep people homeless, to keep people from jobs. We're going to Harrisburg to expose the economic human rights abuses that are occurring all over Pennsylvania as a direct result of welfare reform."

At the end of the rally, we boarded a bus and headed out for a brief tour of Pennsylvania, concluding in Harrisburg. Stay tuned for updates.