Dr. William Barber 'surprised' by Moral Monday fame in Rome

[LongTomH]

Dr. Barber ‘surprised’ by Moral Monday fame in Rome:

Rome, Italy is over 4,600 miles away from Raleigh, N.C., but when it came to “Moral Mondays,” the massive yet peaceful demonstrations held in North Carolina’s capital city, and led by the former president of the N.C. NAACP, no distance was too far as far as admirers attending last week’s international conference on labor at the Vatican were concerned.

“I was … surprised by how many leaders from around the world had been inspired by Moral Monday, the moral revival last year, and the Poor People’s Campaign plans,” Bishop Dr. William Barber II, leader of the social justice group “Repairers of the Breach,” said by text from the Vatican last week.

Dr. Barber was one of 300 participants from around the world attending the conference, which addressed the conditions of working people, and the working poor. Representing the upcoming Poor People’s Campaign in the United States, Dr. Barber’s social justice reputation from the 12 years he led the N.C. NAACP preceded him, with an invitation already given him to attend and preach at another world gathering about labor rights and the poor in Liverpool, England, next June. He has also been invited to Brazil next year.

As a birthday present, Dr. Barber took his mother, who had turned 84 the week before, along with his wife and one of his sons, all part of an eight-person delegation.

In an exclusive telephone interview from Washington, D.C. on Monday, Nov. 27, Dr. Barber recalled two days of “long, intense eight-hour days” of deeply committed religious and labor leaders working together. From countries like France, Sudan, England and others, Dr. Barber said he was greeted warmly by all.

Even the Vatican guards saluted him because of his title of “Bishop.”

[guillaumeb]

1. Recommended.

The Reverend Barber is an example of the way we need to confront the GOP fascists.

Edited to add:

Later in his remarks, Bishop Barber continued, “I believe Pope Francis’ call for a moral vision of the common good connected to a call for solidarity within the labor union economy and ethos is most important. I join you today as president of Repairers of the Breach and Co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival in the United States. We have identified five areas – five moral diseases that must be addressed if we are to be a people able to address the common good, promote the general welfare, and ensure the common defense, with liberty and justice for all.  We must address systemic racism, systemic poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy, and the immoral narrative of extreme religionism.” 

[Lucky Luciano]

3. Mr Barber is the real deal. nt

[democrank]

4. I'd love to see Dr. Barber teach a class in moral leadership to the U.S. Congress and

make it mandatory.