The 5th annual HKonJ is happening this Saturday. From looking at the website people are gathering by a stage by Shaw University in downtown Raleigh for speechifying at 9:30ish, then a march to the legislative building after that. A few pics from years past:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=8916370189









I've never been before, but it strikes me a lot like NC Pride in scope (a few thousand people) and style (speechifying at a stage followed by some marching), but minus all the rainbows, music, food, vendor booths, pet adoptions, parade floats, free stuff, and warm weather. Although 55 and sunny isn't so bad for Saturday in February.

It seems like its a coalition of progressive groups. I know some people are are big into environmental stuff who like this event because that is one of their 14 point agenda, there are plenty of anti-social conservative types who support sex ed rather than abstinence only, marriage equality, and all that (who actually have reason to turn out now that they control the legislature). I'm pretty keen on their support for open/fairer elections (with things like supporting voter-owned elections, independent non-partisan redistricting, same day voting registration, and so forth). Some anti-war people get into this, as do supporters for strong public schools, supporting immigrant groups, and of course one of the main ones is civil rights.

I'm thinking of checking it out this year. Has anyone been before and/or is anyone going this year?

2/8/2011 11:29:29 PM

Here's a map showing where they're gathering:

http://carolinajustice.typepad.com/files/feb-12-map-route-1.pdf

2/8/2011 11:37:16 PM

They should probably look into doing something to win back lost seats and retain the governorship before going after impossible dreams like most of that stuff.

I don't see how a sex ed plank is going to do shit to win back suburban/rural voters. I mean, yeah, support reasonable stuff, but don't make it your bread and butter. It's like when I lived in Memphis and would go over to Mississippi and they'd have a Pride group wanting legal marriage for all. It's like...slow down, dudes. You live here, not somewhere else.

2/9/2011 5:56:39 PM

Quote :

"They should probably look into doing something to win back lost seats and retain the governorship before going after impossible dreams like most of that stuff."

That pic was from a previous march. And they won the sex ed thing in recent years. The only thing they have to do now is keep it from being repealed which is a lower bar than creating a new law, so I wouldn't call that an impossible dream. And there isn't really a "they" when its 100 different groups. They do have some overlapping goals and work together sometimes, but they aren't necessarily partisan.

Quote :

"I don't see how a sex ed plank is going to do shit to win back suburban/rural voters."

I don't think sex ed advocates main concern is pushing Democrats to victory in rural districts by promoting abstinence only education. You seem to be confusing this rally as a function of a particular political party.

2/9/2011 8:23:19 PM

Some immigration reform ppl:





The campaign finance reform group with a whole cut the special interest strings theme going on:



A crowd shot:



[Edited on February 13, 2011 at 1:57 AM. Reason : .]

2/13/2011 1:56:50 AM

More pics are coming up on facebook now. I probably should have taken a camera myself. But it was fun to watch. And I signed a few random petitions like the Greens ballot access petition, and one for Equality NC.







[Edited on February 14, 2011 at 3:40 PM. Reason : .]

2/14/2011 3:29:46 PM

I'm against anti-immigration laws, and I think anyone that wants to live here should be able to. The idea that illegal immigrants should be able to get in-state tuition is silly, though. DREAM act would not solve any problems, it'd just create new ones.

2/14/2011 3:41:00 PM

^

Everything he said. The part that is particularly maddening is that the same people who always complain about things not being "fair" are the same ones saying that we should give in state tuition to people who don't even file taxes.

2/14/2011 9:12:45 PM