Birth pangs of the Third Reconstruction: how change is really created

We have periodically reported on the efforts of Rev. William Barber II, leader of the Moral Monday movement as a rare example of a modern protest effort that is actually making headway. In fact, Public Policy Polling even credits Moral Monday with the surprise victory of a Democrat for governor in its home state of North Carolina:

"Moral Mondays became a very rare thing- a popular protest movement. In August 2013 we found 49% of voters had a favorable opinion of the protesters to only 35% with an unfavorable opinion of them. And their message was resonating- 50% of voters in the state felt state government was causing North Carolina national embarrassment to only 34% who disagreed with that notion."

In this essay, about the best we've seen since the election, Barber gives the historical context and talks about what we can do about it. It's a thesis that may be somewhat familiar to our readers as your editor from time to time has pointed out the lessons we can learn from the first reconstruction. As Barber says:

'While we do, indeed, face a dire situation, this is not new. Trumpism is as American as apple pie. There could be no Donald Trump without America’s first black president. Brother Van Jones got it right on election night: we experienced a “whitelash.” And we must be clear: every stride toward freedom in U.S. history has been met with this same backlash."

We urge you to read this exceptional article