Occupy Wall Street: Protesters Organize Candlelight Vigil For Martin Luther King Day

Occupy Wall Street is coordinating a global series of candlelight vigils on Sunday, January 15th in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Protesters aim to light candles at 7PM in every time zone from "California to Cairo, New York to New Orleans, Germany to Nova Scotia."

In New York, hundreds of activists are scheduled to assemble on the steps of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine and begin a massive candlelight march to nearby Riverside Church, where MLK delivered his famous, "Beyond Vietnam" speech in 1967.

At Riverside there will be performances by Patti Smith and Steve Earle, among others. Those pledged to participate in the vigil also include Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, the rapper K’Naan, former NYCLU Director Norman Siegel and Councilmen Ydanis Rodriguez and Jumaane Williams.

"Poverty, an issue to which King showed increased focus in the years just before his death, finds its way into the darkest chapters in American History," said protester Abigail Keegan, in a statement. "Dr. King sought to shine a light of justice against those dark chapters of war, repression and racism, our candles symbolize that light."

The vigils will lead into another day of events on Monday the 16th in celebration of Martin Luther King Day (see those events here) and help kick off 3 months of action from OCCUPY THE DREAM, a collection of black community church groups, which will ultimately culminate in a large rally in DC on April 12-15th:

 

 

Comments

[ResearchtheFacts]

02:39 AM on 01/14/2012

Yes, to all the occupiers "we have a dream" and it won't be long before it comes to fruition.

[Katie Colling]

04:22 PM on 01/13/2012

I will be at the Candlelight Vigil in front of my City Hall with all my Occupy Brothers and Sisters. :D

[AFAN]

12:34 PM on 01/12/2012

MLK III supports Occupy Wall Street. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-BCcsBAKz0

[3echo9]

11:22 AM on 01/12/2012

In honor of MLK, the general assembly asks that any planned rapes on the 15th be postponed…

[Snow Time]

05:42 PM on 01/12/2012

Zing! Good one!

[vuduvampirninjawitch]

06:23 AM on 01/12/2012

Their still around? You never hear much about them anymore.

[inGODweTRUSTalways]

09:33 AM on 01/12/2012

I was thinking the same thing.

[sherlockhemlock]

04:09 AM on 01/14/2012

GYHsOOYAes.

It might aid your perception somewhat if you extracted your heads from a well-known dark body cavity and took a look around you.

[phantom power]

11:47 PM on 01/11/2012

Look, I am the 99%. However, I believe that MLK jr would not be happy with these Occupiers. One thing he preached was that when you protested, you wore your Sunday best so your message was louder than your action.
People like me are your hope, beeoches.

[globalcooperativeforum]

11:46 PM on 01/11/2012

Beyond Vietnam

http://www.archive.org/details/MartinLutherKing-BeyondVietnam-1967

[Dylan Chambers]

11:05 PM on 01/11/2012

PLEASE play my song For Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. !!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWMZg1YL4A4

[Richcrafter]

11:01 PM on 01/11/2012

It's so sad Martin's Dream was only that: a dream! The daily reality is poverty, prejudice, racism, and a lack of humanity is our current Nobel Prize. If he were alive today would he ask, "Shoot me! Shoot me now! What a shame we've become." But I'm lighting a candle. Hope must stay alive!

[suenu35]

02:32 PM on 01/12/2012

Love that song - I wish MLK could hear it!

[11 6 2012]

10:11 PM on 01/11/2012

He would not approve.

[OmniDude]

10:14 AM on 01/12/2012

Says who?

[adamben]

12:23 PM on 01/12/2012

most african-americans, who are not members of ows?

[shankapotomus]

09:53 PM on 01/11/2012

Why?

[MikeyJaii]

07:40 PM on 01/11/2012

Stay strong.

[woodshoe]

07:39 PM on 01/11/2012

yes of course he would approve and be relived that he might enjoy just one anniversary of his birthday wherein his legacy was not diluted and whitewashed by mainstream commercial media.

and the interests are exactly relevant;
MLK;
"We must honestly admit that capitalism has often left a gulf between superfluous wealth and abject poverty, has created conditions permitting necessities to be taken from the many to give luxuries to the few, and has encouraged small hearted men to become cold and conscienceless so that, like Dives before Lazarus, they are unmoved by suffering, poverty-stricken humanity. The profit motive, when it is the sole basis of an economic system, encourages a cutthroat competition and selfish ambition that inspire men to be more I-centered than thou-centered."

AND;

"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring."

#ows 2012

[Katie Colling]

04:21 PM on 01/13/2012

Thank you.

[rikster]

06:54 PM on 01/11/2012

he would approve....

[Notmybrotherskeeper]

06:31 PM on 01/11/2012

Co-opt, co-opt, co-opt............