Meet the pastor who wants the poor to pick a president

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/479602-meet-the-pastor-who-wants-the-poor-to-pick-a-president?amp&__twitter_impression=true

A new campaign to mobilize millions of low-income voters across the country ahead of this year's presidential contest aims to radically reshape the way politicians - and especially Democrats - talk about a booming economy that has left so many Americans behind.

The new effort, led by the Poor People's Campaign, has already drawn the attention of Democratic activists and presidential candidates. Its leader, the Rev. William Barber, has emerged this year as one of the most sought-after voices in the African American community, an especially powerful group of voters who represent major parts of the Democratic coalition in Southern states that will vote early in the presidential nominating process.

In June, four contenders addressed a Poor People's Campaign forum in Washington, where low-income earners asked questions about systemic racism and poverty. In the months since, a parade of Democratic hopefuls have joined Barber at his Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, N.C., and at events around the country. Next week, Barber will announce a voter registration drive aimed at driving Americans in poverty to the polls.

"The goal of this campaign is to shift the narrative, to shock the consciousness, and to strengthen and build power among poor and low-wealth people," Barber told The Hill in an interview. "We're building a massive group of people across this country."

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