“THE PEOPLE, UNITED, WILL NEVER BE DIVIDED!”

We are very excited to extend this invitation to join us for a family-friendly celebration of human personhood, community, and interdependence.  

Please take a look at this brief video introduction:

We are People United, an affinity group of local Eugene and Springfield citizens who have gathered to organize a free event called “People United: More Than A March.” This event is scheduled for Saturday, February 25th and will begin with a rally at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza at 8th & Oak Street at 11 am. There will be a rally, live music, and other entertainment before we set out to parade through town in celebration of our community. We have been working for the past several months with different groups in our area, including Occupy Eugene, to organize this event. Our goal is, essentially, twofold.

First, we are gathering to celebrate human personhood. We are gathering in a gesture of solidarity as individuals in our diverse community to make a clear statement that Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling and the legal fiction of corporate personhood are unacceptable. We are gathering to make it very clear to all elected officials that personhood is for people. In order to punctuate this point, we are asking participants to bring a simple sign that reads: “My Name Is (write name) And I Am A Person.” Several sign making stations will also be set up during the rally.

Second, we are rallying together to establish a moment in time and space where we are able to set aside our different political leanings, worldviews, or ideas about effective tactics or strategies for change, in order to focus upon our nearly universal agreement that our democracy has been watered down by corrupt relationships between corporations and our government and that we all desire a more level playing field for everyone. We are gathering because this is what democracy looks like in this day and age where most feel dis-empowered and we are only able to make a statement through our relationships with each other. In this light, we are gathering to celebrate the incredible community that we share and the power that we have when we are able to act interdependently.

We at People United are working in collaboration with Occupy Eugene, Empowering the 99%, the Oregon Country Fair, and other local businesses and organizations, and we would like to invite you to join us in this effort. This event was originally constructed as a march, but has grown into much more. Several local groups will be participating by carrying banners of their own while marching with the rest of the community. We invite you to join us – either as an individual or as part of a group – as we celebrate together! If you are a part of a group and someone from your group would like to speak during the rally, please contact Marcus Farley at farleymft [at] gmail [dot] com

Also: Please join us after the event for the Occupy Oregon Statewide Assembly at 3pm at Occupy V (1274 W. 7th Avenue in Eugene). Food and music will follow the assembly.

Thank you and hope to see you there!