Poor people's congress - Christmas Day 1994 Washington, DC protest

At least 1,000 people attended a rally on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Christmas Day, to protest the danger to poor people posed by the Congressional Republicans' Contract with America.

The action kicked off a 100-day campaign sponsored by Research, Education, and Action on Poverty (REAP), a young non-profit group that aims to refocus the current policy debate on welfare, crime, and other social issues. "Say no to the war on the poor, and say yes to opportunity," is REAP's slogan.

Each week during the first 100 days of the new Congress, REAP is holding "People's Hearings" on the Capitol steps, covering such topics as economic inequality, how much tax money is spent on programs that aid the poor, and how best to address human needs and create opportunity. "Our goal is to break down stereotypes of poor people, to educate people with facts, and to put a face on the issues," says Leonard Adler, REAP's founder. "What we're trying to do is force a debate. Clinton and the Republicans are all talking about middle-class rights and how to cut middle-class taxes and are not addressing the problems of poor Americans. In the Poor People's Congress, we are also going to do something that neither party seems interested in - listen to the ideas of poor people themselves."

Many poor people attended the Christmas rally at the Capitol, collecting free blankets and food, and speaking out. Cassandra Floyd, who attends an education program for teenaged mothers, took the microphone to tell other young women, "You are somebody. Don't let them tell you you're not." Donald Ford, who lives in a shelter while attending a culinary school, told a reporter from The Washington Post at the rally that he fears the Republican legislation will shut down educational assistance programs like his, which "help poor people get back on their feet."

"One of the first things we said at the rally is that we're here to talk about hope. That's a pretty radical message - that you can be hopeful in times like these," says Adler, who founded REAP six months ago, after graduating from the law school at Georgetown University. The group, which has one full-time staff member and about twenty volunteers, has quickly built a network of activists, researchers, and people in poverty. "We're hoping to grow and build as broad a coalition as possible," says Adler.