On this day in Labor History the year was 1989.
That was the day thousands of people marched on Washington to protest against homelessness.
They gathered to protest against massive cuts in federal housing funding.
President Reagan had cut the budget of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in half.
The protesters hoped President George H. W. Bush would change this course.
They called their protest, “Housing Now!".
Estimates of the crowd ranged from 40,000 to more than 200,000.
The New York Times described those who participated writing, “They came from far away as Miami and Beverly Hills, Memphis and Portland, Ore. Some had walked from New York City. They included homeless men and women, families who rent but can’t afford to buy homes, state and local officials and prominent figures…”
A delegation of 500 homeless people and allies came on buses from Chicago.
They were joined by famous participants that included Coretta Scott King, Susan Sarandon and a performance by Stevie Wonder.
Union members joined the protest.
One of the participants interviewed by the New York Times was a 24-year old apprentice with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Cassandra Benton told the paper, “Hopefully, now they will see everyone is unified. They’ll stop spending so much on weapons and other countries.”
During the protest musician Tracy Chapman played her “Revolution,” a fitting song for the event.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in January 2015, more than half a million people were homeless in the US.
December 8 - The American Federation of Labor is Founded
December 7 - Strong Arming Goldminers
December 6 - Breaking Through the Racial Divide
December 5 - Striking in Solidarity
December 4 - Organizing to End Slavery
December 3 - Learning & Labor at Oberlin
December 2 - 21st Century Corporate Greed
December 1 - Standing Up for Themselves and Their Patients
November 30 - Angel of the Stockyards is Born
November 29 - The Fight for $15 & A Union
November 28 - Disaster in the Mines
November 27 - Death Trap in Newark
November 26 - The Birth of William Sylvis
November 25 - Chicago Printers Walk Off the Job
November 24 - The Hollywood Ten
November 23 - The Thibodaux Massacre
November 22 - Uprising of the 20,000
November 21 - Autoworkers Join the Postwar Strike Wave
November 20 - Birth of the Time Clock
November 19 - Joe Hill’s Final Words
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