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.
April 29 - Allis-Chalmers and the Road to Taft-Hartley
April 28 - OSHA Goes Into Effect
April 27 - Disaster in West Virginia
April 26 - National Guard Ousts Montgomery Ward CEO
April 25 - UAW Mobilizes Against Taft-Hartley
April 24 - The California Spinach Riot
April 23 - Sitting Down for Dignity at Ford
April 22 - The Red Jacket Mine Explosion
April 21 - The Hated Taylor Law Takes Effect
April 20 - Deepwater Horizon Explosion Kills 11
April 19 -The Daughters of Mother Jones
April 18 - We Have Fed You All A thousand Years
April 17 - Fatal Explosion in West, Texas
April 16 - Jacob Coxey is Born
April 15 - Telephone Girls Cripple New England Bell
April 14 - A Job or Be Sterilized
April 13 - The Colfax Massacre
April 12 - The Wagner Act Stands
April 11 - Fed Up Transit Workers Walk Out
April 10 - Explosion at Eddystone
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