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By Zoë Schlanger
Senior Writer
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Tens of thousands marched on the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh on Saturday, rekindling the "Moral Monday" progressive protest movement with its largest turnout yet.
For much of last year, the broad coalition of civil-rights groups, unions, and fed-up North Carolinians gathered each week to protest policies enacted by Gov. Pat McCrory (R) and North Carolina's GOP legislature.
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Since taking over a majority in the legislature in 2010, and the governor's mansion in 2012, Republicans eliminated Medicaid coverage for 500,000, enacted a voting law that requires voter ID and cuts early voting, repealed an earned-income tax credit for 900,000, shifted $90 million away from public schools to voucher schools, amended the state constitution to ban gay marriage, and passed a measure requiring women to "listen to the heartbeat of the unborn child" before an abortion.
Gov. McCrory has been dismissive of the Moral Mondays protesters, saying that they do not "represent the majority of those who call themselves moral." But by mid-summer of last year, more North Carolina residents approved of the Moral Monday protesters than of the state legislature, according to a PPP poll.
The N.C. NAACP estimated that between 80,000 and 100,00 convened in Raleigh for the rally. That makes it the largest civil rights gathering in the South since 1965, when activists marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in support of the Voting Rights Act, according to the Nation's Ari Berman, who reported from the protest.
A post shared by Justin (@justinkaseibr) on Feb 8, 2014 at 2:22pm PST
#MoralMonday #SocialJustice #HumanRights #Raleigh #NC #naacp
A post shared by Rachel Magruder Lescay (@rachelcmagruder) on Feb 8, 2014 at 10:25am PST
#MoralMarch #HKonJ #MoralMonday #protest #raginggrannies
A post shared by Jeremy (@happicide) on Feb 8, 2014 at 8:51am PST
Wishing I could be there. #moralmonday #weareallequal
A post shared by Kelly St Clair AZ (@clemsonkelly1) on Feb 10, 2014 at 1:28am PST
#moralmarch #moralmonday #raiseup #forwardtogether #fastfoodstrike
A post shared by A R T I S T’S B L O G âï¸ (@kaitlynbarlow) on Feb 8, 2014 at 6:50am PST
#MoralMonday #HKonJ protest march in Raleigh, NC (dance break).
A post shared by casey throneburg (@antipyrine) on Feb 8, 2014 at 10:19am PST
Marched with my Mommy today! How cool was that?! :-) #MoralMonday #HkonJ #NCNAACP #NCPOL
A post shared by Veleria Levy (@veelevy) on Feb 8, 2014 at 3:56pm PST
I have a great mom because she had a choice! #moralmarch #womenmarch #moralmonday
A post shared by PP Votes! South Atlantic (@ppvsat) on Feb 8, 2014 at 7:36am PST
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