It was a special moment. The moment of which I speak was the “Save Ourselves Leadership Summit” on Saturday, Nov. 19 in Montgomery at Alabama State University.

Special challenges brought these special people together:  diminished voting rights through photo voter identification and reduced Black voter registrars; attacks on Hispanics and others through harsh immigration laws; attacks on workers and worker organizations such as the Alabama Education Association, the Alabama State Employees Association, AFL-CIO and more; increased joblessness; attacks on the poor; low taxes on the rich and high taxes on the working poor; attacks on African Americans and others; loss of political power, so that some legislators cannot even debate laws in the making; reduced right to trial by jury; use of criminal persecutions for political purposes;  etc.  The challenges are so great that the differences between those that came together paled in comparison.  Reactions to these special challenges led to this special moment.

Several decisions were made without a single dissent:  (1) there will be a follow up Save Ourselves Leadership Summit on April 28, 2012; (2) the Campaign for Truth and Justice will be waged across Alabama; (3) sponsoring organizations will construct an internet center where we can communicate and support each other in struggle; (4) some decided that they will have their own mini summits in their particular counties; (5) the reports were collected and will be crafted into a summit plan; (6) the summit plan will be distributed to all who gathered as well as others who seek to connect with this special summit; and (7) a major march from Selma to Montgomery will be held in conjunction with the Bridge Crossing Jubilee to focus on voting rights and other issues.

It was a special moment, but the moment has not ended.  The moment will birth other special moments that will become a special movement. Alabama will be the better because of this special moment on Saturday, November 19, 2011, in Montgomery at Alabama.