On Saturday, July 18, I went to the second annual Justice Jam at the Oakhurst Homes in Johnstown. The event was run by Put People First PA. They cooked hamburgers and hot dogs. There was also music and speakers who spoke on their struggles with poverty and healthcare.
The video above shows the speakers and the musicians. The event was inside because it was a stormy day. They were grilling the hot dogs and hamburgers outside. The fire department came because smoke was coming into the room. They cleared it up and the program resumed.
Put People First is affiliated with Reverend William Barber’s revival of Martin Luther King’s Poor People’s Campaign. One of the remedies for health care disparities that they propose is the creation of a Public Healthcare Advocate for Pennsylvania. This position, appointed by the state Attorney General, serves as a watchdog for abuses by the healthcare industry. I spoke with their director, Nijimie Dzurinko on the Poor People’s Campaign and the Public Healthcare Advocate.
Also at the event were Highland’s Health Clinic and Grow it Forward Johnstown. Highland’s Health Clinic provides low cost health care services for the poor in the city. They were at the event doing basic health screenings.
Grow it Forward Johnstown is run by Brooke Sanders. Their website says that they are a “community food security project dedicated to helping people grow fresh food at home, regardless of space, income, age, or physical limitations.” They work to limit growing food deserts in the area.
I also met Melanie Siaw who spoke on proposed changes to the Selective Service System where registration would be automatic rather than voluntary. You can see all of them in the above video. Put Put People First is good at organizing among the poor.