On Thursday, April 19th, after weeks of raining, the sun came out just in time. Close to 1000 people gathered and marched from Roxbury Crossing T Stop to the Boston Commons with an electricity for jobs and CORI reform that could not have been anticipated.

The vast majority of participants were community members who had never marched in a demonstration before. Youth, shelter residents, ex-prisoners, congregation members, and community activists took to the streets to fight for their own livelihood. The time for change is clearly now.

Boston Workers’ Alliance would like to thank our coalition partners in MARC, in addition to the many other organizations and agencies that invested real time, resources and energy into making the day a success.

After shutting down Tremont Street and marching through a busy Downtown Crossing, our marchers were greeted by other CORI reform demonstrators who were rallying on the Boston Commons to live music and riveting speakers. After the short rally, some 300 people then marched into the State House to press the need for CORI reform upon the State Legislature.

Inside the State House, we held a Press Conference featuring people with CORIs, legislative allies, and faith and business people in support of reforms. Constituents then spread out across the State House to educate their their officials about the omnibus CORI Reform Bill: The Public Safety Act of 2007 (H.B. 1416). Preliminary reports indicate that many legislators who were opposed to the bill last year have since come around to supporting our message.

Click here to see all 66 photos of the march and rally.

Photos by Jonathan McIntosh

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April 19th March for Jobs & CORI Reform
Endorsers (Partial List)

Academic Behavioral Clinic
Action for Boston Community Development
ACORN
Alternatives to Community Environment
American Friends Service Committee
B1 Vision Urban Ministry
Boston Mobilization
Boston Rosa Parks Human Rights Committee
Boston School Bus Union
Cambridge Cares About AIDS
City Life / Vida Urbana
Coalition for a Strong United Nations
Community Change Inc.
Community Church of Boston
Criminal Justice Policy Coalition
Critical Breakdown
Democracy Center
D7 Roundtable Inc
Dorchester People for Peace
Ex-prisoners & Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA)
Global Justice Projects
GLT Prison Prevention Ministry, Inc.
Green-Rainbow Party
Harvard Progressive Advocacy Group
Incite! Boston
International Action Coalition
Jericho Boston
Jobs With Justice
Juvenile Justice Center
Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
March to Abolish Poverty
Massachusetts Alliance to Reform CORI (MARC)
Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities
Massachusetts Global Action
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Massachusetts Mothers On the Move
Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR)
Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts
Oiste!
Partakers Inc.
Prisoner Re-entry Working Group
Project Place
Rosie’s Place
Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project
SEIU Local 509 Human Service Workers
SEIU Local 615 Building Service Workers
SPAN, Inc.
State Wide Harm Reduction Coalition
STRIVE, Inc.
Student Labor Action Movement
Teen Empowerment
Troops Out Now Coalition
Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts
Union of Minority Neighborhoods
United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1445
United for Justice with Peace
United South End Settlements
United Youth and Youth Workers of Boston
Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse, Inc
Victory House
Women’s Fightback Network
Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom
Young Cape-Verdean Club, Inc
Youth for Prevention and Change through Thought (YPACT)