FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2002
Contact: Kathryn Bowden
334-834-5495
MONTGOMERY – A diverse group of Alabama leaders will headline
a public rally at the steps of the State Capitol at noon, Nov. 4,
to highlight the need for constitutional reform and the passage of
Amendment One. Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform will sponsor
the event, which will mark the culmination of a pre-election statewide
school bus tour.
Rally speakers will include Secretary of State Jim
Bennett; Artur Davis, Democratic nominee for Congress from the Seventh
District; Odessa Woolfolk, a past president of the Birmingham Civil
Rights Institute; Merika Coleman, Democratic nominee for the Alabama
House of Representatives from District 57; State House Representative
Mac Gipson (Republican, District 80); and Bradley Byrne, a member
of the state school board and the Republic nominee for the Alabama
Senate from District 32.
The bus tour began at a rally in the Black Belt
community of Marion on Oct. 16, and will arrive in Montgomery after
dozens of appearances across the state. The ACCR bus, “Reform
One,” has become a rolling petition in support of constitutional
reform, with supporters signing their names directly onto the bus,
and participants in the Montgomery rally will be invited to add their
signatures.
“The support for constitutional reform has
been tremendous as the bus tour has made its way across the state,”
says Kathy Bowden, Executive Director of ACCR. “This is an issue
that is uniting Alabamians of all backgrounds, and the speakers today
provide further evidence of the groundswell of bipartisan support
for this movement from citizens and leaders across the state.”
Participants in the rally will also be advocating
the passage of Amendment One. The proposed change to the Alabama Constitution
requires that any new constitution, whether written by the Legislature
or by a constitutional convention, must be approved in a statewide
vote before it can be enacted.
“Amendment One is a no-brainer, and it’s
important that the voters understand what this amendment means for
them,” Bowden says. “Because the 1901 Alabama Constitution
does not guarantee the people’s right to vote on a replacement,
passage of Amendment One on Nov. 5 is a necessary step to ensure that
any new constitution would reflect the will of the people.”
A detailed schedule of the bus tour can be found
on ACCR’s website, www.constitutionalreform.org. For more information,
please contact ACCR by phone in Montgomery at (334) 834-5495 or by
email at accr@constitutionalreform.org.
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