San Jose Activist Timothy Fitzgerald Joins CHAM Deliverance Ministry in Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for Poor People's Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Jose, California, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) January 10, 2011 -- San Jose homeless activist Timothy Fitzgerald joins CHAM Deliverance Ministry in commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his work on the Poor People's Campaign in the sixties.

In late 1967, Dr. King co-founded the Poor People's Campaign in order to address the serious issues that poor people in America were facing. These issues included the lack of affordable housing and viable job opportunities. Many men of color were forced to join the military to fight the war in Vietnam, because they had no other options.

On April 4, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated. After Dr. King's untimely death, the Poor People's Campaign continued its plan to stage a massive march in Washington, DC. In May 1968, there were massive protests and 50,000 people took up residence in a shanty town to demonstrate the plight of the poor in America.

"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a catalyst for change not only for people of color but for poor people as well," said activist Timothy Fitzgerald. "Although 43 years have passed since the resurrection of the Poor People's Campaign, its tenets are still applicable in today's recession. Unprecedented numbers of Americans have lost their jobs and housing in this Great Recession. We need to organize and fight back in the spirit of Dr. King."

Mr. Fitzgerald is an elder member of CHAM Deliverance Ministry, which serves the homeless community in Santa Clara County. Mr. Fitzgerald in conjunction with CHAM's Pastor Scott Wagers is working on the California Statewide Day of Prayer for the Destitute and the Homeless. This event will take place throughout California in the spring on Saturday, March 19, 2011.

CHAM Ministries' Pastor Scott Wagers is a longtime advocate for the homeless in San Jose. He is the founder of CHAM Ministries. Under his direction, CHAM operated a homeless shelter from 1997 to 2009. In addition, Pastor Wagers headed Mayor Ron Gonzales' task force to end homelessness from 1999 to 2001.
A long-time friend of the homeless, Fitzgerald is enrolled in the over-60 program at San Jose State University as a post-graduate student; and is now completing his third master's degree. He is on track to be awarded this degree in Philosophy in spring 2011.

Mr. Fitzgerald also is the author of "The Wawona Brotherhood: The San Jose State Campus Revolt," which chronicles his civil rights experiences at San Jose State University during the turbulent 1960s through the early 1970s. The sequel to his memoirs, "Diamond in the Rough" will be released in February 2011 and deals with the working poor of San Jose and the efforts that Fitzgerald made in preserving local low and very low-income housing in the early 1980s.

From his time as an undergraduate, Mr. Fitzgerald has been a community activist in San Jose for over thirty years. In the 1990s, he ran for State Assembly. Mr. Fitzgerald is the former Vice Chairman of the Disability Advisory Commission of San Jose; and in addition was a Green Party state leader for 15 years.

Mr. Fitzgerald has been a guest on American Voice Radio Network's New World Order Disorder, LA Talk Radio's Bipolar Nation, San Francisco radio station KPOO's Community Worker, San Jose radio station KKUP's Silicon Valli Voice and has appeared on San Jose radio station KBAY and Mammoth Lakes radio station KMMT. He also has been interviewed by the San Jose Mercury News, San Jose State Spartan Daily along with the Mammoth Times and Los Gatos Times Weekly. He also recently authored an article for AAboomers.com.

For more information about Timothy Fitzgerald, visit his Web site http://www.timfitzgerald.org. For interviews, e-mail timothyfitzgerald97@yahoo.com or call 408.726-9940.

For more information about California Statewide Day of Prayer for the Destitute and Homeless, e-mail Pastor Scott Wagers at sjwagers001@aol.com or call (408) 858-0531. Visit the web site of CHAM Deliverance Ministry
www.cham-ministry.org.

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More information can be found online at http://www.timfitzgerald.org

1960 s     author timothy fitzgerald     civil rights     DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR     Poor People s Campaign     Poor People s March     san jose     wawona brotherhood