Saturday tea party rally to be 'spiritual and inspirational,' organizers say

To coincide with the 47th anniversary of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, local tea party members will hold a "Remember the Dream" rally Saturday.

"It will be a spiritual and inspirational rally," said event organizer John Casebolt, president of the Cape Girardeau County Tea Party.

The rally will begin at 5 p.m. Saturday at Cape County Park North, shelter No. 5. Choir performances and speeches by members of the local black community are planned, said Casebolt, who will also address tea party supporters.

The local event is planned on the same day conservative radio and television host Glenn Beck is holding a national tea party rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Casebolt said.

"We just want to reach out to everybody and let them know that the dream Dr. King had was for everybody," Casebolt said.

The national tea party movement has been criticized for racism by the NAACP in the past.

"That's not who we are," said Casebolt, adding that the rally's theme was selected to help change that misconception.

A senior at Southeast Missouri State University, Casebolt got involved in the tea party movement during an internship in Washington, D.C., in the spring of 2009.

He hopes the tea party movement, which has gained grassroots support across the country, will have an effect in the Nov. 2 general election.

"It's not about supporting one candidate or another. It's about getting voters to understand what the condition of our country is and what we're facing down the road," Casebolt said.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

2400 County Park Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO