Rev. William J. Barber II visits Duke Tuesday

Rev. William J. Barber II visited Duke Tuesday evening to speak about the plight of the poor and how his movement—the Poor People's Campaign—aims to alleviate poverty in America.

Barber sought to modify the popular conception of racism: "Institutional racism is about what's written into policy—it's about power. It's not so much about the statues as it is the statutes."

He mentioned that politicians who use code words to divide segments of the population can convince voters "to vote against their own self-interest."

Barber explained that by reallocating only a small portion of the military budget, the government could help millions of low-income individuals.

He ended by explaining a movement to improve conditions must "hate the policies" but have "deep pity for the powerful that will use that power to hurt people."