Gov. Huckabee held a campaign rally at Clemson University yesterday and I met up with some great ONE members to lend our voice to the world’s bottom billion people.

During the rally, Gov. Huckabee played bass with a local band, and also had Chuck Norris and Ric Flair with him to campaign. Some of us, including Clemson student Emily Burchfield who went to the ONE Power 100 Summit – were in our ONE shirts in hopes that Gov. Huckabee would see us.

After the rally we snuck out by the campaign bus to try and talk with Gov. Huckabee. Just before they got on the bus, ONE member Chip was able to snap a quick photo with Chuck Norris and Emily spoke with Gov. Huckabee about ONE and US efforts to fight global AIDS. He thanked her for her work with ONE.

As we were leaving, we ran into FOX New Chief Political Correspondent, “Campaign” Carl Cameron – who always wears his ONE band on the campaign trail and even cut a promo for our ONE Student/ONE Vote event back in November. Check it out:

Chip and Emily thanked Carl for wearing his ONE band and told him about the work of ONE at Clemson.

At Clemson, just like to many other colleges and universities all over America, students like Chip and Emily are organizing and using their voice and talents to find ways to spread the word about ONE and let our leaders know that our generation can…and will, make poverty history.

-Matthew Bartlett

Today – a billion people live in slums without shelter, clean water or sanitation.

Today is also World Habitat Day.

Below, an excerpt from a speech that Habitat for Humanity’s CEO Jonathan Reckford gave to the United Nations Human Settlements Program.

“On this World Habitat Day 2007, we call on all individuals, organizations and governments to take a stand…to say YES, we CAN, as a caring global community, slam the door on poverty housing.

I am pleased that UN-HABITAT and Habitat for Humanity were the first signatories to a World Habitat Day 2007 proclamation that unites organizations around the cause of housing. If I may, I would like to close by voicing that proclamation.

For the first time in history, over half of humanity is living in cities and towns. Since time immemorial, cities have been centers of cultural and economic vitality. But today, one-third of the urban population—a staggering 1 billion people—lives in slums without adequate shelter, clean water or sanitation. If we factor in the condition of human settlements in rural areas worldwide, more than 1.6 billion people suffer some form of shelter deprivation.

As a direct result each year, up to 10 million people die from preventable diseases. Infants die. Children suffer at school. Parents cannot make ends meet. Families are robbed of the dignity every human being deserves. Yet too often their suffering goes unseen, their voices unheard.

On the occasion of World Habitat Day 2007, we declare that the lack of decent, affordable housing is unacceptable. Durable, affordable housing can and should be made a priority everywhere. We call upon the citizens of our global village to take a stand against substandard shelter in our communities, in our countries, and in our world. Together we can slam the door on poverty housing and open the door to a world in which everyone enjoys the stability, the security and the dignity of a decent, affordable home.”

Read the full speech below.

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