Faith Leaders Launch Hunger Strike
“This hunger strike reflects our deep commitment to radical love in action to redeem the soul of this nation.” ~ Rev. Stephen A. Green
A coalition of twenty-five faith leaders from across the nation launched a hunger strike on January 6, 2022, the first anniversary of the insurrection, to urge Congress to protect democracy by passing voting rights legislation by Martin L. King, Jr. Day on January 17, 2022.
Inspired by former president Donald Trump’s “big lie” that the 2020 election was rigged or somehow corrupt, the violent insurrection on January 6, 2021 was an attempt to overturn democratic rule in the United States. This attempt continues across the nation, as 19 states have passed 34 laws impacting the right to vote, specifically targeting communities of color. States have enacted laws to reduce early voting, restrict access to absentee ballots, prohibit counting ballots delayed by the US Postal Service, and seize control of nonpartisan election administration official functions so that Republican-led legislatures will oversee elections.
In addition, extreme partisan gerrymandering threatens access to Black political representation in state and federal elections for the next decade. This is done either by packing nearly all minority voters into one or two districts to establish a “supermajority” there; or by spreading them through several adjacent districts so they have too few voters to reach a majority. In a state like NC, districts might be drawn so that one Congressional district is 75% Black—and Democratic in registration—but the three surrounding districts have only 10% to 20% minority voters each, ensuring that white Republicans will win those three seats.
“As faith leaders, we are called to speak truth to power and to raise the conscience of this nation through moral resistance,” said Rev. Stephen A. Green, Chair, Faith for Black Lives. “This hunger strike reflects our deep commitment to radical love in action to redeem the soul of this nation. As we approach midnight for our democracy, the United States Congress must act urgently to pass voting rights legislation now.”
From Florida to Massachusetts, New York to Texas, and encompassing faith communities in St. Louis, MO, Louisville, KY, Mitchellville, MD, the coalition includes leaders of the William Trotter Collaborative at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government as well as a score of pastors of individual congregations.
Find more information at www.faithforblacklives.com. Sign-up to support the hunger strike by visiting www.strikeforvotingrights.com.
Faith for Black Lives is an initiative of The People’s Consortium for Human and Civil Rights, Inc., an advocacy organization committed to building beloved communities through radical love in action. This coalition of faith leaders advance an affirmative vision for systemic equality through grassroots organizing, leadership training, and issue-based advocacy.
