Beloved Faith Leader,
We are approaching a unique era in American politics. It is becoming more and more apparent that the Black Community is still under siege in America. Our community still has to contend with racist systemic oppression, economic disparity, state-sanctioned violence, and COVID-19. And events like the attempted insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, offer a stark example of the ways that Black participation in democracy remains under attack.
In light of these events, Black faith leaders are urgently needed in our community. Now more than ever, in our generation, we need the faith community's voice to take advantage of the opportunity to influence change on a national and local level.
The past year has been challenging for everyone. Had it not been for your work and partnership with North Carolina Black Alliance, more could have been lost during the last election process. Therefore, we all must take notice of the sense of urgency before us. The Black church has a new resurgence through the prophetic tradition. The election of the Honorable Reverend Raphael Warnock, as the first black senator from Georgia, has brought the Black church and the Black prophetic tradition back into the forefront. Dr. Warnock’s parishioners, the members of Ebenezer Baptist Church, and the faith community banded together to elect a product of the Black community whose cultural experiences, education, and development were directly influenced by the Black church.
We believe that this type of shift can happen here in North Carolina. We believe that Black faith leaders in this state can have a major influence on the politics that are happening locally in their own communities, especially as we consider that municipal elections are upon us in North Carolina. The time is ripe for Black faith leaders to once again ensure that justice, liberation, and freedom are found on the ballot in local communities. Will you allow the Faith-Based Program, with North Carolina Black Alliance to assist you in this endeavor? Will you allow us to once again be a resource to you, assisting in social justice training, Souls to the Polls efforts, and combating the threat of COVID-19 in the local black community?
Please join us as we gear up to do this great work! If you have not already registered with our program, please click here.
Also, if you are in need of information surrounding COVID-19, please visit our website. The website has information to help faith leaders identify local testing sites, updated state guidelines, and instructions on how to engage medical institutions to ensure commitment and accountability in local communities.
Also in March, we are facilitating check-ins across the state with faith leaders. These meetings will be called “Faith Leaders County Cluster Meetings.” Our first meeting will take place, March 1 at 6 p.m. The counties included in this meeting are Guilford, Rowan, Alamance, Mecklenburg, and Forsyth. If you are a faith leader in these counties, please register.
Friends, it is our hope that you remember that without the support of the black pastor, black preacher, black faith leader, and members of black faith spaces, more will be lost in translation when applying the messages of change, hope, and the return of social equality.
During the time of the Great Depression and World War II, the great hymn was written "God of Grace and God of Glory." The hymn’s language was a prophetic petition reminding us to engage God in the affairs of our human endeavor and progress. It also speaks to our need to keep our hands on the pulse of our social condition. As we begin this season of social engagement, political activism, and social awareness, let us do so, seeking God's will for our communities and committing ourselves to those worthy and necessary causes that produce change. We cannot afford to miss the goal of reuniting our forces for good as we battle against the evils of racism, injustice, and political disenfranchisement. Let us reason together as we affect change for everyone.
"Grant us wisdom, grant us grace, lest we miss thy Beloved Communities’ goal, lest we miss thy Beloved Communities’ goal."
Rev. CJ Brinson
Faith-Based Engagement Director
Rev. Dr. Brandon A. A. J. Davis
Faith-Based Engagement Team
