El Paso Demonstration
Leaders of the Poor People’s Campaign hold a “Moral Monday” rally outside an ICE detention center in El Paso, Texas. (Photo by Steve Pavey)
Saying that the events of the past week are “outrageous to the majority” during a telephone conference call Aug. 8, four religious leaders who recently visited El Paso, Texas, to observe immigrants’ plight vowed to build a “fusion movement” to end racism and gun violence in America.
Led by the Rev. Dr. William Barber II, leaders of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival said they felt compelled to speak out against President Trump’s rhetoric and immigration policies after visiting El Paso and Juarez July 28 in a "Moral Mondays at the Borderland" event. They contend that the president’s speech and federal actions incite white supremacists to violence.
United Methodist Women and the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society are listed among the 120 “endorsing partners” on the Poor People’s Campaign’s website.
The online group included the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, a Presbyterian pastor who co-chairs the People’s Campaign with Dr. Barber; Rabbi Rick Jacobs of the Union for Reformed Judaism; and Minister Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove of Red-Letter Christians. Another leader, the Rev. Teri Hord Owens, president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), helped draft their pastoral letter but was unable to participate in the call.
“As Air Force One was landing in El Paso, ICE was rounding up more than 600 Hispanic workers in Mississippi,” said Rabbi Jacobs. “These policies are an affront to the shared values of our diverse faiths.
According to the latest statistics, more than 50,000 people are currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Another 20,000 immigrants are in Customs and Border Protection centers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that another 11,000 "alien" children are currently in its custody.
“We’re raising our voices in this pastoral letter,” he continued. “This isn’t just an affront to religious people, it’s outrageous to the majority.”
Rabbi Jacobs asserted that the Poor People’s Campaign’s challenge isn’t “a flash in the pan. We are organizing in strength – Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, people of no faith.”
Dr. Theoharis, who directs the Kairos Center in Washington, D.C., said, “We released this letter today because in times such as these we must call all people of conscience to repent, to mourn and to build a national movement to end racism, poverty and inequality, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and promote national morality.”
She said the letter calls on President Trump to cease using racial and white supremacist rhetoric, and calls on Congress to pass an omnibus bill to address systemic racism in America. The letter is posted online for individuals to sign.
“We also call on white supremacist groups to repent; and on faith leaders to break the silence of violence and racism,” Dr. Theoharis said.
Barber in Mexico
The Rev. William Barber II, center, and other leaders of the Poor People’s Campaign pray with migrants in Juarez, Mexico. (Photo by Steve Pavey)
“We refuse to be comforted until we see a monumental shift in the direction of this nation. We cannot turn this loose; we have to call the nation to address racism and the religious nationalism that supports it.”
– The Rev. Dr. William Barber II
Rev. Wilson-Hartgrove underscored Dr. Theoharis’ assertion that religious leaders must speak out more against white nationalism.
“The reason we as clergy can’t remain silent is because the silence of faith communities for too long has allowed extreme voices to be the only voices in the public square,” Rev. Wilson-Hartgrove said. “Many people have been lied to, many have come to believe their faith has been connected with the politics of racism. In the Christian tradition, Jesus welcomes the stranger. To refuse to accept the strangers in our midst is to reject God.”
Dr. Barber added: “We reach out to those who have believed the mythology and the lies of racism, to offer them a way out."
He said the Poor People’s Campaign plans a “We Must Do More” national tour to mobilize local activism, educate citizens about racism, and register voters. The effort will begin in September with an opening event in El Paso and continue through June 20, 2020, when a national gathering will be held.
“We refuse to be comforted until we see a monumental shift in the direction of this nation,” said Dr. Barber. “We cannot turn this loose; we have to call the nation to address racism and the religious nationalism that supports it.”
Asked by United Methodist Insight whether the campaign’s leaders were prepared for possible violent backlash to their efforts, Rabbi Jacobs and Dr. Barber noted that racist violence wasn’t new in American history. However, they added, resistance to such hatred and violence are also part of the nation’s history.
“Mass shootings aren’t new,” said Rabbi Jacobs. “What’s different is that now their obvious connection to violent policies is very transparent. To show up in a mall to shop for school supplies now is putting your life at risk. Those of us who have lived with privilege have a false sense of security; it has been more terrifying for those on front lines.”
Dr. Barber said: “We have something in us that is so dear, so precious, that you can’t bomb it out, shoot it out, or destroy it out. We must take our despair and hew out of it a stone of hope.”
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.