In the hours after the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana congressional map and weakened protections given to minority voters under the Voting Rights Act, a bishop overseeing historically Black African Methodist Episcopal (AME) churches in Louisiana wrote a message…
Black History Month is about moral memory
Black History Month often is framed as a time of celebration — a time to honor leaders, milestones and achievements that reshaped the American story. But at its deepest level, Black History Month is about moral memory. It is about…
‘Protecting the right to vote is protecting every other right we have as citizens’
Standing up for voting rights is essential in pushing back against the social and political chaos consuming the nation, activist Moya Harris said during a July 15 organizing webinar. “Protecting the right to vote is protecting every other right we…
Trump declares he has power over U.S. elections
Donald Trump, who claims he never lost an election that wasn’t rigged or stolen, issued an executive order last week declaring his authority to determine which American citizens can vote, how they vote, when they vote and how results are…
Fight for voting rights by actually voting, speakers urge
Faith-based activists must continue the fight for voter rights if religious freedom and a pluralistic democracy are to survive the 2024 election and thrive beyond it, said Adam Phillips, chief strategy officer for Interfaith America. Members of congregations across the…
Democracy Forward works to defend American values, disrupt Christian nationalists
Many Christians rejoiced after Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016. They cheered him on as he embraced Christian nationalist activists working overtime to marry church and state and to restrict the rights of non-Christians. Not Skye Perryman. She had…
PNBC leads call to action for voting rights, democracy
The Progressive National Baptist Convention is leading the way on efforts to protect voting rights, speaking out across the country and releasing an innovative tool kit to help others make a difference. On March 21, PNBC leaders and clergy from…
Two key developments in voting rights rulings in Arkansas
Arkansas now finds itself at the center of the nation’s debate over what’s “election integrity” and what’s “voter suppression.” And a Baptist judge is one of the key players. Arkansas Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen (who also is a BNG columnist)…
Where are the good Republicans?
Even with frequent emotional appeals for the passage of two voting rights bills — the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act — Senate Republicans, along with Democratic holdouts Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema, defeated the…
Old tricks: For America’s Black citizens, there is nothing new under the sun
Throughout American history, when Black people have been able to advance toward equal opportunity, the mainstream power structure has tended to change its own rules in an effort to reinforce its control. In the decade immediately following the abolition of…
Religious leaders call on Senate to pass voting rights bill — to no avail
The United States Senate’s Jan. 19 refusal to pass voting rights legislation sent to it from the House of Representatives happened despite the appeals of religious leaders nationwide in the week of Martin Luther King celebrations. The National Council of…
Poor People’s Campaign marches on Texas Capitol with demands for voting rights
A civil rights demonstration at the Texas State Capitol July 31— that included country music legend Willie Nelson and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke — was intended to warn Americans about the dangers of nationwide voter suppression efforts and to…