Clergy Emergency League Statement Regarding Racist Voter Suppression Laws in Georgia and Other States
March 29, 2021
“Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees.” - Isaiah 10:1
The Clergy Emergency League (CEL) denounces the passage of a voter suppression law in the state of Georgia that is designed to disenfranchise communities of color and criminalize those who offer water and food to voters waiting in line. We also denounce state legislators who are supporting more than 250 similar bills in 43 states designed to make voting more difficult, especially in communities of color. We call for clergy to speak out against these disenfranchisement attempts and to join in efforts to restore and expand access to the right to vote.
Georgia’s sweeping law puts restrictions on voting absentee by mail, including requiring photo ID; criminalizes the act of giving food and water to voters waiting in line; and gives the legislature greater control over how elections are run, which could make it easier for officials to tamper with the results. Under the guise of the blatant lie that the 2020 elections were “stolen,” the executive and legislative branches in Georgia have enacted a law that will disproportionately harm historically disenfranchised communities, young voters, and voters with disabilities.
For Christians concerned with the freedom of religion, the clause criminalizing the giving of water and food to those in line to vote is especially pernicious because it is a direct affront to our faith. Jesus taught his followers that “whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward’” (Matthew 10:42, cf Mark 9:41). Our faith teaches us that all people are valuable in the eyes of God, should have their interests fairly represented by those elected to serve, and should be supported as they exercise their right to vote. Additionally, Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock reminds us that “a vote is a kind of prayer for the kind of world we desire for ourselves and our children.” Just as our prayers are stronger when we pray together, our nation is stronger when all eligible citizens are allowed to vote.
The efforts of Georgia’s elected leaders and other state houses to make the nation less democratic is a direct assault on human rights. Such efforts move our country further toward racist authoritarianism. The bitter history of racist voter suppression efforts in America originated with the institution of slavery itself. From the designation of slaves as three-fifths of a human being in the Constitution, to the Jim Crow laws that legalized racial segregation in the post-Civil War era, to the gutting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Black, Brown, and Indigenous citizens in the U.S. have been denied full access to voting rights – and thus their human rights – since the founding of this country.
The modern Hebrew word for “vote” – qol – is the same word for “voice” in the Hebrew Bible. Thus, voting is what enables the voices of the people to be heard. Yet, as Sen. Rev. Warnock points out, due to “voter suppression laws and tactics, including partisan and racial gerrymandering, [and] a system awash in dark money and the dominance of corporatist interest and politicians who do their bidding, the voices of the American people have been increasingly drowned out and crowded out and squeezed out of their own democracy.” Therefore, the Clergy Emergency League also calls on the U.S. Senate to vote in favor of the For the People Act, already passed by the House, that would expand voting rights, strengthen campaign finance laws, and limit partisan gerrymandering. Enacting this legislation will help to protect the right to vote, and thus the voice of the people, as well as the dignity endowed by God in each of us.
Called by our faith and by the teachings of scripture, the Clergy Emergency League denounces all efforts of voter suppression as manifestations of systemic and structural racism and the disruption of democracy. Clergy and congregations have a moral obligation to defend every citizen’s right to vote, to advocate for removing all barriers to voting access, and to call for the expansion of voting rights as a matter of faith and human dignity.
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About the Clergy Emergency League: The Clergy Emergency League (CEL) is a grassroots network of nearly 2,500 clergy speaking out against the abuses of power at the federal, state, and local levels. Specifically, we resist the fusion of politics with radical, right-wing, fundamentalist Christianity, and the growing power of racist white nationalism and a militarized police state. We provide support, accountability, resources, and networking for clergy to prophetically minister in their congregations and the public square in this time of political upheaval, social unrest, and partisan division. Learn more at www.ClergyEmergencyLeague.com.
Contact:
The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade
The Rev. Stephen Fearing
Co-founders, Clergy Emergency League
clergyemergencyleague@gmail.com
Clergy Emergency League Statement Regarding Attempted Coup in Washington D.C.
January 6, 2021
(Jesus said:) “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” Matthew 26:52
The Clergy Emergency League (CEL) denounces the attempted coup and terrorist attacks by Trump supporters in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021. We call for the immediate impeachment and removal of Donald Trump from the presidency for violating his oath of office. We also call for the full prosecution of those who breached the Capitol.
For months, Trump has continually lied about the election results and urged his white nationalist supporters to engage in insurrection against democracy. The violence of the mob that attacked the Capitol has already resulted in one death and numerous injuries. These attacks were intentional, premeditated, and well-publicized. These and any other future attacks on federal, state, or local governments must be answered with swift arrests and prosecutions to restore peace and order.
Just as disturbing is the fact that law enforcement not only failed to stop this mob, but, in fact, allowed the armed insurrectionists to enter the Capitol grounds and building. We note the bitter irony that this was the exact opposite response to peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in Washington, D.C. in June of 2020. At that time, Trump deployed armed law enforcement and National Guard officers to clear church steps of clergy and volunteers who were caring for peaceful protesters. Officers shot tear gas and rubber bullets at unarmed persons who were exercising their Constitutional rights.
In contrast, when white supremacist rioters descended on D.C. today, the National Guard was not called in until the insurrectionists had forced their way into the Capitol building and Congress had been evacuated from their respective chambers. In the meantime, the rioters broke into Capitol offices and took over the House and Senate chambers, destroyed property, injured civilians and officers, and attempted to subvert the peaceful transition of power. A thorough investigation into this failure of law enforcement to uphold peace must be conducted with full accountability for those who did not fulfill their duties.
At the same time, the President himself has failed to fulfill his duties to respect the results of the election and the democratic process that ensures the peaceful transition of power. Worse, he incited the violence that has pierced the heart of our nation. Because he has insisted that he will never concede and continues to call for violence, he must be removed from office immediately. Violence will only continue and likely increase if he is permitted to remain.
We acknowledge and grieve that many of our siblings who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color know all too well the horror of this kind of white supremacist violence on a daily basis. Called by our faith and by the teachings of scripture, we who are the Clergy Emergency League denounce all violence, systemic and structural racism, domestic terrorism, and the disruption of democracy.
Furthermore, these troubling events happened just as the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff have been elected to the Senate, thanks to the tireless efforts of the people of Georgia to preserve democracy. Now the work is to ensure a peaceful transition of power. As we look ahead to the incoming leadership in Congress, as well as the Biden-Harris administration, we urge all elected officials to take up the work of truth-telling, accountability, and restorative justice.
Now is not the time for silence. Now is the time for clergy and all people of faith to speak out against violence, call for peace, and hold accountable those who support the Trump agenda. Especially on this day when the church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany, we look to God’s light, truth, and peace, and pray for the protection of those who strive for justice, resist tyranny, and fight for the oppressed. Just as the Magi chose to resist the violent orders of Herod, may we as people of faith come home by another way—the way of peace.
About the Clergy Emergency League: The Clergy Emergency League (CEL) is a grassroots network of more than 2,300 clergy speaking out against the abuses of power at the federal, state, and local levels. Specifically, we resist the fusion of politics with radical, right-wing, fundamentalist Christianity, and the growing power of racist white nationalism and a militarized police state. We provide support, accountability, resources, and networking for clergy to prophetically minister in their congregations and the public square in this time of political upheaval, social unrest, and partisan division. Learn more at www.ClergyEmergencyLeague.com.
Contact:
The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade
The Rev. Stephen Fearing
Co-founders, Clergy Emergency League
clergyemergencyleague@gmail.com
Read and Share the Statement here:
Portland Statement
July 21, 2020
A statement in response to the abuse of power by the federal government by arresting peaceful protestors without probable cause. This statement was signed by 348 faith leaders from more than 10 denominations and 40 states.
Read and Share the Statement here:
Click here to download a PDF version of the Portland Statement
Click here to download a PDF version of the Portland Statement in Spanish
Click below to download the statement without signatures as a PNG File
