PNBC JUSTICE DAY 2017

Transcription

1 PNBC JUSTICE DAY 2017 PROPOSAL FOR A YEAR OF ACTION Rev. Dr. James C. Perkins PRESIDENT Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock SOCIAL JUSTICE CHAIR CONTENTS... PAGE # Our Call... 1 Our Vision And Action Plan... 4 Our Pledge: We Are Progressive... 6

2 OUR CALL The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor. Luke 4:18-19a Dr. Perkins, as president of PNBC, has clearly articulated a vision for his tenure: To build on PNBC s rich justice-seeking foundations by addressing issues of poverty and barriers that keep our communities from thriving; the criminalization of black, brown and poor people and connecting these issues to the right to vote. We see this vision as a true test of our Christian identity as well as carrying on the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As we approach the 50th year since the assassination of Dr. King and the Poor People s Campaign, we believe the issues that Dr. King raised as essential to social and economic justice are as relevant today as any time in history. To this end, the Social Action Committee believes that our charge through 2018 is to continue Dr. King s mantle by relaunching The Poor People s Campaign. As Progressive National Baptist Convention, our faith calls us to demand the following: 1

3 1. END THE ASSAULT ON POOR AND WORKING PEOPLE AND A CALL FOR JOBS Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. James 5:4 Too many people are overworked, underpaid or shut out of work without access to job training programs, educational opportunities or because they are formerly incarcerated. Many companies choose profits over people. It is our responsibility to call for the end to demonizing of the poor and the stripping of programs designed to help poor and working families. We must also hold the powerful and employers accountable and demand that they pay livable wages. 2. THE END OF MASS INCARCERATION, OVER POLICING OF BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners to set the oppressed free Luke 4:18 Undereducated and unemployed people are being systematically warehoused in the prison system in what Michelle Alexander has referred to as the New Jim Crow. This slavery by another name will continue to impact communities of color in the areas of economics, family structure, housing, education, employment and voting rights. We must fight to free the prisoner as Jesus, quoting the prophet Isaiah, instructed and dismantle policies that create the prison pipeline. 2

4 3. THE END TO THE ATTACK ON HEALTHCARE Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. 3 John 2 Dr. King once said, Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane. As people of faith, we must be vigilant in our work to secure healthcare for all people, so people can receive the treatment they need in order to live abundant and full lives. 4. THE END TO VOTING DISCRIMINATION AND SUPPRESSION. They made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not. With their silver and gold, they made idols for their own destruction. Hosea 8:4 Securing the right to vote has been one of our long standing fights. From the Voting Rights Act to redistricting to voter ID laws, we must and will continue to fight for and protect the right to vote. 3

5 OUR VISION AND ACTION PLAN Take Back Washington PNBC will play a leading role in honoring the 50th Anniversary of the Poor People s March on Washington by taking action! We will organize our convention members, community stakeholders, impacted and indigenous people to reignite the movement for poor and oppressed people from a moral position all year: taking back Washington from NOW through the anniversary of the assassination and on through the November election OUR PLAN IS: 1. To prepare our convention for the assault on poor and working people, which we foresee as the tactical direction of the current conservative agenda. Historically, during times of conservatism and attacks on the social safety net, churches become the first line of defense for poor and working-poor people. As a defensive measure, we believe our work will be to ensure that PNBC congregations are a modern-day sanctuary for oppressed people and do our part to provide charity, while pushing legislatively for justice. 2. To equip our member churches and membership with the tools they need to make the case for a poor people s agenda. This will be in the forms of theological framing, tool kits/curricula related to justice-seeking around issues of poverty and will coincide with our national days of action. 3. To bring to bear the political power of our members and convention by engaging our membership in political education that includes the issues that we care about: poverty, mass incarceration, healthcare, and voting rights. And to ensure that we are creating informed, issue-based voters and candidates in

6 We must begin to prepare for the following collective actions. Days of Collective Action AUGUST 28, 2017 March On Washington to End Mass Incarceration SEPTEMBER 20-21, 2017 Washington Takeover Part I Visits to Members of Congress on 2018 Budget JANUARY 15, 2018 King Day 2018: Emphasis on Poverty FEBRUARY 14- MARCH 29, 2018 Lent: Declaring Isaiah 58: 6-9 Fast (materials will be provided to help churches/members) APRIL 4, 2018 Poor People s Actions in your community TBD March on Washington MAY 13, 2018 Mother s Day Actions in your community Freedom Summer 2018 (We are asking churches to ensure your congregants and guests are registered to vote; and that any candidate that addresses your congregation knows and answers the PNBC agenda) Oct TBD by your state End of Voter Registration NOVEMBER 6, 2018 Elections 5

7 OUR PLEDGE: WE ARE PROGRESSIVE INDIVIDUAL Because I am Progressive, I pledge as an individual member of PNBC to: Share my experience: There will be times when we need to tell the real-life experiences of how these policies impact the lives of people. I commit to telling my story! Call your Member of Congress: Over the next few months, it will be crucial for officials to hear from voters. PNBC is committed to letting me know when to call and what needs to be said, so I commit to make the call! Volunteer on Get Out the Vote Team: We are asking every church to participate in the national days of action next year; to make sure your congregants and visitors are registered to vote and that we, as PNBC, get out the vote in I will commit to help support my congregation and be a part of the team! Vote: The 2018 election may be our chance to advance the issues that we care about by helping to elect candidates that agree with our platform. I agree to be a PNBC voter! 6

8 CHURCH Because our church is Progressive, our church pledges as a member of PNBC to: (for pastors only) 100% of church registered to vote Create Social Justice Ministry/Team to lead the work throughout the year Participate in PNBC Year of Action Register Voters in the Every Church, Every Sunday Get Out the Vote Campaign Send members to Poor People s March in 2018 PASTOR Because I am a pastor in Progressive, I pledge as a PNBC pastor to: Engage Justice Lectionary during Lent and talking points on the policy and issues facing the community Participate in PNBC Year of Action, which will include some calls and preparation work; and to speak with one voice about the issues in our platform Work with PNBC as a spokesperson on issues locally and/or nationally Hold elected officials and candidates accountable to PNBC platform 7