We Are All Connected Those who attempt to conserve freedom for a chosen few are suffocating their own liberation. When the most marginalized people are free, all will be free. Scripture reminds us that "if one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it" (1 Cor. 12:26 NRSVUE). The fight for liberation is a long-term endeavor that has spanned generations. Ancestor Ella Baker was a persistent warrior for freedom. In a speech in Hattiesburg, Miss. on Jan. 21, 1964, she made clear that this fight was just beginning, and that it extended far beyond gaining full access to the ballot box. It meant freedom from unjust wars, low wages, and empty stomachs. She saw beyond the moment, looking toward future generations. She is speaking to us now. We should not be surprised that we find ourselves, once again, at a pivotal moment in this nation's history. History has consistently revealed a pattern: when legislation is passed to protect the rights of Black people, a fierce racial backlash follows. During Reconstruction, Black men were elected to state and federal office. Black communities built schools, grew businesses and banks, and established lives of dignity after centuries of providing free labor under brutal and dehumanizing conditions. Yet when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and Constitutional Amendments secured the citizenship of formerly enslaved people, Southern states responded swiftly with Jim Crow laws designed to reimpose racial subjugation through enforced segregation. We are witnessing this same pattern with the 2013 passing of Shelby v. Holder that weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the erasure of affirmative action, the demonization of DEI initiatives, widespread book bans, and the targeted removal of Black women from positions of power within the federal government since February 2025. Now, the highest court in the land is once again contributing to the backlash. In Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, dealt a devastating blow to Black voting power and the remaining protections of the Voting Rights Act. With this decision, the Roberts Court is effectively preventing Black votes from counting, diluting them through congressional maps designed to render Black political power irrelevant. Now is not the time for discouragement or fear. Now is not the time to be silent. Now is the time to be unrelenting in our desire for freedom for all people, to get comfortable with being uncomfortable until freedom comes for everyone. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that "we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." We need each other. We all have a role to play. Allies can speak up and show up for those under attack, even if this is the first time. This is our moment to be on the right side of history, regardless of the color of our skin. We need everyone. I encourage you to take some time to pray about how you will show up. How will you protect the civil and constitutional rights of all people? Will you serve as a poll chaplain in the midterm elections to protect the precious right to vote? Will you stand outside detention centers in your state as a witness? Perhaps you will join a phone bank or encourage your congregation to help others register to vote. Will you encourage others to join you? This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. We need each other to survive. Allies, please stand up. If you feel led, please share this with a family member, friend, or colleague who might need to hear these words. Here is a song for this moment — Hezekiah Walker, I Need You to Survive –Rev. Moya Harris, Senior Program Director, Sojourners
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