The number of people seated in the pews of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church more accurately reflected attendance at a first Sunday service than on Presidents Day.
However, hundreds of Black Church pastors, clergy, officers, and laity, some from as far away as New Jersey and New York, attended a press conference on February 17 in response to the 47th president’s executive orders, which are still being issued.
The Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, presiding bishop of the AME’s Second Episcopal District, has long been known as a political activist and staunch freedom fighter. His district covers the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Jackson stated that the meeting on Presidents Day was intentional, not coincidental.
“I chose today to show how much damage a president can do and to emphasize that because of questionable decisions and recent executive orders, we’ve got to do more than just make statements – we’ve got to do something,” Jackson told the audience. “The Black Church must once again become the leaders – the moral conscience – of America.”
Jackson did not hide his contempt for the current movement to “make America great again.”
“No. 47 says white males are angry. “I want to know what they’re angry about,” Jackson said. “Clearly, he has an insecurity issue and is unwilling to have anyone around him who will say no to his plans.”
Jackson used evidence from the first 30 days to demonstrate that the White House is moving to implement key sections of the contentious Project 2025, which the US president claimed he was unaware of when campaigning for office last year.
“He wants to get rid of Black education, the Civil Rights Act and anything else that supports and protects the rights of Blacks,” Mr. Jackson stated. “But we need to remind Americans that diversity has been critical to the country’s success.
America was once among the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. How did it become the world’s richest? On the backs of our forefathers’ voluntary labor.”
Nationwide boycott to begin on Ash Wednesday, March 5
Jackson stated that corporations such as Target, Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, and others that have given in to the right-wing agenda must understand the consequences of turning their backs on Black people.
“If diversity isn’t good for them, then neither is our money,” he joked. “Corporate America will have to decide whether they support us or not. We are fighting spiritual wickedness in high places, and we must act rather than just talk.”
Barbara Williams-Skinner, a public policy strategist, faith and community leader who frequently collaborates with interfaith leaders on issues such as healthcare, criminal justice reform, and voting rights, also spoke.
“Some would argue that we are approaching a constitutional crisis. Williams-Skinner stated, “I believe we are in the midst of one right now.” “We have seen this and been here before. History shows that this cycle of advancement and resistance has occurred before, so I advise Blacks not to become discouraged.
She reminded those in the pews that prayer is still effective.
“Imagine what would happen if, like Joshua and the Israelites, we marched around the Capitol or the White House with trumpets sounding and people shouting. “We have everything we need to fight back,” she explained.
To save the next generation, we must acknowledge that they’re watching
When the Rev. William H. Lamar IV, senior pastor of Metropolitan, delivered his inaugural sermon, he discussed “Divine Choreography.” In his comments to the AFRO, he appeared to refer back to the first message and its prophetic origin.
“Since Congress ratified the 14th Amendment, there have been forces throughout America who have been intent on eliminating any initiatives related DEI and regaining White supremacist rule,” Lamar informed the audience.
“The president’s agenda demonstrates his insecurity, misunderstanding of humanity, and hatred for others, whereas we are fighting out of love.
Those who benefit the most today want to divide us so that we can be defeated. But we cannot allow our imaginations to be colonized.
Williams-Skinner, while acknowledging Lamar’s observations, stated that Blacks should not delude themselves into believing that our youth are not paying attention.
“Our youth are not attending church in the numbers that we and our ancestors may have but they’re still very spiritual and they’re looking for authentic churches,” she told me. “To be brutally honest, there are a lot of older adults who are not moving and are not saying a thing because they’ve grown too comfortable.”
Attorney Sherrilyn Ifill, a law professor at Howard University and former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, recalled sitting on a panel with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and scholar Isabel Wilkerson, who, in her provocative text, “Caste,” stated that there have been several historical low points – nadirs – that Blacks have been forced to face but have survived.
“After the Supreme Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson in 1954 with its decision in Brown v. Board of Education, Blacks began to live in the harvest.” In fact, some of us became so comfortable and witnessed such economic growth in our lives that we wanted to believe that the harvest would never end,” said Ifill.
“When we were farmers, closer to the land, we knew you had to plant before you could celebrate the harvest. We’ve reached a low point, a nadir, and we’ll need to do some planting if future generations are to enjoy a harvest.”
