#RolandMartinUnfiltered - In Memphis for MLK Day 2025 with Rev. Dr. William Barber, Repairers Of The Breach

Episode Date: January 20, 2025

1.20.2025 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Life & Legacy LIVE in Memphis, joining people across the nation who are honoring the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We'll highlight how communities are commemorating the life of this civil rights icon. #BlackStarNetwork partner: Fanbasehttps://www.startengine.com/offering/fanbase This Reg A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.  This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. You should read the Offering Circular (https://bit.ly/3VDPKjD) and Risks (https://bit.ly/3ZQzHl0) related to this offering before investing. Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox  http://www.blackstarnetwork.com The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You dig? Folks, today is Monday, January 20, 2025. Roland Martin here broadcasting live from Memphis, Tennessee on this MLK Day. We're here with Repairs of the Breach where they have all day been convening Christian leaders from all across the country focusing on an agenda moving forward for this country. There have been listening sessions taking place and so what we're going to do is we're going to be talking with various faith leaders about this also in less than an hour. The event taking place here will begin. We'll be carrying that live as well so lots to talk about in addition I'll show you some of what Reverend Barbara Reverend William Barbara had to say earlier today when he was a keynote speaker at the King Center celebration in Atlanta

at Ebenezer Baptist Church also the National Civil Rights Museum here in Memphis had their MLK Day celebration we'll also show you some of that, an outgoing message from Vice President Kamala Harris as she talked about her accomplishments with President Biden over the last four years. All of that and more coming up on the special edition of Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. It's time to bring the funk. Let's go. Whatever the biz, he's on it Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fat, the fine And when it blips, he's right on time And it's rollin', best believe he's knowin' Puttin' it down from sports to news to politics

With entertainment just for kicks, he's rollin' Yeah, yeah, it's a go-go-go-y'all Yeah, yeah, it's Rollin' Martin, yeah Rollin' with Rollin' now He's funky, he's fresh, he's real The best you know, he's Rollin' Martin Now Martin! Cathedral Christian Church, Disciples of Christ on Elvis Presley Boulevard, literally across the street from Graceland. This is where the repairs of the breach will be holding an event for such a time as this.

The Interfaith Service and Moral Mass Meeting is a prophetic response to America's defining moment. All day there have been listening sessions taking place with various leaders, people who have been digitally being able to participate all across the country, in fact, all across the world with all of this. And the goal is very simple, and that is to lay a path forward for the Christian church for what is happening in this country politically. We know that evangelical conservative Christians have been ardent supporters of MAGA movement. But when you look at the issues that Jesus focused on, that's not their agenda. And so what this is about is how do you, first of all, teach, how do you actually reach folks to get them to understand what the issues are

and then lay out a path forward. So Reverend Dr. William Barber talks about this all the time. He and I always are talking about this in terms of really you can't just gather for a meeting. You can't just gather for an event. You can't just gather for a rally unless people know what the purpose of it is. And so anyone who understands Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and what his focus was, it wasn't just to do something just because. Everything was agenda-based. And so this is about bringing that back to the fore

and what better opportunity to do that than on this MLK Day 2025. All day we have been broadcasting various events earlier. Of course the King Center had their service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where Reverend Barbara was the keynote speaker. We carried that live with the Black Star Network. The National Civil Rights Museum here in Memphis also had

their event. We carried that live as well. Then of course you heard from a number of interviews that we've done with Zerona Clayton, Bill Lucy, the late Bill Lucy, and so many others who worked with Dr. King, who participated not only in marches, but more importantly, in the actual work. And the reason I say the work is because this is what this is going to require. A lot of people love to talk about speeches, you know, King said this and said that, but too often folks ignore the planning sessions where they were literally laying out a path forward in terms of how do you move legislation on the federal level but also on the state and the local level, and how do you also participate and work with other organizations to make this possible. And if there's one major problem that we have seen over the last number of years,

I dare say the last 10 or 20 years, that you have not seen a very focused, a very focused progressive church when it comes to the issues. How do you, again, mobilize people to move an agenda forward? And so that's what this gathering is. That's why they call them listening sessions, having people have an opportunity to actually talk and listen and be able to come together and congregate. I want to kick this off.

We're going to be showing you something that Reverend Barber had to say in Atlanta and some of the other stuff as well, but I want to kick this off. Reverend Dr. Nathan Wilson, he is the manager of the World Council of Churches. Reverend, step right on in. Glad to have you here. It's my honor. So walk folks through who are not familiar with what has been going on all day today. Talk about why it was called Listening Sessions and what the whole goal was.

Well, exactly. The opportunity is for us to listen to folks and their concerns, realizing that there are a lot of justice and reconciliation issues for us and for a time like this. And so certainly the listening is also a part of then the action that follows the listening. On that particular point there, it's very interesting. You had these sort of two divergent views. The great organizer, Ella Baker, had a view where she believed in Pew to pulpit. Dr. King believed in pulpit to pew. And those two sort of clashed. Reverend Barber understands both of those.

But I think he is more along the lines of pulpit to pew. It's going to be pew to pulpit because the reality is if you don't get the people organized, if you don't get them mobilized, if you don't get them focused, you can have a leader, but then you don't have any troops. Yes, exactly, exactly. And I like how you introed this as well. It's not just what words are spoken from the pulpit in this case or the podium or by a leader, but rather how they are put into action. And so I would say it's even a marriage of pew and pulpit in this case or the podium or by a leader, but rather how they are put into action.

And so I would say it's even a marriage of pew and pulpit together so that the actions of justice and reconciliation are carried forth Monday through Saturday and not only on Sunday. It's taking Sunday's values, translating them into life on Monday and every day. And the World Council of Churches is based where? In Geneva, Switzerland. So give us a perspective of how the Swiss see what's happening in this country, specifically when you talk about in terms of the Christian church, because what we've seen is we've seen a very focused, right-wing, conservative evangelical movement yet when we talk about other Christians they've sort

of been not as willing to go hardcore engaging and I keep reminding people Dr. King was not oh let's all love each other it's all about unity he was a radical he was about how do we transform the nation and the world and I was of the belief that folk who don't define themselves as conservative evangelical Christians are not as laser-like focused on their agenda. Your thoughts? So you put a lot out there. Of course. So the World Council of Churches is 352 churches or denominations throughout the world,

in 120 different countries, almost 600 million people. So it's Orthodox, it's Protestant, Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist, and so forth. And so it's not just about what the Swiss think, what's going on in this country, but the World Council of Churches, as a fellowship, sees its unity, the gift that is given to us by God in Jesus country, but the World Council of Churches, as a fellowship, sees its unity, the gift that is given to us by God in Jesus Christ, as being part and parcel with reconciliation and justice. So the three work together. In other words, it is a false unity sometimes to talk about unity in a way that divorces itself from either justice or the call for reconciliation, whether that's in the United

States or anywhere throughout the world. And so the World Council of Churches, as a fellowship of churches, is going to stand with the church in the United States to proclaim the very messages that King proclaimed and the ones that lift up and build up not only the church, of course, but society beyond the church as well. And on that particular point there, one of the things that I try to remind people is that when we're talking about these issues, that's not a political conversation, but you can't act like politics is not a part of it. Exactly.

And so you take the issues, the issues that Jesus talked about, those were moral issues, those were spiritual issues, but there still is a political component to it. Trying to separate religion or politics gives you bad religion and bad politics, right? But it's the careful integration, not integration, the careful how the two relate to each other. That's where the details lie. It's not from the World Council Church's perspective. Again, it's hard to say just one perspective because the World Council Church is as broad as it is. But it's not the church dictating to politicians or to political leaders what is to happen, but it's always the church and other faith groups lifting up the moral voice of the government

and, in this case, of policy decision makers and how they do their work. Well, look, this is, I think, is critically important, especially when you talk about laying out a blueprint for definitely the next four years moving forward because I think the voices of these churches and these members is going to be critically important. And the reality is they can actually make things happen. They can actually create change

if they're willing to stick with it and have the intentional fortitude to actually make it happen. They can actually create change if they're willing to stick with it and have the intentional fortitude to actually make it happen. Amen. So, let it be so. It starts with listening, but then it continues with organizing, like you said, and it continues as you rightly said, with patient

persistence. Also, a lesson from Keith, to be both patient and persistent in the pursuit of justice. I appreciate it. Yep. Right. Also, a lesson from Keith, to be both patient and persistent in that pursuit of justice. All right. Well, I appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. Absolutely. Thank you.

Thanks a bunch. Folks, again, we are here. So I'm going to bring up. So who do we have next? So we're talking to various folks who are here. And so we're talking about what this agenda is, what we're doing moving forward. And so I'm going to bring in another one of the speakers here. And so just step on over, let folks know who you are. I'm Bishop Yvette Flunder. I'm the presiding bishop of the

Fellowship of Affirming Ministries in the United States and in several countries in Africa and in the Caribbean and all like that. Let's talk about this. Why was it important to have this gathering, these listening sessions today on the federal holiday of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday? Well, first of all, it's Martin Luther King's birthday, and it happens to fall on a very peculiar day, but I think that it was divinely orchestrated, and I think that what we really do need to do is remember who we are, what we are called to do, and to prepare ourselves

for the important things about which we need to come together. It's about together right now. And I'm very, very, very, very concerned that we do what we need to do as people of African descent and as justice warriors in this country. One of the things that, for me, that jumps out, and I'm constantly saying this here, I think unfortunately what has happened is this country and many people, and many people who look like us, have turned Dr. King into what I call a civil rights bottlehead. Yep, yep. A civil rights mascot. And have stripped him of his radicalness.

That's right. And I think it's important to remind the greatest mistakes that he's been treated as, oh, no, let's all get together and love one another and things are just wonderful. No, no, no, no, no. That's right. He wanted to change his stuff. You're right. And we gave that reality to his counterparts. We made him the precious one.

And the other ones, the other ones that came along, Stokely, and, you know, the brothers, you know, as though they were the ones that were the firebrands. What you're saying is true. And remember, he's the one they killed. Yeah. Let's remember that somebody besides us knew he was a radical and, for a number of people, a serious problem. He was the one that they had to put down. Now, that didn't mean that other folks did not also suffer,

but it was vitally important for the people who were opposed to the rights, not only of people of color, but period, to the rights of people who did not fit comfortably in their understanding of who should be superior. He was a problem. He was not just a radical. He was a political problem. And they took him down and made the huge mistake of making him greater. They didn't intend to make him greater.

Make him greater, essentially essentially than perhaps what he could have been or would have been had he lived that bothers me but at the same time i honor it i've had a lot of people uh since the election who have been frustrated who who've been sad, who've been angry, depressed, despondent. Folks say, look, I don't want to watch nothing. I don't want to hear nothing. I wish I could leave the country. And I understood it, but it also pissed me off. I understand that.

And the reason it pissed me off is because our ancestors, they couldn't give up. That's right, brother. And so what bothers me is when I hear people say that, I get stepping away, taking a pause, getting a breather, because King did it. Yep, yep. Fann Lou Hamer did it. Yep, yep. John Lewis did it. Yes, sir.

Had Bill LaFontaine flew several of them to Africa for a vacation, but then they come back to the work. Roland Martin did it. And I think that's what we have to get people to understand. You have to, you cannot check out of this fight. The theme for my organization is we still believe. We still believe. We still believe. No matter what the circumstances are, this is not something that our people have not gone through before historically. We had to get up from all sorts of things, wash our face, put on some shoes, get dressed and get out there again and continue to fight. And you know what he said about the arc of justice. It goes in and it backs up a little bit, and then it goes further, and it backs up a little bit, and then it goes further. That is what got us to the place where we are now.

We can't give up. We're not done. We're not finished. We have more to do, and we have so many examples among us i like you am not going to allow this current circumstance to take away from us our freedom our joy our self-affirmation and our connection to the divine we still believe. Absolutely. Yes. I appreciate it.

I love you, man. Thanks so much. God bless you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Folks, as I said, lots are happening. Lots are happening. And a little bit earlier today, Reverend Dr. William Barber was the keynote speaker for the King Center's annual celebration that took place at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Here is some of what he had to say along with Reverend Dr. Bernice King,

the daughter of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Today marks 40 years since the inception of the national holiday, and this is only the third time it has coincided with the presidential inauguration. However, this time it has become a major factor for so many people because of the notable contrast in the two men who are sharing the same space in today's news cycle and on today's Gregorian calendar. For some, today's inauguration represents the best of times. Make America great again. And for others, it highlights the worst of times.

Set America back again. For some, today's King holiday represents a day to champion freedom, justice, and democracy. For others, it's a day to decry D.E.I., disavow a legacy of peace, love and justice and distort the meaning of King's words. But regardless of how this day shows up for you, we must remember the mission and be in pursuit of it. Now, one of the most important words in the Holy Bible is remember. It is when the children of Israel forgot that they lost ground, were set back, and became subject to ruthless leaders. Instead of focusing on the land that God had promised them, the people were afraid and complained about the obstacles and the enemies.

As a result, the very thing they feared came upon them, and that generation never reached the promised land. My father and those that aligned with his leadership were faced with impossible circumstances. They dealt with recalcitrant and defiant leaders. They lacked political representation. They didn't have laws or policies in place to buttress them. Yet they didn't recoil or retreat. In spite of Bull Connor and his dogs, water hoses, and billy clubs. In spite of Governor George Wallace, who said segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever. In spite of Sheriff Jim Clark, who used violence to beat back people seeking to register to vote, in spite of Southern Dixiecrats who were determined to keep segregation legal by signing a Southern manifesto,

today's Project 2025. Despite all they faced, it was with the power of a soul force generated by love, a spiritual determination to stay focused on mission, and a belief that with God nothing is impossible, that they were able to destroy de jure by law segregation without destroying people. They were able to get the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act signed into law. They understood that the mission was greater than any political party or governor, mayor, police commissioner, congressperson, senator, or president. It was a mission ultimately commanded by God to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. So I say to you, let us stay woke. Let us stay engaged. Let us not falter. Let us not stop. Let us not give up nor give out.

We may get bruised. We may even get scars. We may face setbacks, but remember setbacks sometimes are set ups. We may suffer disappointments, but in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., we must accept finite disappointment, but never, ever lose infinite hope. Let us remember the mission, that it transcends any one administration and any one generation. For as my mother said, struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won. You earn it and you win it in every generation. Let's rise to the challenge to win it in this generation. Let us use the sole force of

love to defend freedom, justice, and democracy. Let us stand up with an unwavering faith, let us embrace the spirit of Nonviolence 365 and let us declare together the mission is possible. I consider it a privilege to represent the people of Atlanta every day and each year as we gather to honor Dr. King's vision, courage, and commitment to justice. I hear people say that they love Dr. King, they love King's message, and they love his vision. And I'm a deacon of a Baptist church here in Atlanta, and my pastor often says that love ought to look like something. You see, love ought to look like something. In John chapter 21, verse 15 through 17, you have Jesus asking Peter, Simon, Peter, do you love me? And Peter says, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And then Jesus says, feed my sheep. And then Jesus asked Peter again, Simon, Peter, do you love me?

And Peter answers, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And Jesus says, take care of my sheep. Then a third time, Jesus asked Simon, Peter, son of John, do you love me? And Peter says, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. And Jesus says, feed my sheep. Three times he told him that if you love me, feed my sheep. Love ought to look like something. Love ought to look like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, healing the sick, housing the homeless, teaching and developing the youth, providing for our aging seniors and widows, standing up against injustice, consoling the brokenhearted.

Love ought to look like something. People who say they love freedom are talking about mass deportation. And the truth is, the rules that they are talking about using, if they were used 100 years ago, their own grandmamas couldn't have got in the country. On the one hand, every public official, particularly in the Congress, swears to uphold the Constitution, put their hand on the Bible and swear to establish justice and promote

the general welfare. But after they swear, they pass laws that prey, P-R-E-Y, on the very people who need justice the most. And when you look at the disparate impact of those policies, you wonder if they know what's in the Constitution or what's in the Bible. They use either trickle-down economics or neoliberalism. Both of them, as Pope Francis has said, create a kind of magical evil that does not address the issues of our time.

Here we are talking about saving TikTok, and we haven't saved 140 million poor folk in this country yet. Did you know that poverty now, that it's 140 million, 43% of the nation, 51% of our children, 60% of black folk are poor and low wealth, that's 26 million people, 30% of white people are poor and low wealth, that's 26, 66 million people. And the truth of the matter is when it comes to poverty, if you can't pay your light bill, we all black in the dark

and if your children don't have anything to eat, your children don't have anything to eat, they don't growl white, their stomachs don't growl black, they growl hungry. This is no time to be at ease in Zion. We must go forward together, black and white and brown and Asian and native and young and old and north and south and east and west and gay and straight. We are America and we must declare we ain't going nowhere but forward.

That's because we know who we are. We come from a tradition. In 1854, when the Supreme Court ruled that a black man had no right, or black people had no right, that white people had to respect frederick douglas said perhaps this decision as monstrous as it is is a necessary link in the chain of events to the whole downfall of slavery therefore let it embolden and intensify our agitation somebody asked harriet tummer what do you think about the decision of the Supreme Court? She said, is God dead? I might not get there with you,

but we as a people will get to the promised land. And you do understand how you see the glory. When you meet hate with love, you can see the glory. When you meet meanness with mercy, you can see the glory. When you meet meanness with mercy, you can see the glory. When you meet evil and greed with Sabbath economics of giving, you can see the glory.

When you meet lies with the truth, you can see the glory. When you meet treachery with triumphant love, you can see the glory. That's when we see the glory. Oh, hallelujah one of the writers uh jerry and mopemond said you see the glory when people of faith see things that are wrong and they decide to put their hands and their bodies to work to change that that is wrong that's when hope comes hope comes when you go to work. for the repairs of the breach for this interfaith service that's going to be starting in less than 30 minutes. Joining me right now is Reverend Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson,

General Minister, President, CEO, United Church of Christ. You've got lots of titles there. There's a whole lot of titles going on. Let's talk about, for folks who don't understand, why it's important to first talk, listen, discuss what the issues are before just stepping out there and having a march, having a rally. Over the weekend, there was a march in Washington, D.C., and I was in a group chat, and folks were like, what were they marching? What were they doing? I said, if you're marching with no purpose, all you're doing is just adding steps to your health app on your iPhone. That's right. That's right. And somebody was like, okay, I need to use that one.

Because, again, you're just taking a walk for that day as opposed to doing it for a reason. That's right. So a part of our work together really is around making sure that people understand the issues. And the only way that's going to really happen is in conversation. The cycles that we use and the places that we achieve information are not always conducive to providing us with the right information. Right. And so the conversations that need to happen, our ability to listen. For example, we encouraged people today to listen to the inaugural address from the 47th president. Yeah, we did. Yeah, we didn't cover it. We didn't talk about it.

That's right. Our whole deal was is today's MLK Day. But I got you. I got you. But that's a part of the listening as well. Right. We cannot respond to what we haven't heard or what we don't understand. And in the middle of this MLK Day, it was important not just to say, well, we're going to celebrate the light, but we're going to contextualize what this moment means for the juxtaposition of these two things. So it's important for people to have an awareness of the why before we move towards action. Ambassador Andrew Young often says, we've had this conversation

many times where he says, he said, he said, Roland, Martin is no longer with us in the physical. He said, but the reality is every day somewhere around the world he is being talked about, he is being mentioned. And I believe one of the greatest mistakes that we make, I mean people overall, but specifically black folks, is that we have locked them into a time capsule and folks refer to only one two maybe three speeches uh but are not understanding all that he was about and the fact that he literally left us a blueprint a a plan of action and in that sermon on april 3rd 1968 he literally says we have to do these things if you stay unified to do it. He literally says that. Yes, yes.

And that's why you're anticipating some of what I'm saying tonight, because that's some of what I'm saying, that his legacy does afford a signpost for this moment, if we're willing to see it and move beyond the sound bites and the quotes and really look at his speeches and listen to what he has been saying you know i was uh i was at cnn for six years and even before i officially joined them i hate it when they would call me and they would say well uh dr king's dream and i was i would always say okay first of all i get that part but i need you to deal with the nightmare that he described before he got to the dream part i said because if you don't deal with that stuff that you can't get to what he said at the bottom yes exactly and his message

is also to the church right i mean letter from birmingham jail right was written to the church to clergy who did not support the work that he was doing. And it was very specific with white clergy, too. Them, too. Yes. And so in this moment, it's important that in the church, we understand the message of Dr. King, and that we look for ways that we're going to live out the legacy in meaningful ways that are about unity, it's about beloved community,

it's about our own witness, it's about justice. And so that's a part of why we're here. I talk a lot about that April 3rd sermon because I remind people that the mountaintop portion was only two, two and a half minutes, but it was a 43-minute, 16-second speech. It was also a radical economic speech where he talked about supporting black banks, supporting black insurance companies, supporting black-owned businesses, and not doing business with people who don't want to do business with us. So here we are in a world where corporations are getting rid of DEI programs.

That's right. They're getting rid of their supply diversity programs. And he made it clear that he's, what did he say? We don't have to throw one Molotov cocktail. He said we can simply just do economic withdrawal. That's right. And we need to be able to see that there is a lot of power, right, in our pockets, power in our witness, power in our voices,

and be willing, I think, to move across the divides that are even with our own communities and be able to put strength behind what it is that we're saying we're doing. What do you say to that millennial, that Gen Z, that Generation Alpha who doesn't go to church? Pastor Jamal Brown and I talked about this here, that the Black Lives Matter movement was the first time in history that there was a movement of black people that was not led by the church. So you have a lot of people who don't go to church. They say they've been turned off by the church.

But the thing I try to remind them though that you can say all of those things when you talk about organizing and mobilizing you have to have an institution and a body of people to do it and the reality is for black folks there is no larger group of or or congregation of our people once a week, then in the black church, it's just a matter of having those black church leaders be infused with a lot of what King and Abernathy and the Young and Reverend Jackson and so many others were focused on.

That's right. The church is there, and I think that institutionally, we need to be able to get beyond ourselves, that we've become entrenched and mired, I think, in some of the isms that the church has bought into. And so to be able to see ourselves as a part of the mechanisms that are present for change, right, rather than saying, well, this is what the church isn't doing. How about we come in? Right. And we write be the change. Right. To motivate, to galvanize, to get to those places that we think that we want to go. Reminds me of the pastor who said that he had a church member who said, Pastor, if my church worker could could just hear you and meet you, and he looks and he said,

so why didn't you bring your person you work with to church with you? And the person looked at him like he was crazy and said, that's your job. That's right. And this person was literally like, why are you front of me? No, no, that's your, you are to you are to reach out there and talk to them versus me doing all the work. And I think that's also, I think a huge issue because a lot of people expect pastors should be doing this.

The church should be doing this. And yeah, it's sort of like, okay, what you doing? What are you doing? And that's the big question, right? In the why we're here. Why are you here? This moment is not about one, any one person, right? It's about all of us. But in order for all of us to do this, each one of us has to find our way into understanding

the why we're here. What is the power that we hold that we can contribute into the movement, right? We entitled this for such a time as this. And this is a moment for all of us to begin to ask the question, what do I bring? What are the privileges that I hold? Right. What are the spaces that I have access to? And how can I begin to bring that message into change that we want to see? All right. Reverend Dr. Thompson, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. All right, Folks, we are in Memphis. And first of all, this event is going to be starting in less than 20 minutes. And so we're going to be broadcasting it live right here. As I said, we are in Memphis.

This is where Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel, now called the National Civil Rights Museum. Earlier today, the museum had their MLK Day celebration, which we also live stream. Here is some of that event. What's Dr. King most passionate about in his last few years of his life? We're talking about post the Voting Rights Act of 1965. What do you think he would have wanted to accomplish by then? Well, as we move into the final years of Dr. King's life, it's clear that he has shifted emphasis away from sort of social issues, away from politics, and focused explicitly on economics. Now, of course, politics and social aspects are all connected to economics, but

economics become the center of his interest and specifically fighting against poverty. He understood that this nation could not achieve all of its goals as long as people were still mired in poverty. He thought it was one of the great tragedies that the richest nation in the world still had people who did not know where their next meal was coming from, who did not live in decent shelter. And so he felt eradicating poverty was key to moving this society forward. And so economics become the centerpiece of all of his organizing work in the last few years of his life. Most definitely. And then when you start thinking about Dr. King's shifting of his philosophy, he comes and he runs into this

rising black power movement. So the likes of those like Stokely Carmichael, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee takes a shift. How does Dr. King intermingle with these other young militants who have different philosophies but are still advocating for the same cause that he is? Well, there has always been, you know, conflict might be too strong a term, but there have always been differences in approach and tactics among those who were fighting for freedom but the goal across the board has always been the same to secure basic civil rights and human rights to secure freedom so in that sense they were operating from you know they had the same mission although they were operating from different playbooks but dr king was very much um under very much understood sort of where these militants, civil rights, black power activists were coming from. Now, people often say, well, Dr. King was critical of black power. No, he said the term was politically problematic. Basically, he was like, you put black and power

together, you're going to scare white people, right? But he said, I understand where not only the sentiment is coming from, a frustration with the slow pace of progress, but he also understand the critique. So what black power brings to the table is a critique of systems and structures, right? Saying, look, if you want to create freedom, if you want to lead black folk to freedom, then you have to change basic political systems and economic structures. Dr. King fundamentally understood that, but he felt the focus was more connected to hearts and minds. You've got to change hearts and minds in order to get people on board with changing systems and structures. Black power activists were like, to heck with hearts and minds. We're going to change these systems and structures and let the hearts and minds follow. How was Dr. King able to navigate the political status quo to collaborate

toward the higher goal of obtaining civil and human rights? What lessons can we learn about how he moved the mission forward and included allies from all walks of life? Navigate, I think, in that question does a lot of work because that's exactly what he had to do. He had to navigate waters that were quite treacherous, political waters that were quite treacherous. And at times he was very successful and at other times he was unsuccessful. I mean, one of the things he had to navigate was with white liberal allies and outside the south you know he was never really able to sort of successfully navigate the the the waters that were um being uh stirred up by segregationists that's half the country right he was like now that didn't work those appeals to

moral consciousness in the south never materialized he was never able to, the white moderate never materialized in the South. So in that sense, he was unable to successfully navigate those waters in terms of creating new allies, although he did survive them until he didn't. But the white liberals, right, sort of the good white folk, right, who he was supposed to be appealing to outside of the South, including Lyndon Johnson. He's able to sort of bring in allies and broaden the tent until he began to talk about things that affected the society as a whole and not just black folk, right? When he began to talk about economic issues, when he began to talk about and offer a very striding critique of capitalism. He had always been critical of capitalism, but when that becomes front and center of

his political discourse, then it becomes problematic. He does not successfully navigate the political waters on the left, on sort of the Democratic left, the liberal left, when it comes to the war in Vietnam. There, when he has that crisis of conscience and says, I can't be for nonviolence at home and be silent on violence overseas, when he comes out against the Vietnam War in April of 1967, then suddenly that was like dropping a bomb in those waters because that boat begins to sink. You know, so in that sense, you know, he didn't success. He tried to navigate. He tried to let his sort of moral conscience guide him.

But navigating those treacherous political waters, you know, he was very unsuccessful. We look back at it now and say everyone was a fan of Dr. King, right? Why can't we all just be more like Dr. King in the way he was able to successfully bring everybody together? Well, that ain't never happened, right? I mean, there were moments where he was successful, but more often than not, in terms of bringing in folk who were in opposition to what he was standing for. He was unsuccessful. Didn't mean that he didn't continue to try. Didn't mean that he wasn't right. He just wasn't successful. He uses this phrase, the beloved community. What examples do we see of the beloved community Dr. King referred to? And what can we do to better help realize this

concept for future generations? Well, the beloved community is an idea rather than a place. And so it's aspirational. How do we create a community? How do we create a society in which everyone bears a responsibility for everyone else? This idea that those of us with means are willing to help those without, are willing to go without to make sure that everyone has what they need. So it's an aspirational way of organizing and living in society, a way that is driven by love as opposed to hate a way that a society that is that is committed to sharing as a as a resources as opposed to as opposed to hoarding resources and so you know where do we see it again we don't see it necessarily in in a place we see it in the

actions of people we see it in these organizations that existed then and exist now, benevolent societies, that people who come together to deal with or to provide assistance to those who are without homes, to provide assistance to those who are dealing with health care issues and can't afford the cost of health care. We see the beloved community in strangers coming together and not judging people by the assumptions that they make based upon their appearance or their religious beliefs or not, but saying, who are you? And I want to meet you. I want to engage with you. I want to interact with you based upon who you are and not based upon who I think you are. And so, you know, Dr. King, you know, one of the things that's so admirable about Dr. King is not only his commitment to change, but his commitment to people,

right? And saying that, you know, we literally are a society that's woven together. Our lives, our communities are connected. They're inextricably linked. And in order for all of us to thrive, then each of us has to have the opportunity to do the same. So this idea of, you know, we can come together and build something greater than has ever existed is rooted in this idea of recognizing people's humanity and the humanity of people among those who you do not know personally, right? And if we're able to do that, and those examples that we see of people willing and caring to care for others, not just in times of crisis, but in times of calm, that's what Dr. King

aspired for us to achieve folks we are live here in memphis tennessee at healing cathedral christian church disciples of christ uh for the repairs of the breach interfaith service and moral mass meeting it is the prophetic response to America's defining moment. This is a gathering of religious congregations from all across the world. They have been having listening sessions all day. And so this interfaith service is set to begin officially, officially in two minutes. But this, of course, is the choir that's getting everything started. So let's listen to a little bit of the choir before we go to our next item. How many people woke up this morning?

Early. How many people woke up before 5 a.m.? These are our overachievers. We love you. But I guarantee you that when you woke up this morning, you may have had a few things on your mind, but one thing you definitely had on your mind was justice and freedom and truth and love. Oh, my choir sat down on me.

Can you stand one more time? Yeah, you get a workout. Woke up this morning with my mind. Stayed on freedom. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I woke up this morning with my mind I said I woke up this morning with my mind.

You know I woke up this morning with my mind. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I woke up this morning with my mind It was early but I got up and I had my mind You know I woke up this morning with my mind Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah With my mind Hallelujah

Hallelujah Hallelujah Yeah, yeah, yeah I'm walking and talking With my mind And then I'm singing and praying We are here in Memphis for Mr. Parris of the Breach Interfaith Service

that is really focusing on getting folks ready for a very serious agenda to tackle issues in this country over the next four years of these crazed, deranged right-wingers who are now in power. Of course, Vice President Kamala Harris is no longer Vice President of the United States. She and the second gentleman, Doug Imhoff, traveled back to Los Angeles, where she was going to work an area offering aid to folks who have been impacted by the fires in California. But late last night, her staff posted this video talking about her tenure. And so before this program kicks off, we want to be able to share this with you in the here in the own words of Vice President Kamala Harris, as she says her goodbyes, Vice President,

the 49th Vice President of the United States to America. I've seen this photograph, but this is the first time I'm looking at it this way. Actually, this is the first time I've seen this photograph. This is the first time I'm looking at it this way, where I realized that as I'm raising my right hand, you can see Justice Sotomay of Ms. Shelton, an extraordinary person in my life, and as we have always thought of her, our second mother. And I also asked to borrow Thurgood Marshall's Bible. And my darling husband, Dougie, is looking at me while I take the oath to become the 49th Vice President of the United States. Only two weeks after there was a riot on our Capitol. And I have taken the oath to support and defend the Constitution many times.

And that day taking that oath had a particular resonance, given the fact that we have sadly learned that not everyone takes that oath seriously. This photograph shows my arrival at West Point at the Military academy to give the commencement speech. And the cadets are saluting me as I walk toward the stage. And I've had the distinction then of giving a commencement speech at four military academies at West Point for the Marines, for the Coast Guard, and for the Air Force. So it has been my great honor. I think there's no more noble work than being prepared to serve and sacrifice for the sake of our nation's safety, security, and prosperity. Here I am standing on Interstate 95 with these most highly skilled and talented working people who rebuilt that interstate in record time.

They worked around the clock, and they do such good work, and it was a really enjoyable day to celebrate them, and I was there to thank them for their work. And I'm very proud that we have been the most pro-union administration in history. Alright folks, here's what we're going to do. The program here in Memphis has already started. So I'm going to play that full video. So let it be the video in full at the conclusion of this event. And so let's go ahead and go to the podium here in Memphis. Morning, Spencers. So let's go ahead and go to the podium here in Memphis. Why don't you join me at the altar on the morning bench at Swift Creek Missionary Baptist Church on the backside of Macon, Georgia.

A charge to keep, I have. God to glorify. Never dying soul to save and fit it for the sky. We come calling on the children of the continent. We come calling on the ones that the creator had in the ancient soils. We come calling on the Chickasaw and the Choctaw who were here on these lands. We come calling on the Dahomey and the Hauser, the Yoruba and the Dagar, the Maasai and the Akan, the Fon and the Ashanti.

We call on the ancient ones. We give thanks to our creator for the millennia of lineages that we stand in descendants of. We give thanks for those who left by their will and against their will. We give thanks for those who jumped into the depths of the ocean because they rather die than see themselves in capture. We give thanks for those who lived through Jim and Jane Crow South. We give thanks for the ones who caught the babies. We give thanks for the ones who started our churches and our faith traditions here on these lands and these soils. We give thanks for the kitchen committee and the women who funded the movement. We give thanks for the men who shuttled domestic workers to their jobs during the busboy couch. We give thanks for school teachers and the candy

lady. We give thanks for those who drove taxis. We give thanks for those who worked at the mill. We give thanks for those who did what they could do that they might dream of and call us into this moment we call on our great elder jesus the christ we call on mary's baby we call him rabbi now we call him yahushua we call on the lineage that supports all of our traditions and we honor them We give thanks because we know it is your charge that we are keeping. It is our collective God that we are glorifying. We know that it is our never-dying souls that we connect with in heaven's sky. We ask for the ashe and the power, the strategy and the support of Mega Evers and Ella Baker,

Malcolm X and Prathia Hall, Emmett Till and Paulie Murray, Martin Luther King Sr., Alberta Williams King, Coretta Scott King, Christine King Ferris, Yolanda King, Dexter King,

and yes, Martin Luther King Jr. We call on you. We ask that you support the ones that are yet coming to join you, that have joined you recently like Trayvon Martin and Sandra Bland, Ahmaud Arbery, and

Breonna Taylor. We call on you. We bless you. We venerate your presence and we ask that you conspire with us to serve this present age our callings to fulfill all may all of our collective powers engage to do our Creator's will I say I say I say Say, I say, oh! Thank you. I'm lost in your word, dear Lord. Leave me, guide me, never regret. In your glory, Father, I pray for you, Father, I pray for you. steps in your heart, dear Lord.

Lead me, guide me, never retake. In your anointing power I pray. Order my steps in your

word. Please order my steps I ask thee, teach me your will. While you are working, help me be still. For Satan is busy, God is real. Order my steps in your word. Please order my steps in your word Lord of my steps Lord of my steps

Lord of my steps Lord of my house, of day and night. Please order my steps in your word. Please order my steps in your word. I want to walk worthy. I want to walk with you By calling to my name For myself

Lord I'll do your blessing Your word is ever changing I'll do your blessing for you. The world is ever changing. The world is ever changing. But you are still the same. I'll pray. I'll pray. You're know, you'll know.

I want to walk worthy by calling to fulfill If you're one of my children I'll do, I'll do Your blessing will heal you The world is ever changing, but you are still the same. I'll praise, I'll praise, I'll praise your name. I want to walk worthy I want to walk worthy By calling to both fields Please, Lord, I want to walk worthy

I'll do, I'll praise you The world is ever changing The world is ever changing But you are still the same I'll praise I'll praise I'll praise Your name

I'll praise Your name Water my steps Water my tongue It's Your Word steps Show me how to talk in your word If I need a brand new song to sing Show me how Oh, praise and praise In your word

In your word In your word In your word In your word In your word In your word In your word Lord, I stand in your arms. Please, Lord, I stand in your arms. Lord, I stand in your arms.

Lord, I stand in your arms. Oh, my step to go. Oh, my step to go. Yes, yes Order our steps, Lord Yes, yes Come on now Order our steps We are unafraid But we want you to order our steps

Yes Yes Yes are unafraid, but we want you to order our tips. Yay! Yay. Yeah. Glory be. Friends, we are joined this evening by a multitude of people. I need you to know that right now we're streaming live on Roland Martin. I want you to know that right now we're streaming live on Roland Martin. I want you to know that we are cross-posting across the world, including Brazil, including Germany. We are being cross-posted on the World Council of Churches. We have sites all over the country. Count them. 96 satellite sites across the United Nations.

We are here and we will not be ignored. My friends, we are here for such a time as this. Right now we're going to be enjoying our welcome from the very one and only Pastor Tyrone Hunt, who is the pastor, and the amazing congregation who's hosting us here at Healing Cathedral Christian Church. And of course, we have our beloved Reverend Dr. Alvin O. Jackson, who will be doing our call to worship. Amen. Why don't you say amen again? Amen greet you with Jesus joy on tonight. Greetings my brothers and sisters as you've come from far and near to gather here in this sacred space and place to make a moral declaration for a more equitable future for all of God's children. I just want you to know that we here at the Healing Cathedral Christian Church, we stand in solidarity with you

as we walk together with prophetic feet to fulfill the call of God. Let justice run down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. You are welcome in this place. Amen. Thank you. Thank you, Pastor Hunt. Let's give God a big hand clap of praise for our host pastor and for the Healing Cathedral, Christian Church Disciples of Christ. Amen.

Just remain standing. We're going to have offering baskets as you leave tonight. And we want you to leave a little offering. For the ministry of Healing Cathedral Christian Church. They open their doors. Ask nothing of us. happy to have us come So let's leave a little offering as we leave tonight Our call to worship We come with many names

for the holy God Allah Great Spirit, Brahm, and those too sacred to voice. And though we come called by different teachers, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Moses, and others, all our sacred texts and traditions affirm justice, love, care, compassion, and dignity for all. And so we come tonight to worship and raise our voices. We raise our voices. We raise our voices until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. We raise our voices until every valley is exalted and every hill and

mountain brought low. We raise our voices until rough places are made plain and the crooked straight. We raise our voices. We raise our voices until God's glory is revealed and all flesh shall see it together. We raise our voices and we come this night to worship the holy. Let the moral mass meeting begin and our worship of the holy. Amen. Join with me in the congregational response in your bulletin. We are called to unity. We are called to justice. We are called for such a time as this. With faith, we unite.

With hope, we persist. With love, we journey towards justice. Amen. Amen. Thank you. We are going to follow the program as outlined so y'all don't have to see us again, come back up here.

Amen. Amen. So please participants, limit your time as we have discussed as we're going to follow the program as it has been outlined. Thank you. Sisters, brothers, siblings, please hear these words of sacred scripture.

First, a reading from Micah. With what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before God with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul. God has told you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? And now from the book of Esther. Mordecai told them to reply to Esther,

Do not think that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at a time such as this, relief and deliverance will rise from the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this. Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf. Neither eat nor drink for three days, day or night. I and my maids will also fast as you do.

And after that I will go to the king, though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. These are sacred readings for courage and for the time just as this. Om Sri Sairam Gurudev Dutta. I offer my salutations to my Guru, Sri Vishwamji Maharaj, and to all my brothers and sisters who are gathered here. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. So I would like to offer a simple chant in Sanskrit.

It's a prayer for knowledge and peace. Because seeking the right knowledge is very important as it leads to truth and peace. So it goes as follows. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Which means, I pray that I am led from the untruth to the truth. May I be led from the phenomenal world to the reality of the eternal self, the one that is all there is. May I be led from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge. May I be led from death to immortality. Meaning to be free from the world of material attachment to the world of self-realization.

Let there be peace, peace and peace. The wise sages of the Sanatana Dharma always said that we are children of Mother Earth. And we belong to only one family. We belong to her family. We belong to Mother Earth. And in Sanskrit, it is called Vasudhaika Kutumbam. There's only one religion, the religion of love. There's only one caste, the caste of humanity. There is only one God and his omnipotent and omnipresent. The Upanishads, which are the sacred text of Sanatana, claim that Ekam Sat Vipra Bahuda Vadanti means the truth is only one, but the wise call it by many names. Meaning that though there may be many interpretations and many names of the ultimate reality, God or truth, is singular.

I hope and pray that in the next few years and the future, we can all come together as one family, only one family, and unitedly work to bring peace to all the people in the world. And we need to unite to prevent environmental danger that is hurting our home, this Mother Earth. We are seeing the fires raging in California, the storms and hurricanes that's affecting the coastal areas and all over the world. But together we can prevent hunger and stop wars and instead bring health and peace to all. How can we see our brothers and sisters suffer and remain indifferent. So I close by stating the ask of the divine that is chanted at the end

of each Sanatan prayer. It says, Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu May all the beings in all the worlds be happy and may all the beings be peaceful. Om Shanti Shanti

Shanti. Thank you. Good evening and peace be unto you. As-salamu alaykum. My name is Waleed Shaheed. I'm with Masjid Al-Mu'minun of Memphis, Tennessee. Very pleased to be here this afternoon with this gathering of the Interfaith and Moral Mass meeting. We received this invitation via Imam Oliver Muhammad out of North Carolina, and we're very pleased to accept it. I did not know that it would entail a sacred reading, but it is a saying in Islam, it says the one who doesn't have scripture in his heart is like a ruined building. So, you know, rather than having it on paper, and it's necessary sometime, we need to have it internally. This is a time in which we need moral barometers more than ever. But I will, in respect of brevity, give you the shortest scriptural reading you have had in such a

gathering. This is from the Holy Quran, which is the revealed scripture for Muslims, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, over 1450 years ago, and purported to be the last revelation. And I'm reading from surah five or surah two pardon me ayat two and it begins audhu billahi minna shaitanir rajim that is I seek refuge with Almighty God from Satan the rejected enemy. So we have created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is the one who has taqwa. Verily, almighty God is all-knowing, all-wise. Amen. Amen. Amen. We would like all the speakers, they are coming up that you're in line.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, nam-myoho-renge-kyo, nam-myoho-renge-kyo, nam-myoho-renge-kyo, nam-myoho-renge-kyo, nam-myoho-renge-kyo, nam-myoho-renge-kyo, nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Good evening. My name is Lawrence Albert, and I am an assistant professor of music here at Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi. And so this is what Nichiren Buddhists across the world, in 192 countries, that practice this particular school are concentrating on constantly to be an influence of positivity, good, strength, encouragement, happiness, wisdom, courage. All of these things are what we try to bring about through our actions, our words, our deeds,

every day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And so I will just leave you with a little bit more of this mantra. And I wish that these next four years that we will all take it upon ourselves to be the true energy forces on this planet for good, for happiness, and for peace. World peace is of utmost importance right now to us. All of us who are interested in gathering together on a day like this, who are determined to dedicate our lives to bringing this about,

to making sure that this happens, in spite of anything that might be thrown at us in terms of phenomenon. We will determine to have the strength, the courage, the wisdom, and the compassion necessary to transform these negativities into positivity. We call that changing poison into medicine.

So I will leave you with our mantra, Nam Myoho Rengekyo. I dedicate my life to the mystic law of the Lotus Sutra through sound. Thank you, and have a happy new year. Amen. I bring a sacred, secular text from Dr. King himself. I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the 8th century prophets left their little villages and carried their, thus saith Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to practically every hamlet, city, and city of the Greco-Roman world, I, too, am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular hometown.

Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid. Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Never again can we say we can we afford to live with the narrow provincial outside agitator ideas. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider. You deplore the demonstrations that are presently taking place in Birmingham, but I am sorry

that your statement did not express a similar concern for the conditions that brought the demonstrations into being. I am sure that each of you would want to go beyond the superficial social analyst who looks merely at effects and does not grapple with the underlying causes. I would not hesitate to say that it is unfortunate that so-called demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham at this time, but I would say in more emphatic terms that it is even more unfortunate that the white power structure of this city left the Negro community with no other alternative. Ashe and amen. And join me in the congregational response. We are called to unity. We are called to justice. We are called for such a time as this.

With faith, we are united. With hope, we persist. With love, we journey toward justice. Let the church say amen. Let the people say ashe. We are gathered here in this moment and if you have not already felt the spirit, we have a few more minutes for you, so you can catch up, because truly the spirit of the God Almighty is present with us in this place. I want to start with the words of a poem that I wrote in 2017, the words of which seem appropriate in this moment. The poem is entitled, Complicit. Measure the silence in beats of compassion.

How long before you speak? The world needs your voice to speak while others weep. Silence is for those who sleep. Measure the silence in the breaths between their screams. How long before you hear the sounds of hearts breaking in defeat and despair? Silence is for those who don't care. Measure the silence in the depths of their teardrops. Another child dies in her mother's arms, hunger gnaws at their bellies. No food for miles.

Silence is for those spewing bile. Measure the silence in the heartbeats of the hopeless. Cry because you must. Because your soul aches for justice, grasping at peace. No need for despair. Silence is for those who won't hear. Measure the silence in the syllables of repackaged truth. The system is abusive. Justice is elusive. Scream your truth. Run from hate and fear.

Silence is for those who are living dead. This morning we gathered with siblings over at the Church of the River to watch the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States. We give thanks to the repairers of the breach for their preparation for their vision and their leadership in that listening session which was powerful. The community gathering that we had meant that we were not alone in confronting a vision placed before this nation and the world, a vision which invokes fear, false narratives of freedom, and one that sows seeds of despair.

We listened confounded by a vision that hearkened back to a golden age in a country where economic prosperity was achieved for some at the expense of others. We listened together and somewhere along the way we found hope with each other and in knowing that we are not alone. We are here together, a sign of the strength and fortitude that is present in the faith community. We are here holding on to the vision for a world where justice prevails. Justice that is rooted in our faith and commitment to love and to care for each other. In the book of Haggai, the prophet cried out before God in complaint. The prophet said, O Lord, how long shall I cry for help? And you will not listen.

Or cry to you violence and you will not save. Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife and contention arise. So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous, therefore judgment comes forth perverted. The cry for help has gone out from generation to generation. Our ancestors cried out to the heavens from the pits of oppression, enslavement, racism,

poverty, lack of education, sexism, violence. They cried out to the divine, believing that change could happen. That better days would come. The lives we live are rooted in the sacrifices they made, in the ways in which they courageously stood up and resisted the tyranny of their day. History tends to repeat itself because we tend to forget the places we come from. How long shall I cry for help? Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Why are we seeing this government prevail?

Why are we watching the wrong that is about to happen in our communities? Why God, just why? The prophet cried out and God answered. We have been crying out. Are we ready for the answer that God is providing. The answer came. Write the vision. Make it plain on tablets so that a runner may read it for there is still a vision for the appointed time. It speaks of the end and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it. It will surely come. It will not delay. Are you ready to write the vision? Are you ready to find your place and calling in these days that lie ahead? Are you willing to do the work that is necessary to ensure that all are free and fed and have access to living with their full human rights, with dignity and with respect.

Tonight we are here to write the vision and make it plain. Tonight we are here to declare that the love of God transcends all fear. We are here to declare that we are not afraid. We are here to declare that we are not afraid. We are here to declare we are not alone. We are here to declare we are ready for such a time as this. Today is a new day. Today we stand together to answer the call for justice and freedom, the call to address the challenges present in our communities and even in the world. A vision was cast this morning during the inauguration. We heard the vision and it is

not enough for this moment. We heard the vision and know that this moment presents a call to pick up the mantle laid down by our foremothers and our forefathers. A vision on this day to understand that the words, the actions, and the legacy and the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are not for studying or quoting in the abstract. I will remind us that Dr. King's letter to a Birmingham jail was written to the church, to clergy, to white clergy who objected to the movement and believed that waiting was the order of the day. What we have left as his legacy are signposts that point the way ahead

for the work that is calling us in this moment. We are called to be present in community. We are called to work. We are called to heal. We are called for such a time as this. This vision, this vision that we're casting is rooted in courage and hope. Fear is problematic to achieving the justice that we seek. Fear has the power to be debilitating if we allow it to be that. Or fear can push us to action well beyond our capacity and capabilities. That's where we need to be. This vision we're casting is about justice for all. We cannot and will not prioritize oppression. Instead, we are called to work at the intersections of the issues that prevail.

Addressing poverty is an intersectional issue, one which touches the lives of many in our communities. Women and children, the unemployed and underemployed, those whose lives are deemed to be outside of the social norms, continue to find themselves without the necessary resources for thriving and for abundant living. Racialized minorities, religious minorities, gender minorities, sexual minorities, communities affected by the climate crisis, migrant populations, and those displaced from their homes and countries by war, drought, economic and social crises. Worse it is as if these long disempowered are somehow made the blame for our present challenges. An inclusive vision is one that

pays attention to who is left out. To those whose rights are being trampled and provides the advocacy and solidarity needed to bring about changes that provide civil and human rights. Illusions of a colorblind and merit-based society ignore the inequities and inequalities that ensure those who hold privilege will continue to do so. Creating policies that ignore bodily autonomy and affirm heteronormativity constructs, push an agenda which fuels potential harm in LGBTQIA plus communities and for non-binary siblings. A vision for love and freedom is before us for the years that lie ahead. The issues are many. Our ability to take on the magnitude of injustices

inherent in what we heard today means this vision requires working together. This is work that moves us beyond our political and social ruminations and brings us to answer the call to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is the moment that has called us. In the aftermath of the elections, I wondered, what would it mean for us to come together and to have a common witness? What would it mean for us to share a common vision, to be in solidarity as a community? Could there be a collective way for us to speak in this moment?

Two months later, here we are. Despite the challenges present in what we heard today, it was a good day. The goodness of this day is not lodged in what we heard. The goodness of this day and the hope for this moment is present in our ability to come together and say say no more. We are here. We are here tonight to say that we are going to work together for the benefit of those whose lives will be disrupted by policies being proposed by this government. We are here to say the few will not benefit at the expense of the majority. And we are here to say that the love of God by many names brings us together and moves us forward

for such a time as this. We heard the Esther text. And boy, that's a story. It's one that's familiar to us, to some of us. As it happened, Esther and her people were being persecuted. And at the heart of it was her cousin Mordecai, who had raised her. And somehow she had found herself in the palace as the queen. When Mordecai went to her and spoke to her and said, hey, let me tell you what's going on, baby. She was concerned for her own safety. There was a warning for Esther, and perhaps there's a warning for us in this moment. Do not think that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place. But you and your father's family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps, just perhaps, you have come to royal dignity for such a time as this.

Wherever you find yourself placed at this moment in time, don't think you will escape. Silence is not an option. Perhaps you have been placed where you are for such a time as this. You are here for this time. You are here to bring your talents and your gifts to challenge the oppression of the day. You are here to bring voice to the challenges. You too get to write the vision alongside us in this moment. We will not bow down. We will not surrender to the principalities of this day. We will call on God. We will call on the ancestors. We will reach back and find courage in the

accomplishments of those who went on before. And we will live into the vision that calls and holds us for this day we will not turn back we will move forward together in resistance in the in the words of Bernice Reagan we who believe in freedom cannot rest we who believe in freedom cannot rest. We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes. We have work to do. You better watch the short women. I greet you in the name of Jesus and all that is good and right in the time in which we live. I greet you on behalf of the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries and City of Refuge United Church of Christ. And I believe that our theme for this year, which by the way is, We Still Believe, is integral for the moment that we are about to experience together. There is a song that was written by Thomas A. Dorsey many years ago, but a great and powerful song.

When my friend and brother, Bishop Carlton Pearson, amen, a part of so much and so many of our lives and ministries, as he was on his way to go into the presence of God, he said to me, he said, Bishop Yvette, it's going to get worse before it gets better. But God has a plan. And in a method about the coastal moment, I would say, turn to your neighbor and tell them God has a plan. So Thomas A Dorsey wrote a song, Precious Lord Take My Hand and Mahalia Jackson sang it and blessed us and blessed us and blessed us when Martin Luther King Jr. was being memorialized and remembered. I want to sing a little bit of that song today.

Amen. Precious Lord, take my hand lead me on and let me stand

Lord I get tired And let me stand Lord, I get tired I get weak I am worn through the storm, to the light. Take my hand, precious Lord. Just love And lead me Lead me home And win my way Hey!

Grows deep my way grows dear precious Lord would you linger here oh when my life is over Oh, when my life is all lost, Lord, hear my call. Hold my hand. Lest I fall. Take my hand. Pressure

And lead Lead me home Just one more step When at the river When at the river When at the river, when at the river, when at the river, Lord, I say, God, God. Take my hand, precious Lord, and lead me home. Lead me home. Oh, yeah Hallelujah Hallelujah Yeah, yeah, yeah

Oh, yeah Yeah, yeah Oh, yeah. Lord, I got to... All right. Don't make me sing. Lord, I got to follow that. Oh, man. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for inviting me here today. As we stand together in this moment of history, the air around us vibrates with a paradox. The ache of division and the hope for unity. This paradox calls us to be faithful in our unique roles as faith leaders and stewards of spiritual truth. Today I offer a prophetic response to the current state of our nation. This inaugural address that we watch today reminds me we got a hell of a lot of work to do. The founding vision of this nation is a vision of liberty and justice and equality remains incomplete. As we look around, we see communities burdened by systematic injustice, voices crying out for recognition and dignity, and an earth groaning under the weight of exploration. In such times, our role as faith leaders is not merely to observe, but to act,

with love and courage and unwavering commitment to truth. To be pastoral in this moment is to remind our communities that they are seen, they are heard, they are valued, and they are held as the beloved. Amid the turmoil, we must offer spaces of healing and refuge where fears can be named and hope rekindled. Let us hold the brokenhearted and affirm the inherent worth of every soul, refusing to allow despair to take root. To be prophetic is to speak truth to power. It is to call out the disparities and injustices that hinder the flourishing of all people. This nation's promise cannot be fulfilled

while inequality persists. Let us name these truths boldly, calling all to accountability and transformation, not with condemnation but with the assurance that justice and mercy walk hand in hand. To protest is to embody the holy discontent of our times. We must stand with those who demand change, amplify the cries of the oppressed and marginalized. Protesting is not just about resistance, it is about creating a pathway to the beloved community where every person is free to thrive. And finally, to be prayful is to root our actions in the divine with sacred activism. Prayer aligns us with the higher vision of love and unity that transcends human limitation.

In our prayers, we claim a future where swords are beaten into plowshares, where reconciliation replaces retribution, where the dream of liberty and justice for all becomes a living reality. Beloveds, the work we have ahead is not easy, but it is holy In this pivotal moment, let us rise to the challenge Let us hold the vision of a healed and united nation While doing the necessary work to bring it forth May our faith fuel our action

May our love be the light that guides the way because guess what? Love is still the answer. As I think of the profound collision of Dr. Martin Luther King Day with the inauguration of Donald Trump, I can't help but remember when Dr. King said that the church is meant to be the conscience of our nation. The church isn't meant to be the servant of the state or the master of the state. The church is meant to be the holy conscience of our country. And that's my prayer right now, that we would live into that vocation at such a time as this. To be that prophetic conscience, to be the salt on the earth, the light in the darkness, that we would speak love into the hatred and we would give them heaven when they give us hell. And I want to say, as I think of Dr. King on this particular historic moment, I think of a talk that he gave in 1956 called When Peace Becomes Obnoxious.

And we all love peace and unity, but there's a counterfeit peace. There's an obnoxious unity that comes when we ignore the injustice and the oppression of other people when our silence means complicity and so I think right now we pursue the holy unity that Jesus prayed for in his longest recorded prayer in the gospel of John that we would be one as God is one, but that we would also be one as a prophetic conscience in this particular moment in history. Dr. King said of the obnoxious peace and the obnoxious unity, he said, if peace means accepting second class citizenship, I don't want it. If peace means keeping my mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, I don't want it. I don't want that obnoxious peace, Dr. King said. If peace means being complacently adjusted to a deadening status quo, I don't want it.

He said if peace means a willingness to be exploited economically, dominated politically, humiliated and segregated, I don't want peace. He said in a passive, non-violent manner, we must revolt against that peace the obnoxious peace and so as we pray today and this year for unity and for peace let's also pray against the counterfeit peace against the obnoxious unity against the the facade that everything is okay when things are not okay. Because there are those who say peace, peace when there is no peace. And so we pray for our country to be revived, for our country to be moved by love rather than fear.

May it be so. Amen. Blessings. Amen. Blessings. Amen. I was among those this afternoon, this morning, that listened to the inaugural address of the 47th President of the United States. And I want to frame my response as one who now understands the power of prophetic listening. Saints of God, saints, people of faith everywhere, whatever you call holy, spiritually or textually to listen and then to respond to the injustices of the world in which we live. I speak as a Christian minister grounded in the particular practices of prayer that Jesus taught and fasting.

The Christian Bible, which includes the Hebrew Bible, unless you are grounded in the tradition and text of your faith tradition, you are not prepared to hear, you are not prepared to respond. So today as I was listening, who benefits? Let me tell you who benefits from what I heard. You have stock in an oil company, a gas company. Are you a climate denier? Do you believe that this is all just smoke and mirrors and that somehow the climate crisis is not real? Are you a racist? Are you xenophobic? Do you not like people who don't look like you or were not born in this country? Are you rich? You got money, you own a company that makes missiles? Are you one who wants to put tariffs and you misunderstand and you thrive that your revenue and your wealth is accumulated

through false and misleading information. If you're among those groups, then perhaps the message and the vision that we heard today was for you. But then we have to ask the question, who's missing? The poor. The unhoused. Those who are forced to leave their home countries due to war, violence, economic oppression, corruption, those who desire a hopeful vision for America, if you're in those groups, none of what was said today was really intended for you.

If you respect humanity, if you're a student of history, the rewriting of history that we heard today is not for you. There was no acknowledgement that America's expansion was fueled by an economy built on slave labor and the acquisition of lands that have never belonged to us. There was no acknowledgement of the history of structural racism and misogyny. There was no acknowledgement of the history of structural racism and misogyny. There was no acknowledgement of the right of every human being to define who they are and who they will be in the world. I'm a Christian. I have one Savior. His name is Jesus the Christ. Today we were told that someone was saved by God to make America great again. There is a real failure to even understand what God teaches and what Jesus

Christ has given us. Read your sacred text. In every religious tradition, the sacred text of loving the holy, however you name it and define it, is paramount. It's the foundation. You can't get to loving your neighbor without grounding yourself in the holy. In the Christian text, Matthew 25 tells us to care for the sick and the poor and the incarcerated. Why? Because if we do those things, we're caring for the one we call holy. Micah 6 and 8, the Hebrew prophets, do justice. My friend, Dr. Lisa Davison says that that text really should be best read as saying, make justice happen. An intentional act, a focused act, one that's grounded in the holy and grounded in spiritual practice. People of faith must remember that we are still citizens of the republic. We still have voter ID. We get to speak. We get to act. We get to make decisions in this world. And our call is to help build a world not to worship the way we do. But to build a world that reflects the love and justice that we say our faith demands.

I tell the disciples of Christ all the time, we've got beautiful words about so many things. But we must be the church that we say we are. And so in this moment, we cannot be concerned as we move forward with a moral analysis and a moral agenda, a call to action. We cannot be concerned about those points of doctrine or theology or even politics on which we disagree. There are people who need to feel the love we proclaim. They need to live by the justice that we say we represent. And however we call the holy in all humility, in our actions we must love all, welcome all, respect all. We don't get to limit who the holy loves. Let's not get caught up on who's in charge.

Lots of organizations, lots of ministries and faith traditions represented in this room. Our call is to serve love and justice. Walter Brueggemann, Hebrew Bible scholar, says that the role of the prophet is not just to critique the empire, but to provide a vision for what the alternative society will look like. So we can't just worship. We can't even just talk about what we want. We've got to work to make it happen. I want to leave you with a model for our movement.

Isaiah 11, you all know it's on Christmas cards, right? The peaceable kingdom, the lion is laying down with the lamb. The Hebrew prophets talked not just about the fact that Jesus the Messiah would be born by a virgin. They talked about what will the world look like once the Messiah has come. What will it be like once our lives and our hearts have been transformed? We have been empowered to transform the society that we live in because of the faith that we say we hold. A spirit of wisdom and understanding the Lord's spirit will be upon him. The Messiah was bathed in power and prayer and the spirit.

Whatever your tradition, are you bathed in the holy? He won't judge by appearances or decide by hearsay. He will judge the needy with righteousness and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land. We must be like this Messiah. He will strike the violent with the rod of his mouth. Righteousness will be the belt around his waist and faithfulness, the belt. The wolf will live with the lamb, the calf, the young lion, the leopard will down with the goat. A little child will lead them. All these natural enemies who don't agree on anything are somehow going to figure out how to make a society

where everybody has enough, where they have the food they need and even the food they like, a job that will pay for all the needs of their families, an education not dependent on their zip code. The ox will even eat hay like a lion. Oxen don't eat hay. But if I love you and if I want the best for you i'm gonna eat some hay so that you can have what you need and finally they will not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain love is the answer we keep hearing over and over. My friends, I call us to imagine a new world. A world where all of us are working together to make real the vision of the holy. Each in our own way that we are seeking. It can happen. Truth telling, Brueggemann says, is the emancipatory vocation of the church. Gird up your loins, people of faith. It's time to tell the truth and make real the vision of the holy, a world we're all having now. Well, good evening. Good evening. I'm Reverend Elder Cecilia Eggleston, moderator and global leader of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, and I'm not from Memphis.

As we celebrate the legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and recommit ourselves to justice, I bring you greetings today from the MCC Council of Elders, the Governing Board, the international staff and our churches and faith communities around the world. I want to tell you that you are not alone. People around the world today are praying for America. We all exist on the same small planet and America has threads linking it with countries all around the world. And the next four years will have impact way beyond the shores of this country. I just want to say thank you so much to the church that hosted the prophetic listening this morning. You ministered to

us. You helped our hearts with song. You held silence for us and helped to breathe in love and breathe out compassion. You blessed us this morning in the midst of a difficult time, so thank you. It's the first time I've listened all the way through to an inaugural speech. We don't have them in the UK. And so I listened as the story of the American pioneers, those who came to this country from other lands, including mine, was this story was retold and lifted up as the story of America. There's so much that could be said about this story of white America. But what struck me was the complete absence of was brought to the brink of extinction by

those who came to build the American dream. It also struck me that in the list of actions that this administration is so keen to get on with, there are items that still challenge the values and cultures of the people, and the appreciation and valuing of those who live between and beyond the binary of male and female. As a global movement, MCC bears witness to the rise of far-right politics and Christian nationalism in many countries. From Bolsonaro's time in Brazil to the election of Giorgio Maloney in Italy, who was there at the inauguration today, today. We see leaders who claim Christian values and use them as a reason for stirring up hate against others. LGBTQIA plus rights are under threat or have already been eroded as right-wing politicians align themselves with the values of more traditional denominations. In Poland, a country which, as you know, has deep Catholic roots, the ruling Law and Justice

Party campaigned on an anti-LGBT plus stance in the election in 2019, and by 2020, 100 municipalities, that's about a third of the country, had declared themselves LGBT-free zones. Yes, heard that story. In some countries, Christian nationalism is cultural rather than creedal. Immigration is a huge issue for many European countries. The supposed threat to Christian civilization from Islam has been used by right-wing politicians to oppose immigration, and there's been a significant increase in Islamophobic attacks on people and religious buildings. Leaders like Viktor Orban in Hungary have openly embraced Christian nationalism rhetoric, positioning themselves as defenders

of Christian Europe against perceived threats from multiculturalism and liberalism. The race riots that broke out in many cities in Britain last year were fuelled by misinformation and disinformation on social media. It tapped into racism, anti-immigration, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. There is still some historic notion of Britain being a white Christian nation when less than 6% of the country go to church regularly. Less than 6%. Yeah, you think you've got a tough sell. Well, don't blame me! Britain has been ethnically and religiously diverse for a long time, but the myth persists. In all of that, where is the hope? The hope is in the thousands of people that took to the streets to clean up the mess after the racism riots and welcome

asylum seekers into their community. There was a brilliant counter demonstration in one city and the people stood and pointed at those who'd been doing the rioting and said, we are many, you are few, we are England, who are you? That's where the hope is, the many who don't keep silent. Hope is in the human barricades that surround mosques and synagogues to stop them being attacked. the final one of those LGBT-free zones in Poland was overturned because there are more people that support LGBT plus rights than there are not. And the law was respected. Hope is in those, including us, who are gathered today, here on site or online, who thirst for justice, who are committed to working in our neighbourhoods, in our communities and in our countries to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked and to man changes for a better world.

Hope is found in those of us being the hands and feet of Christ. Hope is found in our faith in the Holy Spirit who is still dancing upon the earth, and in the midst of challenge, we still experience love, grace and beauty. I have one more line. hope is knowing that we are called for such a time as this because if not us, who will do God's work in the world? These are local voices, prophetic voices from Memphis. They're going to take just a minute and present the Reverend Dr. Rosalind Nichols. Do not neglect the assembly of yourselves. The other passages, but you will receive power. I have struggled with this moment this evening, and I admit I have escaped spiritually since November. My post-election reality has mostly been Netflix and a little Apple TV, shows that have allowed me not to deal with this reality.

And yes, I came out to do my job and to do my work. I want to do acts of justice and equity, but I will acknowledge to you that I have really been closed off. I haven't watched much news. I even had to ask a friend, what do you watch these days? I don't even know what to watch. I don't know what to turn to. I was looking beside my bed and I realized not only did I have my Bible, but I also had Sojourner Magazine and a few other magazines. And I thought to myself, I still have resources that have always been available to me. But in the present reality, somehow had lost their reach to me. They were far from me because I was intentionally working to be disconnected.

And as I was preparing for today, it occurred to me that I've been on Good Friday spiritually. I've been post-crucifixion. I've just been in shock, devastated, fearful, and angry, disappointed. I've looked around at the occasions that I've gone out. I went to Costco, the United Nations of Grocery Stores. And for the first time since 2016, I looked at people and didn't trust anybody around me. I looked everywhere and I couldn't find. And if you really want to know the truth, I'm at people and didn't trust anybody around me. I looked everywhere and I couldn't find it. If you really want to know the truth, I'm still a little there.

Still, Pastor Jackson, still the closer we've gotten to this moment, and I've unconsciously found it harder, but I've determined that I've been in good Friday. So you want a prophetic word? Here's my prophetic word. I am struggling like Jeremiah because I am weeping and gnashing of teeth. As I prepared to be here, I acknowledged Friday night and it dawned on me that I was headed to a church, a place the pastor named it, a place of a healing cathedral, a place where I would gather with others and by the grace of God, join with others of faith and spirit and goodwill and gather well.

That's when I started to begin to believe that I was no longer on Good Friday, that I had somehow managed to get between Good Friday and Saturday night in that upper room with devastated disciples gathered to figure out what in the Hades we're going to do now. And so that is the prophetic word that I want to offer. It is a word that I think is going to be important and crucial. And that is do not forsake the assembling of yourselves. It is crucial and critical that we find our hushed harbors and find our secret places that we find the ways to continue to gather believing that we will receive power our word says that we will receive power as

the spirit the holy spirit promised power from jesus to do this work power in community we cannot do it alone we cannot do it by ourselves we cannot do it by ourselves. We cannot do it mad at everybody else. No, we must gather and believe that right now, Pentecost will come. It's not here yet, but we will gather, translate languages, speak in other tongues, meet people different from us, and God will allow us to birth a new world a world different from right now the same way our ancestors birthed a new world for us we are preparing to birth a new world to come and the church said amen My, my, my. I am the Reverend Dr. Andre Johnson. Johnson, I bring you greetings from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference and Gifts of Life

Ministries, which I have the honor of serving as pastor. On this night, we must remember our cause, and our cause still go forth, even at a time such as this. You see, right here in Memphis, Tennessee, we're still standing with the family of Tyree Nichols, who police officers beat to death right here in this city. We still fight for meaningful and substantial police and prison reforms. We still fight for education, economics, and equity. We still fight for livable wages, reproductive justice, equitable housing. We still fight for those who have been ostracized and marginalized and compartmentalized and vilified. We may find ourselves in a contentious condition, but our call remains the same for such a time as this. And I'm so glad earlier we had that prophetic listening.

I couldn't do it. I wasn't there yet. But I'm so glad that people did. Because in an essay I published earlier, I defined prophetic listening as being engaged in the mystery of deep silence that calls for a critical self-reflection to offer up a prophetic witness to society. As we persist in responding to our calls that echo around us, let us take time to listen. Let us listen to the whisper of our own hearts. Let us whisper to the needs of the community. Let us whisper to the broader conversations unfolding within

society. May God give us strength, energy, wisdom, and the courage to continue to be all that we were created to be. May God bless us. May God keep us, especially for such a timeless gift. Boy, do I feel inadequate. Oh my God, it's been a pleasure and an honor to be in the presence of so much spirit and talent. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King prophetically proclaimed, the movement lives or dies in Memphis. But Memphis is in trouble. And when people of faith are in trouble, they're often driven to our knees to call on our higher power. It's not just the murder of Tyree Nichols or the inmates in our jails, but the persistent over-policing of black and brown bodies. It's not just systemic bone-crushing, less-than-living wages,

poverty, but profit over people real estate practice that allows corporates to hoard inventory, create scarcity, and jack up rights. It's not just Tennessee's assault on democracy by expelling elected state representatives, but it's also dissolving the charter of a small black-led town using public domain to acquire rights and suddenly valuable because it's adjacent to Blue Noble. an overburdened health care system designed to maximize profit rather than heal, but schemes that try to divert public school funds, benefiting every child to less effective schools, which pick and exclude. It's not just welcoming a toxic pipeline through communities that are already ecologically decimated and unhealthy, but it's accommodating pet

projects of billionaires. putting precious resources of water and power that we all depend upon at the risk in order to profit a few. And yet, and yet, in spite of all these challenges, the movement remains alive in Memphis. These issues are being addressed by active, dedicated, informed, and effective advocates and agents of change. Memphis Communities Against Pollution, Stand for Children, the Black Clergy Collaborative, MICA, Tennessee for All,

the Southern Christian Coalition, Black Lives Matter, Protect Our Offer, and the Climate Reality Project, just to name some. But if we work together, there's so much more that we can do. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem,

they told him he had to make the crowd quiet for fear of upsetting the Roman Empire. And Jesus says, I tell you, if these people were quiet, their very stones would cry out. So I have to tell you, I can't help but believe that as we call on this higher power, the higher power is calling on us right back. We who are the people of God need to clearly proclaim that love is both our prime directive and our organizing

principles and in the midst of all that is mean-spirited and self-serving and lacking understanding or compassion this moment is a, powerful opportunity for all people of faith to practice the love of neighbor that we so frequently preach. This time is a time for us to be the people of God in love. Thank you. for us to be the people of God in love. Thank you. The choir is coming. Let's do a congregational response. We are called to unity. We are called to justice justice we are called for such a time as this with faith we unite with hope we persist with love we journey towards justice

the choir will come and then we will be have our close out a world call to action. Here's what we know. We know that our ancestors came over mountains. We know they came through valleys. We know that they had to travel roads that were not straight. But we look back to them for the answers about how we're supposed to move today. And so for every faith represented, there is built in an element of gratitude,

an element of presence and understanding. And so we owe that gratitude to our higher power for every mountain that we've come over. Amen. I got so much to thank God for. So many wonderful blessings and so many open doors A brand new mercy Along with His new day We hear you today

That's why I praise you For this I give you praise Oh, wake me up this morning Lord, start me on my way Oh, let me see Oh, a brand new day I want to thank you

for all the blessings you give to me each day that's why I praise you. Oh, that's why I praise you. Oh, that's why I praise you.

Oh, Jehovah's Diner. That's why I praise you. Lord, you've been my provider. That's why I praise you. Lord, you've been my provider. Oh, so many times you rescued me. Oh, and so many times you met my need. Oh, thank you for everything you give to me. Thank you for every prayer you give to me. Oh, every mountain For every pound said, Lord, be your hand for every trial. Oh, Lord, for every moment, for every moment, you brought me home.

Lord, for every trial, for every final, you put me through. You made me whole. For every breath, Lord, I scream hallelujah. Hallelujah. For this, I give you. I'm here for every mountain. For every mountain. You brought me over. You brought me over. For every water, my prayers, and every time you brought me home.

Yeah. Oh, let's sing hallelujah. Oh. For every mountain, for every mountain, you brought me home You brought me home For every cry of pain You brought me home You brought me home You brought me home You brought me home For every breath I take

Hallelujah Hallelujah Oh, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We give you praise. We give you glory. We make your name on high. You alone are worthy God

We bless you on today We honor you on today We bow before you We glorify you For every mountain You brought me on up You brought me on up Every water must run up For every tribe You brought me over Every one of my brothers

You brought me through Yeah, yeah For every breath I take Hallelujah Oh, Lord, I sing hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. Oh, I hear you. Oh, hallelujah. Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah The Bible I read says shout first Shout first

Before you go out to face the enemy Shout first While you're going out to face the enemy Shout first Is there a shout first crowd in this house? Shout first. Shout first. My, my, they shouted around Jericho before it fell.

Jesus was singing on the cross. And the prophet said, bring forth the minstrel to set an atmosphere. They sent him out first to give God praise. And in every religious tradition, there is a worship. So whatever your worship is, God has brought you through some mountains

that you truly thank God for. Maybe if we shout now, the mountain we are facing won't look the same. For every blessing. Shout now. For every blessing. Thank you. For every blessing For every blessing Yeah, yeah, yeah MAMAMAMA

MAMAMAMA MAMAMAMA MAMAMAMA MAMAMAMA MAMAMAMA MAMAMAMA MAMAMAMA MAMAMAMA

MAMAMAMA MAMAMAMA MAMAMAMA I don't know how I don't know how y'all have mass meetings But this is how Rep'all have mass meetings, but this is how Repairers has mass meetings. And I don't know, turn this mic up, I don't know if you've ever looked at the reels of the mass meetings in Montgomery. The part they don't show you is that they shouted

before they went to the Edmund Pennys fridge. Tell your neighbors, listen. Tell your neighbor, say, neighbor, I ain't acting black. This ain't a cultural thing. I'm just headed to a fight. That's all. I'm headed to a fight. And I can't fight in my own power. I can't fight in my own strength. So I'm getting ready for a fight. Touch your neighbor. Say, neighbor, you might as well get ready for the fight. Go ahead and praise your God. Woo! That's all. That's all. Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah

Hallelujah Lord we thank you For yet praise We thank you for any high praise We thank you for knowing the God of our salvation No matter what we face We give your name praise and all that is holy. We thank you, God.

We thank you, God. Hallelujah. Tell your neighbors, good to shout with you. I want to do a little housekeeping in this atmosphere and thank God for these leaders, all of these preachers, and our dear president and... What is it? general minister, president of UCC or the president, president, minister, secretary, bishop, whatever, I'm going to call them all. Whom allow God to move on her, to call us together, amen.

And then Bishop Flunder, who got me somehow involved in this I don't know call but I try to do what my bishop says and to all of the clergy leaders that you see here servant leaders let's give them all a big hand amen And to Bishop Vassell and to Reverend Dr. Hannah Broom for guiding us and pulling us, fussing with us. The Reverend Dr. Jackson who always gives a guiding wisdom. And let me thank him and Hannah for helping to put together the concept of prophetic listening. Sister Terry, we thank God for that. To Yara Allen and Ronza Abel and Brother Freddy and all of the folk from here and the musicians that have come in and those that are here, let's thank God for them. And everybody that ought be thanked, thank you.

Thank you. I was driving this evening of six hours to get here. And I want to share some things again from this morning, but the time didn't allow because we had like a 12-minute time presentation because it was being filmed live and shown live on TV. And I might ask some strange questions tonight, don't get mad with me, just think about them, that's all I'm asking you. And one of them before I talk about what I want and not the horses. And what if we make him the reason we organize, we actually create, we actually commit idolatry. Because America had problems before this inauguration. That's how he got there. Trump is a symptom.

Trump is a symptom. and what if what if we already have vision the problem is following it because I'm going to tell you if every time we have trouble we got to go write a new vision you know we have trouble we got to go write a new vision. You know, we spent four or three years writing one blessed, Alvin vetted by the best economists, the best preachers from the bottom up and

I shared it with some folk and they said, but ain't ours. What do you mean? It ain't ours. They come from the folk You know When are we going to be able to continue in the Apostles doctrine? Rather than have to keep writing new visions Maybe it's time to work the vision. And then I know we are in Memphis, and there are problems here, like in every city. But I think we also make a mistake

if we frame this whole thing as white versus black. Because Memphis is 64% black. I know it, but that's right. And the cops that killed that boy were not white. So, dealing with injustice has to be whether it's black, white, brown, gray, red, whatever color. I'm just musing. There was a time the church and the people of God were under siege and the world seemed to be going backwards in the ways of hate and evil and injustice and love instead of forward Christ, dictators were rising among them, Caesars, Messiah types. As I look back on the ancient pictures, most of them had gold hair.

They loved to put their names on buildings. The Caesars were funded by the biggest funders of their day. And they owned the Senate. And people would do anything for them for favors. And in the midst of this, Paul, the apostles, had to speak to the people some say it was Paul some say it was someone else but to the Hebrews that were in the church because they were thinking about turning around it's amazing they had seen Jesus die and get up, but they were thinking about turning around. And Paul was hurting himself. He didn't know how long he had to live.

And he came to them. He felt like preaching that night. And he said, the just shall live by faith. Then Paul said, for we are not of those who shrink back unto destruction but we're supposed to be those who persevere unto the saving of the soul in 1968 in the midst of a time when powerfully financed forces were working hard to implement the southern strategy. And they were turning back the gains of the Civil Rights Movement. That was their goal. They actually said that

we're going to create positive polarization. We're going to divide the country. We're going to make sure that black and white, particularly in the South, never come together and vote together. And if we get caught, we're going to lie and say we didn't do it. There was supposed to be a war on poverty, but instead that money was going to Vietnam. There was an extreme administration coming in a few weeks before Martin Luther King had sat with Harry Belafonte and said, you know, I've been pushing for integration, but what if I've been asking my people to integrate into a burning house? He was weary. He was tired. His mind was struggling. He didn't want to preach that night in Memphis. But he was moved by a call and then he was moved by the Holy Spirit to give a critique of the moment. To give a diagnosis on the nation's contradiction. I want you to just hear him for a minute, not me. Hear his spirit that night in Memphis. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around.

That's a strange statement, but I know somehow that only when it's dark enough can you see the stars. And somehow God is yet working in this period. Now, let me say as I move to my conclusion, we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. And nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point. This is who we are, and this is why we're supposed to have King Days. Not to celebrate King or to have a day off, and not just to remember what they did back then and surely not to just quote I have a dream as though that's all the man ever said. And we surely don't come here to turn Dr. King into an easygoing human relations specialist

who just loves people and we don't honor the devotees of the movement under the false characterization that they somehow were passive characters who loved the races and took the beatings and became heroes and sheroes because they suffered patiently. And we certainly don't come together, I hope, to say King was merely a black leader. Because that would be too small and too inaccurate. You do know the first person that stabbed him was black. A black woman. You do know his own denomination put him out. All the way out. We gather today around the nation to be reminded of our calling and work, not just from MLK, but from God. Our calling, not because of one person who now gets the title president by some and his minions, but our calling no matter when or where we are in

the nation. Because the nation is still infected with the diseases of racism, poverty, and militarism. And if we make it about one man on the civil rights side or one man in the presidency, we miss it. Just like if we just make Dr. King about being one man, it was actually Coretta that led him into Vietnam. It was Coretta that said at the Poor People's March that violence was not just her husband being shot, but violence was not educating children. Violence was not giving people health care. Violence was not paying people what they deserve. And then she said violence is also an apathetic attitude that does not challenge these other forms of violence. We got to give ourselves, listen to him again, to the struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point.

Bishop Flunder, I missed that line for years. Because like most folk, I just read what people said. I've been to the mountain top, I thought that's all he said in his speech. And I looked over and I've been to, and that's an important piece that I want to talk about in this call to action. But before he got there, he knew like the author of the Hebrews, that if we're going to help a nation, particularly a nation that struggles with schizophrenia, that you can't help a schizophrenic nation if you're schizophrenic yourself. We cannot claim to love the message of Dr. King while we support policies that contradict his vision. This is the very thing we don't need because it exhibits a serious case of social schizophrenia

to honor King today but then undercut unions and living wages tomorrow. My grandma would say it's terribly two-faced. It's too much to talk about justice today and then don't preach about it no other time the rest of the year in your pulpit it's terribly two-faced to honor king today but scapegoat immigrants with massive deportation it's a terrible form of social schizophrenia for Democrats or Republicans to say we honor Martin Luther King but still lie about voter fraud and refuse to restore the Voting Rights Act for 12 years. Both parties have been in full power over the last 12 years, and neither one fixed the Voting Rights Act,

which now allows more than 1,000 voting suppression bills throughout states in this country. And Dr. King, if you know him, would challenge everybody. Anybody ever read his sermon, his eulogy for those four little girls? Where he challenged everybody. Even preachers that stay behind stained glass windows. I mean, he just, he went down the list. Northern Republicans. He just went down the list. It's an immoral contradiction to honor King

but then refuse to challenge Christian nationalism and more importantly the oil oligarchy that props it up. This might make a mess with me but you do know that it's oil money, not the oil of the Holy Spirit, but oil money that undergirds all of these Christian nationalists is you go in and you push the policies of extremism, you know, tax cuts and blocking healthcare and prayer in the school and being against gay folk, that's a god. What they tell the black national, black Christian nationalists that they fund is you just have a praise party and don't talk about nothing. Now we gather to remember Dr. King in order to remember who we are. Say who we are.

Who we are. And whose we are. Whose we are. And if we do that, we got to be real honest and honest enough to tell this nation the truth. My brothers and sisters, what we are seeing now is not an anomaly. One scholar from Emory said, what we're seeing now is an iconography of a too often repeated American experience. We take two steps forward and then a massive reversal. Trump is just the latest leader of this extremism. And you need to know something to understand how this works. They planned this 57 years ago. Not five years ago. 57 years ago. Kevin Phillips,

Pat Buchanan, and people like that who formed the Southern Strategy. They planned it. And so we have to be careful that we understand that this moment is not just an anomaly. In fact, this moment is more about 2035 than it is about 2025. Because by 2035, 2040, America will be 33, 33, 33, or actually 33, 33, and 32 and a point something. In other words, it'll be the first time in Western culture where a people who came here as slaves and a people who came here as immigrants in the Western world become the majority. And have control of the greatest GDP and the greatest military in terms of law. And I don't mean it's great that way.

But that's never happened before. See, in South Africa, black folk were in the majority. But this switch is going to be when black and brown folk are in a majority when they were a minority. And so what you see happening now is about cutting the head off the government, cutting the heart out of the government, taking all the money out of the government, so that by the time that it's impossible because of the demographics for extremists to win, you will have a government, but you won't have a functional one. We got to tell the truth.

Lady Liberty is out there saying, give me your tithe, your pool, your whole of masses. And you got people talking about mass deportation. That's not new. Eisenhower did it. Eisenhower put a million immigrants on boats going down the Mississippi River. Called it Operation Wetback. It failed then. It's going to fail again. But the point of it is you've got to understand that these folk want to put in law things that if they were in law when their great grandmamas came here, they wouldn't have got in the country.

On the one hand, you've got people putting their hands on Bibles. Did you know Trump didn't put his hand on the Bible today? Neither one of them, the Lincoln Bible or his personal one. Yeah, and he didn't have, of course, he didn't have the God bless America Bible. But I'm not so much worried about him not doing that. I'm worried about the ones that put their hands on the Bible, but then pass policies like they don't know what's in the Bible. And they swear to uphold the Constitution. And they pray before they open Congress, P-R-A-Y, and then the

policies pray P-R-E-Y on the very people that God tells us we ought to care about. That's the schizophrenia. Right now in this country, Jesus told us that whatever our evangelicalism was, it had to start with the poor. You ever thought about that? The first sermon Jesus preached, he said, preach good news to the poor. The last sermon he preached, he was talking about the least of these, the poor. And yet, in this country, we've had 15 presidential debates since 2020. Not one of them has focused on the poor and low wealth.

Not one 30 minutes. And poverty is the fourth leading cause of death now. 800 people die per day from poverty. There are 140 million poor and low-wage people. 40% of the United States population, 43% is poor and low-wage. 51% of our children, 61% of Latinos, 59% of Native Americans, 60% of black folk, that's 26 million. 36% of Asian, 32% of white people, that's 66 million. And not, even in the primaries, not one debate. But the, what's that study? There was a study done about sermons in

pulpits in America and they studied 50,000 sermons and poverty did not register 1% of the sermons preached in the American pulpit even though

in every major religion how we treat the poor is a major defining factor of your holiness and whether or not you're guided by the spirit we have to tell the truth in this moment this is a part of our calling right now but we got to know it 100 million americans have medical debt in 2023 105 million people do not have paid family leave and during covid we called essential workers essential but treated them like they were

expendable we said you have to go take care the rest of us but we're not gonna give you a living wage we're not gonna guarantee you in a health care we're not gonna guarantee you paid family and did you see how quick the other day the incoming Secretary of Commerce if he gets sanctioned, when he was asked would he fight for a living wage, he said no. He didn't even stutter. He said no! And we've not raised the minimum wage since 2009. The March on Washington wanted to raise the minimum wage by 75 percent, 75 cents. And if you had done that and indexed it with inflation, the minimum wage would be $18 an hour today. And three Nobel Peace Prize economists have proved that those who lie, who say that if you had a high living wage it's going to create inflation,

it's going to create less jobs and higher prices. They're just lying. We're talking about 52 million people. And in 2021, all Republicans in the Senate and eight Democrats said no to 52 million Americans to get $15 an hour in the union. And if that bill had been passed,

43% of black people would have been raised out of poverty. We're in a crisis of civilization, not just a crisis of an individual. Since 2023, we've spent $1.1 trillion on war and weapons and mass incarceration and deportations. We just took 10% of

the military budget. That's a bloated budget. That does not go to help people with their legs cut off and their eyes blown out, but it goes to contractors who make weapons sometimes the Defense Department doesn't even ask for. Just 10% could pay for 9.6 million public housing units

or could pay for 18 million adults to have health care. This is why we must give ourselves to this struggle. And nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point. And as we come here, General Minister Owens, we have to come here and this is call to action and remember that we are a part of a tradition. We're built for this. God may be doing us like he did Job. God may have said in the heavens, I know somebody. I know some people that won't turn around. You know, many of us in here are going to be alright. You'd be alright regardless, but the question is standing up with others who won't be, who aren't now. You know where they're going to be alright later? They aren't

alright now. We stand under tradition. Remember when in 1852, I believe it was, the Supreme Court had been stacked with all slaveholders. Stacking the Supreme Court ain't new. And the justice was Justice Taney. And they passed a law, the Dred Scott decision, said a black man, a white man, a black man didn't have any rights that a white man had to obey or respect. And somebody asked Sojourner Truth, what do you think about that? She said, is God dead? That's the question I want to know.

And then Frederick Douglass said to that, he says, as monstrous as it appears, we can meet this decision with a cheerful spirit because the very attempt to blot out forever the hope of an enslaved people may be one necessary link in the chain of events preparatory to the downfall and the complete overthrow of the whole slave system. The whole history of the anti-slavery movement is studied with proof that all measures devised and executed to stop us only serves to intensify and embolden our agitation. When women didn't have a voice in public life, black and white women joined together. And they demanded and warned for years they fought. When black and white coal miners, yes, black and white coal miners, up in Appalachia, they faced the violence of corporate bosses who took by planes in 1920. My grandfather was a part of this movement with other white brothers

and sisters, and they dropped Molotov cocktails on top of them from planes. But they didn't quit. They declared with Mother Jones, she said, no matter what the fight don't be ladylike, God Almighty makes women, the Rockefellers make ladies. Then she said, we need to fight till hell freezes over and then fight on the ice. Applause When greedy robber barons tried to work children until their fingers were gone, the social gospel movement asked the question, what would Jesus do? And Walter Rauschenbusch and others, and women and men, they took up the fight. They advised a crippled president named Roosevelt,

and they walked this nation out of depression into the New Deal. We come from a tradition. We come from a tradition where at the height of the Harlem riots in 1935, artists didn't turn around. Instead, like Langston Hughes, they sang out, America, America was never America to me, and yet I swear this oath that America will be. Or they hollered out like Conti Cullen, if we must die let us not die like dogs and hogs, but let us die like men.

When racists shot and mutilated Emmett Till, Rosa Parks didn't turn back. She went to Highlander, two Jewish women's center there, got her some training, came back to Mount Garmis, sat down so a movement could stand up. When Democrats and moderate Republicans were moving too slow and Dixiecrats were moving too fast, Bayard Rustin, a gay man, and A. Philip Randolph called people together, got the egos of black male leadership and said, y'all got to get rid of these big heads and come on here and organize folk. And the country refused to honor the 15th Amendment for voting. Black people, white people, Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, young and old, face Sheriff Jim Clark down.

And they said, you can beat us us but we ain't turning back you kill us but we're not turning back and it wasn't too long before the president of the United States a Democrat Linda Mays Johnson who was a racist who was a segregationist who said he was not going to sign a voting rights act ended up signing it on august 6th and standing on the steps of the alabama state house dr king decided to preach again and he declared his truth is marching on and And then he said, listen, y'all, listen. Every time poor Negroes and poor white folk threaten to come together, he said, the greedy oligarchy of this country intentionally works division because the greatest fear of the oligarchy is for poor and low-wage people of every color along with religious leaders

to come together and form a voting block that can fundamentally shift the architecture engineering of this country. And did you know right now that's actually possible? Did you know that right now? Right now, poor and low-wage people, third part of the call to action, poor and low-wage people make third part of the call to action, poor and low-wage people make up 40% of the electorate? Did you know in so-called battlegrounds states that poor and low-wage people make up 43 to 46% of the electorate? Did you know that all of the pundits are saying the reason that progressives didn't win is because

they didn't organize poor and low wealth voters? Did you know there were 87 million poor and low wealth voters, 30 million who didn't vote in the last election, and the number one reason they didn't vote is they said nobody talks to us, nobody comes to our community? Did you know that if you just organized 20% of poor and low-wage folk in any state, they could determine every outlook. Not tomorrow, not 20, right now.

Right now. Did you know there is an agenda, a third reconstruction agenda already written, already ready? The question is, will we come together around it? Did you know that here we are and Dr. King said the only answer for the sickness that America faces of militarism, racism, and poverty is for moral leaders and poor and disadvantaged people to become the stones that the builders rejected is to do what the church is supposed to specialize in and that is

good news to the poor healing to the broken hearted recovery of sight to the blind and declaring the acceptable year of the Lord what we face now requires a political Pentecost

and if you don't believe it did you hear what was said today? He said, he said, he was going to, that the problems of inflation were caused by mass overspending. He was talking about the money that people got during COVID and energy spending. And that's what caused price gouging. And therefore, that's an excuse to drill, baby, drill and to cancel the Green New Deal. The other answer he gave was, we're going tariffs.

But who pays the price for tariffs? Poor and low-wage folk, the members in our churches and then did you hear how he listed all the people that built america and didn't say slaves and didn't say immigrants and did you listen at the applause that's what i was listening to

the applause did you hear him say what Hitler said? Some almost like what Hitler said in Germany when Hitler would go to poor folk and say, I love you. I'll fight for you. I'll win for you. His speech sounded

like offering to be a savior, a savior. And did you notice that the language that he used manifest destiny greed and racism the policies he talked about sounded like heretical the heretical construct of the false prophet and those who are anti the christ and did you see the picture did your eyes become ears and did you hear what your eyes said when you saw the major donors and the politicians on the inside and all the people on the outside that picture is telling us what the policies will create a few people on the inside and everybody else on the outside and so my brothers and sisters Cicero's sisters, King said that night when he was grieving, nothing would be more tragic than for us to turn around now.

That's the call to action. And Paul said, we are not of those who shrink back unto destruction. But we are those who persevere unto the saving of the soul. And when Doc committed himself to keep working, we don't know what he would have done. We know he would have been there with those garbage workers and we know that half of his staff didn't even want him there. But he said, it's not what will happen to them,

it's what will happen to me, but what will happen to them. He went there. And Flunder, as he's committed to God that he wasn't going to turn back, the Holy Ghost hit him. He was in a Kojic church as a Baptist minister preaching the social gospel. And the Holy Ghost hit him. He said, mine eyes have seen the glory. And I've been to the mountaintop and I've looked over and I might not get there with you and I've been wrestling with this and I close here

because you got to understand something about this glory he was talking about this glory doesn't come on you till you're in a fight when we meet hate with love when we meet meanness with, when we meet meanness with mercy, when we meet evil and greed with Sabbath economics, when we meet lies with the truth, when we meet the treachery

of unrighteousness with the righteous actions of just people, the glory comes. Really it does. And that's why Juergen Moltmann said that the glory really comes when people of faith don't just see the problem, but they set themselves to work on the problem. And they put their bodies on the line and put their hands in the game. That's when the hope comes. And so what this finally got me was that the glory comes when you're in it. Because when the enemy comes in like a flood. God will raise up a standard.

Look at your neighbor and say hello standard. And when you stand up the glory will come. When you speak up the glory will come. When you refuse to bow the glory will come. When you face your giant the glory will come. When you stand up to a nation the glory will come. When you set your sights on righteousness the glory will come. When you stand up to a nation, the glory will come. When you set your sights on righteousness, the glory will come. When you decide that not on our watch, this is not going to happen,

the glory will come. Touch your neighbor and say, neighbor, if you ever wanted the glory, get in a good fight. Get in a righteous fight. Get in a holy holy fight I'm going to my seat but I got a question have you ever felt the glory when you were in a fight and you knew you couldn't win by yourself but the Lord came and touched your body the Lord came

and touched your mind the Lord came and touched your mind. The Lord came and touched your spirit. I feel the glory. I feel the glory. And when the glory comes, we'll be all right. We'll be all right. Nothing, nothing, nothing would be more tragic than for us to turn around now. Indeed, my friends, the glory will come, but it will come when we all take the responsibility of standing together as people of faith, as standing together as a nation,

as standing together as people who believe in a just and forthright world. You are the ones. You are the ones. You are the ones that we are waiting for. And this, my friends, is our fight. Join the fight tonight. Do not leave here without picking up a pledge card. This is how you can become a part of the movement. And also, if you are in the house, I'm going to ask you

to go ahead and scan your program. There is a barcode, QR code on your program to join this fight, as well as text moral to the number that's on the front. That is three ways that you can be committed to this coalition of justice seekers in a just society. So please, that's three ways that you can join. You can get a pledge card, you can scan the barcode that is in your program,

and then also text Mara. We want each and every one of you. We can't do this without you. We are all in this thing together. Thank you. We have a closing song. We'll pray. You want to pray? Yeah. Just let me breathe in my soul

Just let me breathe in my soul Just let me breathe in I ain't gonna keep on singing Just let me breathe in my soul Just let me breathe in my soul Just keep drinking in my soul Just keep drinking in my soul Just keep drinking We're gonna keep on drinking

Just keep drinking in my soul The fire keeps igniting in my soul The fire keeps igniting in my soul The fire keeps igniting The fire keeps igniting The fire keeps igniting in my soul The sun keeps singing in my soul. Oh, keep singing in my soul. Oh, keep singing in my soul.

Oh, keep singing. We're gonna keep on singing. Oh, keep singing in my soul. Love keeps ringing in my soul. Love keeps ringing in my soul. Love keeps ringing. We ain't gonna keep on thinking. Love keeps ringing in my soul ¶¶ Just as he's ringing in my soul Just as he's ringing in my soul

Just as he's ringing We're gonna keep on singing My head keeps exciting We're gonna keep on fighting We are here, of course, live in Memphis. So the Interfaith Rally has concluded. Joining us right now is State Representative Justin Jones of Tennessee. How you doing, Doc? We're pushing forward. This is a heavy day, but we know that gatherings like this are going to sustain us to keep pushing forward,

particularly here in Tennessee where we've been seeing our state go backwards. These gatherings remind us that the fight continues at such a time as this. One of the things that I talk with folks. Hold on one second. So one of the things that I've talked to folks was about focusing on the agenda, getting people to understand what you have to work on. Because there's a lot of people who protest, a lot of people who say we need to get stuff done, but you need to understand what you're fighting for.

So talk about why that was important for them to have these listening sessions to listen to people. I mean, I think that, you know, it is critical for us to have a proactive agenda. That's not just reacting to everything Trump does. If he tweets something, you know, we get distracted, deflect, you know, that type of, you know, agenda setting. That's reactionary. We need to set our own proactive agenda that's rooted in what's going to build these coalitions in our community. I know in my district it's fighting for public education, you know, looking at protecting our environment, looking at racial justice, police accountability.

These are the issues we're hearing here. So people don't just want to hear about everything of Trump, you know, whatever he says, that's going to become the headline, the distraction. But what are the real issues people are talking about that can improve their lives, that can, you know, remind them that, you know, we are fighting for them too? Because I think people saw this passage. One second. What are the prayers, Dawn?

It has been a good day. The Holy Spirit has shown up and showed out. And we see before us the pillar of fire guiding us. We know the vision has already been prepared. We will implement. We give thanks, O God, for all who have provided leadership in this place. For all who have said yes. Some who could not come, but said yes some who could not come but said yes anyway we pray for those who could not be

present with us tonight because of illness or other commitments we still give thanks oh god knowing This season, you have called us all together for such a time as this. And so we leave this place, oh God, our spirits are full. You have given us what we need for the journey that lies ahead. Grant us the courage for the living of these days. And may all that we do and we say be pleasing in your sight, oh God. And we just give thanks, oh God, for all things. And we pray this in the name of the one who has called us. The one who is of many names. May it be so as we leave here.

Amen. And ashe. Thank you. What I keep, on the point I was talking about, we up? All right. The point I keep talking about with the folks is, you can't talk about mobilizing and organizing. You actually have to do it, which means talking to people, touching people. And that is going church by church, neighborhood by neighborhood.

And I'm always trying to explain to people, you can't tweet it. You can't TikTok it. You actually have to actually do it. That requires work. I mean, it requires showing up. We're getting ready to have a special session where the governor of Tennessee is getting ready to call a special session around immigration to start immigration rage, defunding public education, and hurricane relief. That's the one thing that he's trying to put under the guise of. And so we need people to show up. You can't go to the White House.

You can't go to D.C. You can show up at your state capitol. You can show up at your city council meetings, county commission meetings, school board meetings. That's what Republicans did when Obama, when they said, Reds and Russo's are going to take over these local governments. That's what we need to do. We need to be blue to the bedrock or whatever you want to say.

We need resistance at the local and state levels where you can show up and mobilize and be a consistent presence because that's what we need. Not just reactionary one-time march like what they had one time in D.C. but marching in our own communities. Or folks will have a march when the legislators aren't even in town. On a weekend.

I mean, every time Dr. King marched, it was to disrupt business as normal. Right. They marched and it was against the law for them to march. It was disruptive. It wasn't just a parade. And so today we saw a lot of parades. That's why I drove here to Memphis. I wanted to see the real assignment. I don't want to go to a parade that was just commemorative.

I want to do something that will continue to move. Right. Because the same force that killed Dr. King took an oath and are now leading our country. That is the forces of white supremacy, white nationalism, of militarism, of economic exploitation. Those same forces who killed Dr. King are now empowered in our government. So we must be just as emboldened as they are. And Democrats got to stop being a party of trying to play patty cake with fascists. We must resist. We must be bold.

We must be unapologetic and show people we're fighting for them and not be this party so committed to the quorum that we forget, you know, the need to sometimes be disruptive when our democracy requires it. That's why we were expelled and that we will continue to engage in nonviolent actions that hopefully will energize our people in Tennessee that we're fighting for them. Because I think the South is going to be the tip of the spear when we get into this administration. Right. Well, when the election was over, there were people who were like, Roland, you moved on. I said, listen, the election is over. I said, my focus has to be,

they kept talking 28. I'm like, no, no, no, not even 26. I said, there are local election, state election in 2025 that are going to be impactful for us. We've got to be focused on. And you can make an impact in those ones. I mean, you know, looking at our state elections, this is where Trump's agenda is already starting to take hold. Before he was even president, defunding public schools, you know, taking away Democratic rights. One in five black people in the state you're standing in now cannot vote because of felonies. Right.

Going after HBCUs, you saw at Tennessee State University, you know, we see what's going on at our Hatoke State College. We see what's going on with the black counties here in Tennessee. And so people, let's look at how do we pay attention and not just become a social media movement, a movement that shows up on the ground, particularly in frontline states like Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina. The South's going to be a tip of the spear when we look at this Trumpism, a MAGA movement of fascist authoritarianism, and we must resist boldly here. And if we can do it in a state like Tennessee, I believe that would be a blueprint of a new nation.

All right, Representative Jones, I appreciate it. Keep swinging. Appreciate you, brother. All right, thanks a bunch. Thank you. All right, then. So, folks, look, I got you. I'll sit down right here. So, folks, again, as a whole lot, there's a whole lot that's going on.

And, again, I want everybody watching, everybody listening to understand what is required. On this day, you have a lot of people who have been focusing on a day of service. So, if you want to come right out to King, go volunteer somewhere. No! I disagree with that. This is a day of protest. This is a day of action. This is a day where you decide that there is something that is important to you

so therefore you're going to use your voice, you're going to get with a handful of other people, and you're going to say, I you're going to get with a handful of people and you're going to say i want to make changes to that theme and so i want us to stop playing around on this day i want us to stop just making this uh about speeches or making this about something along those lines this is when we are about challenging, pushing and prodding and challenging people. That is what is required when we talk about MLK Day. So what's going to come out of this, you saw them collecting the data, collecting the information. This is what Reverend Barber

always talks about. What are they going to do with this here? They're going to take this and now begin to connect with people. Now begin to talk with people across the country, now begin to do that building and going, again, city by city and state by state and neighborhood by neighborhood. That is what's going to be required in order for us to fight what's going on. And so people already say it's going to be a long four years. It's going to be an even longer four years if you don't do anything now because it could turn into eight years. And then 12 years.

And then 16 years and 20 years. There's a way out of the wilderness. But it requires folks to have a proper GPS, a North Star, leading them out. So we appreciate everybody who's been working with us on today's broadcast. I told you before we go, I'm going to do this here, and I'll come back with final comments, is that Vice President Kamala Harris dropped the video late last night talking about her accomplishments. She's already left Washington, D.C. She's landing in L.A.

And the first thing that she did was she went to two places where they're helping people who have lost their homes and all their goods in the fire. She also went and visited a fire station. She is still on the front line. She also has relaunched her website, KamalaHarris.com,

which is phenomenal. If y'all can pull up KamalaHarris.com, I want y'all to see it. And so she's already started the process because she's going to stay engaged, and that's what's so important. When I saw her on Friday, she told me that. She said what she was going to be doing. She also said what we have to do.

She said media must be holding these folks to account. We must be speaking truth. We must be challenging them wherever they account. We must be speaking truth. We must be challenging them wherever they are. Y'all got the website up? Yeah, pull the website up. So folks, the website, comalharris.com. So we know what we're going to do.

And it's so funny, when she was talking to me, I said that was literally my commentary last night. I said it was literally my commentary last night so we're going to do that so if we don't have it that's fine let's do let's do this here i want to go ahead and uh play the video that she dropped last night uh talk about what they accomplished over the last four years then i'll come back and close the show out i've seen this photograph but this is the first time i'm looking at it this way. Actually, this is the first time I've seen this photograph, but this is the first time I'm looking at it this way, where I realized that as I'm raising my right hand, you can see Justice Sotomayor's right hand. I hadn't noticed that

before. And my left hand is on two Bibles, one that of Ms. Shelton, an extraordinary person in my life, and as we have always thought of her, our second mother. And I also asked to borrow Thurgood Marshall's Bible. And my darling husband, Dougie, is looking at me while I take the oath to become the 49th Vice president of the United States, only two weeks after there was a riot on our Capitol. And I have taken the oath to support and defend the Constitution many times. And that day taking that oath had a particular resonance, given the fact that we have sadly learned that not everyone takes that seriously. This photograph shows my arrival at West Point at the Military Academy to give the commencement speech and the cadets are saluting me as I walk toward the stage.

And I've had the distinction then of giving a commencement speech at four military academies at West Point for the Marines, for the Coast Guard, and for the Air Force. So it has been my great honor. I think there's no more noble work than being prepared to serve and sacrifice for the sake of our nation's safety, security, and prosperity. Here I am standing on Interstate 95 with these most highly skilled and talented working people who rebuilt that interstate in record time. They worked around the clock and they do such good work. And it was a really enjoyable day to celebrate them. and I was there to thank them for their work. And I'm very proud that we have been the most pro-union administration in history. So this photograph depicts our rival Doug and me and our team in Ghana.

And you can see Air Force Two in the background. It was very important to me, and it will continue to be, to frankly upgrade the narrative about the relationship between the United States and the continent of Africa. There is so much talent on that continent. By 2050, one in four people will be on the continent of Africa. And this trip, which I purposely then curated to highlight partnerships and U.S. investments in partnership with African leaders, that is about investing in the future of the world. So I was very proud about that trip. And the stop in Zambia had deep personal significance for me because my grandparents lived in Zambia many years ago. And as a child, I visited them there.

And so during that official trip to Zambia, I went to the location where my grandparents lived. It was a great trip all around. Here I am with my two Dougies. My Dougie, the second gentleman, and Dougie Fresh. And I so enjoyed it. They have bonded in such a wonderful way. And every time we see Doug E. fresh, he and my Doug E. just embrace each other with a big old hug. some of the pioneers of hip-hop to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at the Vice

President's Residence. And so Doug E. Fresh performed, Common came, and MC Lyte. It was an extraordinary array of talent, and I was just very proud to do that at this place called Vice President's Residence. And what's been surprising to me, actually, is the number of people who've never been there. And we've hosted an extraordinary number of events that have never been hosted at that house, celebrating Dia de las Madres, a huge pride celebration. Diwali. We have hosted D.C. public school students, which has been one of my greatest joys. And part of how I've used this house is to, through the events we've done, reinforce the importance of building community and building coalitions and reminding people that we all have so much more in common than what separates us. And when I can bring a whole big group of people together at that house who seemingly have nothing in common and who leave then realizing they have everything in common, there's nothing better. Nothing better. Nothing better. So this photograph was taken during my college tour, but it was actually

a college age tour because it was colleges, universities, community colleges, and trade schools. And I created this tour because I really, I love Gen Z and I wanted to create a place and an opportunity to listen to their concerns, their thoughts about their lives and their future, and to be able to share some of what's happening in our country in a way that is intended to really acknowledge their leadership and the importance of their voice. And so this group of students were part of the group who greeted me when I arrived. They were also doing photo registration and making a huge difference. And hundreds and hundreds of students and young people would show up.

They'd stand in line and wait for hours to get in. I love telling other people about how this generation is prepared to lead. They are wonderfully impatient. They're not going to sit around and wait for other people to get the job done. They're prepared to do it. And I love that about them. This photograph is when I went to a reproductive health clinic in Minnesota to highlight the important work that they are doing. And to highlight what has happened in terms of the health care crisis that the Dobbs decision created and took a woman's right to make decisions about her own body. A lot of these clinics have had to close. The clinics that have stayed open in states that still provide legal protections, they're overburdened because women from surrounding states are going there if there's a Trump abortion ban in those states. But what I didn't know was

that no vice president or president has ever visited a reproductive health clinic. And what was really great, and you can see the top of his head in this photograph, is my buddy, Tim Walls, Governor Walls, joined me. And he has, as governor, been so forceful in his leadership around the importance of reproductive health care. And what I have to say is that the work that these incredible people do, that is about health care, it's about everything from HIV testing to breast cancer screening to PAPs, to abortion care is work that we should protect and give people the right to choose what they want and what they need. So this photograph was taken at a memorial that has been constructed in Parkland, Florida, to honor the 17 people that were

killed in the Parkland shooting, in the massacre, 14 students, three faculty. I was there at the invitation of the families. They preserved the crime scene. And it was very smart. They did it as a way to make sure that policymakers, that leaders, really fully understand what gun violence does. And there was dried blood on the floor. There were backpacks that the kids had obviously dropped as they were trying to flee. And I went there as vice president to, again, call for reasonable gun safety laws in America including the

need for assault weapons bans and universal background checks and red flag laws I just have to say that those families are extraordinarily courageous all of these years through their profound grief, they still share the story of their grief and that tragedy with the purpose of trying to comp Congress and I'm walking by the most extraordinary portrait that hangs in the halls of Congress of Shirley Chisholm. You know what I love about this portrait is you know her shoulders kind of out like that because the way I think of her is that those broad shoulders of Shirley Chisholm, I stand on those broad shoulders. She paved a path that I would be the first woman vice president of the United States, that I would be the first black woman to be a nominee, a Democratic nominee for president of the United States And this photograph

Reminds me Of important advice That my mother gave me That I offer to everyone Often Which is You may be the first to do many things But make sure you're not the last

There we are. Well, folks, we definitely will be missing Vice President Kamala Harris in the White House. All right, folks, I'll be back in Washington, D.C. tomorrow, broadcasting from our studios right at 16th and k lots to talk about including the shameful despicable actions that donald trump has already taken including releasing all granting full pardons to 1500 white domestic terrorists who stormed the capitol so we're going to break down all of that and already laying out uh the evil things that his administration has planned. Don't think for a second that we're not going to speak truth to our power. We're going to do that every single day and call them out when necessary. So, folks, we appreciate all of you who joined us today, my broadcast in Memphis.

We are not done with our MLK Day coverage. We've got more interviews that will be coming up right after this. So, again, we want to thank all of you all for supporting the work that we do. Don't forget that, look, we don't have millionaires and billionaires supporting us and funding this show, so your support is critical. So be sure to join our Brain to Funk fan club. If you want to give to us via Cash App, use this QR code right here. For Stripe, Cash App is closed on all the different accounts.

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Folks, thanks again. Thanks to the people with Repairs of the Breach for working with us, Fusion Films as well. We appreciate all of their help. So signing off from Memphis, thank you so very much on this MLK Day 2025. I'll see y'all tomorrow black star network a real uh revolutionary right now black media he makes sure that our stories are told thank you for being the boys of black america i love y'all all the men that we have now, we have to keep this going.

The video looks phenomenal. See this difference between black star network and black owned media and something like CNN. You can't be black owned media and be scary. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? This is an iHeart Podcast.