1,000-Plus Black Pastors Call for Gaza Ceasefire

'We see [Palestinians] as a part of us. They are oppressed people. We are oppressed people.'

Latest

Rev. Frederick D. Haynes, III., senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas and president and chief executive of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Screen shot/PBS Video

Beginning in January, 2024, and in recent months, in meetings with the White House, in open letters and advertisements, more than 1,000 Black pastors representing hundreds of thousands of parishioners have called for President Biden to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. They have also called for the release of hostages and an end to Israeli occupation of the West Bank. As the New York Times’ Maya King reported, the coalition of Black clergy involved “is diverse, from conservative-leaning Southern Baptists to more progressive nondenominational congregations in the Midwest and Northeast.”

Biden’s stance on Gaza “is a glaring contradiction to what we thought the president and the administration was about,” the Rev. Frederick D. Haynes, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas and president and chief executive of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, told the Times. While the president says “‘redeem the soul of America,’ well, this is a stain, a scar on the soul of America. There’s something about this that becomes hypocritical.”

“We see them [Palestinians] as a part of us,” the Rev. Cynthia Hale, founder and senior pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Ga., told King. “They are oppressed people. We are oppressed people.”

The election outcome is potentially in doubt if Biden fails to change course. King wrote: “Any cracks in the ordinarily rock-solid foundation of Black support for Mr. Biden, and for Democrats nationally, could be of enormous significance in November.”

PT Logo collage
+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

80 Years After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Are We on the Verge of Another Nuclear War?

Gerry Condon, former president of Veterans for Peace, makes the case that we are now closer to nuclear war than ever, and that the U.S. is primarily responsible.

Labor Law Still Offers Pathway to Resist Abusive, Inhumane Immigration Laws

Local unions are taking leadership by negotiating language into their agreements prohibiting ICE from entering workplaces.

Nebraska Farmers Describe Trump’s Impact

Farmers from Neligh, Nebraska speak on Trump’s policy to round up farmworkers, the effect of the tariffs on farmers, and the resistance.

Gazans Demand ‘Agency, Memory and Hope’

The true number of dead and missing in Gaza may be around 500,000. Another 500,000 face starvation. Palestinians say if there is to be peace, it must begin with respect for their voices, their rights and their humanity.

Trump’s Immigration Theater Ignores Whose Land ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Is

The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma joined Florida tribes in protesting "Alligator Alcatraz. The tribe says it insults their ancestral homeland and threatens ecosystem.

More from the People's Tribune