Voting Rights, Justice, and Faith

Voting Rights, Justice, and Faith

by | Oct 14, 2020

U.S. law is deeply embedded with systemic racism. It is also deeply embedded in the history of faith communities.

That’s why, since the murder of George Floyd, I have been hosting “The Uncomfortable Conversation Series.” In these hour-long discussions, spiritual leaders are engaged in deep listening and heartfelt discussions. Each conversation has subject matter experts sharing their views on various aspects of racism. The legal system, healthcare, access to food, and the voting process are all woven by racist policies.

With the presidential election less than 30 days away, “Racism, Redlining, Re-Districting and Voting Rights” couldn’t have been a more timely topic for October’s Uncomfortable Conversation. My guests included David Daley, best-selling author, and senior fellow for FairVote. David is a nonpartisan champion of electoral reforms, widely recognized as one of the leading national authorities on voting rights and partisan gerrymandering. Gilda Daniels also joined me, Assistant Professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law. She is a voting rights expert and former Deputy Chief in the U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division Voting Section. Gilda served in both the Clinton and Bush administrations.

Voting and Faith

You might ask what voting has to do with faith. Or what faith leaders can say about voting. I did.

Professor Gilda Daniels, the daughter and granddaughter of Baptist preachers answered me this way. “I quote this scripture in my book: 2 Timothy 3:5, ‘Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.’ Using that analogy toward our democracy, we have a form of democracy. Still, it is not operating into its full power as long as it continues to suppress and prevent people from participating freely and fairly. I do not see any difference between talking about Jesus, liberation, and freedom. He came to set the captives free from discrimination.”

If our form of government re-encaptivates people through voter suppression, which you can learn about in the video, then that’s not the last word for the Christian. Jesus promises something better, something bigger, something freer than the system as it is.

You might ask what voting has to do with faith. Or what faith leaders can say about voting. Read more here: Click To Tweet

As we move toward an election that will set the course of our country for decades to come, I invite you to listen to this discussion with my knowledgeable guests. Afterward, respond with your action to further the ministry of Jesus, who came to set the captives free.

And don’t forget to vote.

Neighboring, First Holy Communion and Democracy

by | May 7, 2012

I missed church on Sunday.  At least, I didn’t make it to my own church.  Instead, Sunday found me sitting in a pew in a Roman Catholic Church prepared to celebrate the First Holy Communion of Rachel and Lauren, the twin 8 year olds who live across the street.
Our families are engaged in “neighboring”and it’s deeply related to a healthy democracy.
Here’s how it goes.  The girls and their mom often watch Amigo, our little dog, when we are gone.  We help them out with projects from time to time too.  We often meet in the middle of the street just to say hi and to check out what’s happening.  We are frequently in each others home and have figured out we all like riding bikes!  And we are worried about environmental issues.
We have a lot in common and that helps.
Now, I have other neighbors down the street I haven’t yet approached.  They have signs hanging outside on their fence that I’m not quite sure what to make of.  One says “God bless Arizona.”  The other says  “God bless Israel.”
I’m all for blessing states and countries and I’m very pro-Israel.  But I can’t help but wonder if that isn’t really code language for something else, like: “We don’t like Mexicans and we don’t like Palestinians.”  Or even:  “God damn Mexicans and Palestinians.”
I’m not sure.  But this I know:  My husband and his family are of Mexican, Spanish and Indian descent.  And I believe in the human dignity and rights of Palestinians as well as of Israelis.  In fact, I believe in a world that works for everyone.  All families, all ethnicities, all religions, all species.
So, where does that put us as neighbors?
I confess I’m not really sure.
I’m reading Parker Palmer’s newest book, “Healing The Heart of Democracy:  The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit.”  It’s very challenging.  And very timely.  Not just because of the world we live in, but because of the neighborhood I live in.
He notes that regularly, “we withdraw into the silence of private life or express ourselves with cynicism and anger that make the public realm toxic, producing more psychodrama than social change.”
You’d have to live in a cave to not experience that…no matter what neighborhood, state or country you live in!
Palmer suggests an antidote.
It begins with seeing democracy as a way of being.  It takes shape in neighboring and other local associations.  It’s open to “The Other”and practices holding tension creatively.  It’s a way of being that moves us beyond our own little privatized worlds.  And requires both chutzpah and humility to engage the process well.
All of this is needed, he suggests, to counteract the “culture of cruelty” that overtakes when fear-mongering outweighs facts or real conversation.
So, as part of creating a politics worthy of the human spirit, I’m practicing democracy in my little neighborhood.  I know I’ll connect with the girls and their mom in the middle of the street soon.  Probably this afternoon.
But what about my other neighbors?  That’s going to take an intentional action from me.  To get over my fear, my judgmentalism and my “privatized world” that could easily keep them out.
It’s the kind of intentional act Jesus told stories about.  He too highlighted neighboring as the foundation of a healthy kind of living:  the Kingdom of God.  Reaching out beyond the norms to embrace “The Other.”  Of course, his wisdom was grounded in the Torah, too.  All of this makes a very strong case for me.
So what’s a democratically-inclined person who longs for a world that works for everyone to do?
It might just be time to bake some banana bread and head on down the block to meet all of my neighbors!