Black Church Coalition Names Reparations, Voting, Health Equity Among Priorities

By Adelle M Banks

(Source Church Leaders):

   (RNS) — The Conference of National Black Churches has called on African American congregations to embrace a list of priorities — from “government-sponsored reparations” to improved access to health care — as they move out of a pandemic era and into an election year.

“We believe Black life must be valued and the humanity of all descendants of African descent must be affirmed,” said the conference’s board in a statement approved Tuesday (Dec. 12), the opening day of the organization’s national consultation, titled “Coming Out of Darkness, Finding Light: The Black Church Responding to the Continuing Pain of the Pandemic.”

“The Conference of National Black Churches presents ‘Ten Black Faith and Justice Ideals’ for uniting and mobilizing to push for reparative justice, freedom, global healing, empowerment and flourishing,” said the statement.

The consultation, which was held in Orlando, Florida, through Thursday, included speeches from Mandy Cohen, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Brandi Waters, senior director of African American studies in the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program. About 300 people attended.

The CNBC is a coalition of leaders of historically Black denominations, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Church of God in Christ, Progressive National Baptist Convention and National Baptist Convention, USA.

The listed priorities provided to Religion News Service also call for a constitutional amendment to protect and guarantee the right to vote and for community policing policies that will prevent “stop and frisk” activities.

“The Black Church, and this entire nation, find themselves still at a pivotal crossroads as it relates to our future,” said the Rev. W. Franklyn Richardson, CNBC chairman, in a statement to RNS.

“There are so many pressing issues, from the future of COVID-19 and mental health to gun violence and voting rights, that must be addressed. The CNBC Board of Directors entered this Consultation committed to adopt a common set of principles that provide practical steps for our congregations to act on social justice issues from a civic and personal standpoint. We are showing that the Black Church stands as a single unit against threats to our health, our vote, or our future.”

Recently Wednesday, in a keynote speech at a consultation dinner, the Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, announced a new joint get-out-the-vote initiative with the CNBC that will start training clergy and other organizers early next year.

Other specific concerns among the CNBC principles included economic equity, Black maternal health, a criminal justice system “driven by restoration rather than retribution,” and equitable funding for public schools and historically Black colleges and universities.

The CDC has partnered with the CNBC to address vaccine hesitancy in the Black community and to increase vaccination access, with some denominational leaders appearing in public service announcements to dispel misinformation.

Cohen, who became the new CDC director in July, thanked the Black church leaders for developing more than 600 vaccine sites at churches and helping get more than 1 million vaccines administered.