“Who will join God?” Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II opened up The Revival: Time for a Moral Revolution of Values in Birmingham, Alabama with this quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Who will join God in hearing the cries of the poor and oppressed? Who will join God in fighting for healthcare? Who will join God in the Fight for $15? Who will join God in reviving the heart of people and saving the soul of America?
The Revival in Birmingham was the fourth in a 22 state tour organized by Repairers of the Breach under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Barber, Roz Pelles, Yara Allen, Charmeine Fletcher and the Healing of the Nations Foundation, led by Rev. Dr. James Forbes.
More than 1000 people packed into New Pilgrim Baptist Church to hear the testimonies of leaders and fighters for an end to xenophobia and attacks on Muslims, for a moratorium on ICE raids and deportations of immigrant parents and children, for the expansion of Medicaid and healthcare for all to end the deaths of thousands without access to health care, for the protection and expansion of voting rights, for an end to payday loans and other forms of predatory lending, for the abolition of discriminatory hiring practices and to “ban the box”, and for the right to living wage jobs – to raise up $15.
[aesop_image img=”https://kairoscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Birmingham-speaker.jpg” alt=”Giving testimony at the Moral Revival in Birmingham” align=”center” lightbox=”on” caption=”A speaker gives testimony at the Moral Revival in Birmingham, AL.” captionposition=”left”]
I had the honor of introducing the testifiers, a diverse collection of people of all races, religions, ages, genders. Their testimonies followed the singing of new freedom songs including “Rich Man’s House” “Woke Up This Morning” and “Somebody’s Hurting”.
They followed a stirring sermon by Rev. Dr. Forbes about Joseph’s call in Genesis 45 to follow God’s will and fight for justice and feed the people rather than protect his power and position and be on the wrong side of history.
They followed a beautiful video about the need for a radical revolution of moral values in our nation.
The testimonies reminded me of the passage from the Gospel of Luke: “If these are silent, even the stones would cry out.” They reminded me of the famous quote by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr just one year before he was assassinated: “There comes a time when silence is betrayal. The truth must be told.” They connected with the song written by Yara Allen and Rev. Dr. Barber when the Forward Together Moral Mondays Movement was invited to a gathering of families impacted by the dumping of coal ash in their water. People were getting poisoned and sick and the group assembled for this Moral Monday vowed to break the silence of this injustice: “Somebody’s hurting my brother, and its gone on far too long. It’s gone on far too long. It’s gone on far too long. Somebody’s hurting my brother and it’s gone on far too long. And we won’t be silent anymore.”
These testimonies resonated with the testimonies from the other revivals in this tour – in Raleigh, NC; New York, NY; and Atlanta, GA. They resonated as well with the stories I’ve heard at the MPOLIS (Moral Political Organizing Leadership Institute and Summit) trainings that the Kairos Center has helped lead. These trainings, for clergy, people impacted by the range of injustices in the United States, and other people of conscience, are being held in the lead-up to and as preparation for the Revivals. The testimonies resonated with the community hearings and People’s Tribunals we have been holding as part of the New Poor People’s Campaign. There were profound similarities with what we heard in Chicago, IL; Elkhart, IN, Detroit and Flint, Mi; and Cleveland, OH on the recent Poor People’s Campaign Midwest Organizing Tour. They resonate with the “State of the Streets” event that Chaplains by the Harbor held in Grays Harbor, Washington just a few weeks back.
These testimonies tell the real story of the plight, flight and insight of those directly affected by the lack of healthcare, the privatization of education, the lack of dignity and adequate pay for work, the attack on voting rights, discrimination against immigrants and the religious “other”. These testifiers are the true heroes and heroines of our country. They are joining God in the fight for justice and love.
As we said at the Birmingham Revival, we listen to these stories because “we won’t be silent anymore.” We listen to these stories so we know what’s really going on, why we need to act, and what we need to do.
After the testimonies, Rev. Dr. William Barber, architect of the Forward Together Moral Mondays Movement and President of the NC NAACP, gave everyone a charge. He challenged us to fight for justice. He challenged us to call out our political and religious leaders when they sow bigotry and hate instead of justice and love. He challenged us to see health care, dignity in work, voting rights as the moral issues of our day. He challenged us to revive our hearts and our courage to stand up for what is right, and life-giving, and loving and just.
Add your name to the Higher Ground Moral Declaration
The Revival concluded with an altar call. Everyone in attendance came forward pledging their support for the Higher Ground Moral Declaration. This document, articulating a moral agenda for the nation, is going to be signed by people across the country and sent to 2016 presidential candidates, senate candidates, and governors, forcing them to decide where they stand on the pressing issues of our day. We want to get this declaration out far and wide. Please take the pledge yourself and spread the word. You can read and sign the declaration at moralrevival.org/moraldeclaration.