The AME Church Commission on Social Action rejects any effort to normalize voter suppression through redistricting, legal technicalities, or judicial narrowing of civil rights protections. In Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court weakened one of the last strong protections left in the Voting Rights Act by making it harder to challenge political maps that dilute the voting strength of Black and Brown communities. This ruling puts new weights on the ankles of people who have already had to run a long, hard race for freedom, fairness, and full citizenship.
We cannot call this justice when the scales are tipped against the vulnerable. We cannot call this democracy when the voices of Black and Brown communities are split, diluted, and discounted by lines drawn to weaken their power. We cannot call this progress when the hard-won protections of the Voting Rights Act are being chipped away piece by piece, until the promise of equal representation is left bleeding in the road.
Our witness is sacred. We know that God is not neutral in the face of oppression. God hears the cry of the people who are forced to carry burdens they did not create. God stands with those whose voices are being pushed down by unjust systems, and God calls the church to rise with holy fire, moral courage, and unflinching truth.
Now is not the time for silence. Now is not the time for polite language that hides the wound. Now is not the time to pretend that weakening voting protections is anything other than a moral failure. The church must speak, organize, educate, and resist until every community can stand upright and vote without chains, weights, or fear.
Our call to action is clear: we must register voters, train poll workers, support voting-rights lawsuits and advocacy, push Congress for stronger federal protections, and mobilize every AME district, congregation, and member to treat voting rights as a holy assignment. We overcome this by building power in the pews, in the streets, and at the ballot box, until the people most targeted by injustice are fully protected, fully heard, and fully represented.
The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. Exodus 3:7 NRSVue
Bishop Francine A. Brookins, Chair
Dr. Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Director/Consultant
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Contact:
Tyronda Burgess
African Methodist Episcopal Church
[email protected]
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RNS or Religion News Foundation.
