The Rev. Darryl Gray, the PNBC’s director general of social justice, said the denomination will be working with Amnesty International USA to provide training and other resources on gun violence intervention to the denomination’s churches.
The Baptists gathered for the meeting approved a resolution that said the two groups will “work to reduce gun violence in communities across the country while advocating for the passage of federal legislation titled the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, which will provide federal funding for community organizations conducting gun violence prevention work.”
Francois said the broader gun violence concerns of the denomination include greater accountability by police departments.
“We went today to Ferguson to stand in solidarity with this family to practice the presence of God to practice the ministry of presence because we are tired of blue privilege, blue terror and blue violence,” he said. “It is not enough for us to talk about gun violence in our communities without also talking about gun violence that we’ve normalized, and that’s police gun violence.”
Francois added that gun violence in general should be viewed as an American issue, not a Black issue, and one that needs to be solved with improved access to jobs and better schools rather than larger police forces.
The denomination also plans to partner with the Faith Leaders of Color Coalition, which is seeking state and federal action to end the death penalty. PNBC members passed a resolution with the same aim.
“I stand here arm-in-arm with the Brown family, clergy and people of faith who are intentional about being participatory in our policy efforts,” said Joia Erin Thornton, national director of the coalition. “We want to bring forth results that promote equity and opportunity for those who are historically disenfranchised in their communities and who are over-policed and often selectively policed.”
Voting rights, a longtime agenda item of the denomination, continued to be addressed, including with a resolution calling for passage of a 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would make voting “a permanent right for adult US citizens and residents.”
In the interview, Peoples condemned “strange tactics that are used to make sure that people are denied or deterred from voting,” including people of color.
“We need to find a way to make sure that voting is easier and not harder,” he said.
At the news conference, several PNBC leaders agreed on the need to further address voting rights.
“We’ve come here 58 years after the voting rights bill was passed to say we’re going to revive it,” said Haynes, a clergyman affiliated with the PNBC.
The Rev. David R. Peoples, president of the PNBC, speaks at the annual session of the Progressive National Baptist Convention in St. Louis on Aug. 9, 2023. Video screen grab
