The Gathering

On March 22, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II and the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, hosted a webinar with faith leaders across the United States on the moral and theological basis for Nonviolent Moral Fusion Direct Action. The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is uniting tens of thousands of people across the country to challenge the evils of systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastate, and the nation’s distorted morality. We’re launching the campaign in over 30 states with 40 days of nonviolent moral fusion direct action on Mother’s Day this year. However you identify in terms of faith and spirituality, we invite anyone interested in joining the campaign and participating in the 40-day launch to sign the pledge at poorpeoplescampaign.org, where you’ll be connected to the organizing work happening in your state.

As Congress continues to struggle to agree on a federal budget, we examine the single biggest source of discretionary spending: ‘defense.’ Content warning: mention of rape/sexual assault. You’re listening to a Repairers of the Breach dispatch, examining the impacts of policy violence on people across the United States. This article was written by Stephanie Frescas, and originally published on medium.com/brepairers on Feb. 2, 2018. Repairers of the Breach is a nonpartisan not-for-profit organization that works with diverse religious leaders from every U.S. State and the District of Columbia to develop a prophetic social justice vision rooted in moral analysis, moral articulation, and moral action. To receive dispatch blogs by email, learn more about our work in the #MoralMovement, and to help sustain us, visit breachrepairers.org.

Featuring co-hosts the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove with a special sermon by the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. As attacks on the poor and marginalized in our communities increased throughout 2017, we started The Gathering to create a space where we can hear regularly from the people most impacted across the country. Their prophetic hope and courage in a time of moral crisis inspired the theme of our special Gathering Watch Night Service this past New Year’s Eve. As we join with 32 state-based coordinating committees to organize the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, we gathered together in North Carolina for a night to light the spark for collective action in 2018 We’ve split up the live program into 3 special episodes for the podcast, which will feature political analysis, moral articulation, movement music, and interviews with community organizers and impacted people calling us to action. Find more resources at breachrepairers.org/resources.

Featuring co-hosts the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove with Rev. Nancy E. Petty, Pastor of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh; the Berean Baptist Church Choir; and a special sermon by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. As attacks on the poor and marginalized in our communities increased throughout 2017, we started The Gathering to create a space where we can hear regularly from the people most impacted across the country. Their prophetic hope and courage in a time of moral crisis inspired the theme of our special Gathering Watch Night Service this past New Year’s Eve. As we join with 32 state-based coordinating committees to organize the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, we gathered together in North Carolina for a night to light the spark for collective action in 2018 We’ve split up the live program into 3 special episodes for the podcast, which will feature political analysis, moral articulation, movement music, and interviews with community organizers and impacted people calling us to action. Find more resources at breachrepairers.org/resources.

Featuring co-hosts the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove with Joyce Johnson of the Poor People’s Campaign North Carolina Coordinating Committee; Rev. T. Anthony Spearman, President of the NCNAACP; Rev. Erica Williams and Clinton Wright, Repariers of the Breach National Organizers; Yara Allen, Theo-Musicologist; and the Raging Grannies. As attacks on the poor and marginalized in our communities increased throughout 2017, we started The Gathering to create a space where we can hear regularly from the people most impacted across the country. Their prophetic hope and courage in a time of moral crisis inspired the theme of our special Gathering Watch Night Service this past New Year’s Eve. As we join with 32 state-based coordinating committees to organize the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, we gathered together in North Carolina for a night to light the spark for collective action in 2018 We’ve split up the live program into 3 special episodes for the podcast, which will feature political analysis, moral articulation, movement music, and interviews with community organizers and impacted people calling us to action. Find more resources at breachrepairers.org/resources.

Taxpayers in the United States have spent nearly $4 Trillion for wars since 2001 — money that should have been used to transform our nation. The moral question we must put before America is: What will make us safer? More money for building the mother of all bombs — or money for jobs, education, healthcare, and infrastructure? We must choose community and peace over chaos and greed, recognizing that to fight against the war economy is to challenge the policies that advance poverty, and suppress democracy. Live from Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, Bishop William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove host The Gathering: A Time for Reflection, Revival & Resistance on Nov. 5, 2017 to discuss the war economy in partnership with Veterans for Peace, CODEPINK, and the Afghan Peace Volunteers. Jonathan talks with an Iraq War Veteran and an Afghan activist about how the war economy has affected them personally. Bishop Barber and special guest, the Rev. Nelson Johnson of the Beloved Community Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, draw the connections between poverty and terrorism at home and abroad. Join the struggle for peace at bit.ly/warecogathering.

Our world has built a global economy based on a predatory relationship with nature. How do we know this is a problem? And why is this a part of a Poor People’s Campaign? When the Earth suffers, the poor suffer first. We must choose community and care of the earth over chaos and greed, recognizing that to protect the Earth’s delicate climate balance is to challenge the policies that increase militarism, advance poverty, and suppress democracy. Live from Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove hosted The Gathering: A Time for Reflection, Revival & Resistance on October 1, 2017 to discuss the moral issue of climate change in partnership with 350.org, Appalachian Voices and Our Children’s Trust to hear from people affected by ecological devastation around the world. Join the fight for climate justice at bit.ly/ecogathering.

Real wages have fallen steadily since the 1970s, leading to the greatest economic inequality in America since at least the Great Depression. The fight for a living wage and union rights gives workers the political power to defend against attacks on everything from healthcare to voting rights by a reactionary White House. Live from Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove co-hosted The Gathering on September 3, 2017 to discuss the moral issue of labor rights in partnership with Fight For $15. We heard from Fight For $15 organizers Eric Winston and Wanda Coker, and special guest Rev. Stephen Green from the #Cville2DC March To Confront White Supremacy. Take action for labor rights at bit.ly/livingwagegathering.

The raids, deportation, and detention of our people undermines due process, threatens the safety of all our communities, negatively affects our economy, and violates our deepest moral values. Live from Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove co-hosted The Gathering on August 6, 2017 to discuss the moral issue of immigration in partnership with the National Sanctuary Movement. We heard from Pastor José Chicas, who is resisting his deportation order with the support of his community in Sanctuary at the School for Conversion, and DACA-mented organizer Isabel Castillo. Take action for immigrant rights at bit.ly/immigrationgathering.

Live from Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 2, 2017, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove co-host our second episode of The Gathering. We hear an analysis of recent and historical attacks on voting rights, discuss why voting rights are a moral issue, and listen to community members on how voter suppression has affected them at the intersection of race and immigration. Join the #MoralResistance against voter suppression at bit.ly/julygathering.

Our inaugural Gathering in North Carolina features co-hosts the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove shifting the moral narrative on the U.S. healthcare debate through an hour of storytelling, music, interviews with community organizers and impacted people, and a powerful call to join the new Poor People’s Campaign. For more information visit breachrepairers.org/subscribe.