Black church leaders 'on the fence' on Biden endorsement amid Israel-Gaza war [View all]

[David__77]

Last month, the group Black Christian Faith Leaders for Ceasefire took out a full-page ad in the New York Times pushing for president Joe Biden “to call for an immediate bilateral ceasefire in the Middle East for the sake of our shared humanity and our collective security”. More than 900 Black Christian faith leaders representing churches across the country backed the letter.

Prior to the publication of the ad, signatories of the letter met with White House officials and the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss their concerns regarding the Israel-Gaza war, namely the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Guardian spoke with several signatories who said they were disappointed with how the meetings went.

Historically, Black Christian voters, often led by their pastors, have been instrumental in electing Democratic candidates. During the lead-up to the 2020 election, the Black Church PAC, which signed the letter in tandem with Leaders for Ceasefire, was pivotal in mobilizing Black and religious voters. They hosted virtual “souls to the polls” events, text-a-thons, voter-registration drives and digital-organizing workshops, and held a bus tour on which they hosted pop-up events to further engage voters. The PAC reached more than 30,000 people, made nearly 45,000 calls and trained more than 2,500 clergy leaders in election protection and souls-to-the-polls efforts.

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https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/16/black-church-leaders-on-the-fence-on-biden-endorsement-amid-israel-gaza-war