PNBC ready to mobilize

Since ’60s, organization has given voice to marginalized communities

The Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc.’s Annual Session is an opportunity to strategize, plan and uphold the issues that are most impactful to black lives.

That session will be in Houston Aug. 6-11 at the Marriott Marquis, 1777 Walker. More than 5,000 Baptists are expected to gather for a week of preaching, Christian education and social justice strategizing. The theme “In God We Trust” is a reminder that even in the current unstable social, economic and political environment, the church must place confidence, hope and faith in God alone.

“History is calling us to do what our forefathers and foremothers did in their time — stand up with courage and be the voice of the voiceless in the fight for justice in all three branches of government, including the White House,” PNBC President James C. Perkins said.

The PNBC is leading the charge of faith-based activism and engagement amongst the current social discord to attest that the black church is not silent. In marginalized communities, there often is no voice to stand for issues that plague its citizens. It is the PNBC’s mission to be that voice.

There are no powerful lobbyists for black marginalized communities. The religious right does not represent all Christians. Black people of faith have looked for decades to the PNBC and the broader black church community to represent its interest in addressing societal ills that seem to affect and infect their community the greatest. The PNBC specifically is involved in advocating for social justice issues that are impacting the human liberties of people of color in the faith community. The charge is borne from the founding of the PNBC as a denomination created out of the civil rights movement during Dr. Martin Luther King’s rise to prominence. The annual session serves as a catalyst for for advocacy on issues that must be addressed head-on.Many of the issues are identical to those prevalent in the ’60s when the PNBC began. The convention believes that the black faith community relies upon its churches to act as change agents and advocates for social justice on behalf of those voices that are underrepresented in mainstream media. The current issues on the convention’s agenda include voting rights, access to quality and affordable health care and police misconduct.

One of the greatest challenges that has impacted and will continue to impact marginalized communities is the right of every eligible person to vote, regardless of color or socioeconomic status. The PNBC continues to be the drumbeat of voter registration, voter education and voter participation, particularly as the 2018 mid-term election approaches. It is our goal to fight

for legislation that will restore the Voting Rights Act and end state practices that support voter suppression.

The recent request of the current White House administration to seek sensitive voter identification information from states is viewed as only the latest attempt to purge eligible voters from voting rosters. Black churches always have always served as “safe havens” in the community to organize and enact social change; the PNBC churches will continue this tradition by holding voter registration drives across the country.

The convention also will continue the resistance against a proposed federal budget that cuts Medicare, Medicaid, WIC and other programs that serve the poor and most vulnerable. It will not waiver in the fight against the idea to “reveal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), but will advocate for a “repair and preserve” legislation.

The PNBC will stand and protest when it is evident that the country is learning toward an indecent and immoral compass. As church leaders, we must be willing to march and protest on behalf of vulnerable communities, even if it means detainment.

Additionally, the PNBC will strategize against renegade law enforcement and police misconduct. Police brutality disproportionately affects people of color, particularly men, often ending with loss of their lives and no police repercussions. The convention has been instrumental in working with police in urban communities to create programs that forge better relationships, and it will continue to fight against “stand your ground” laws on the state and federal level.

The PNBC also is planning to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Poor People’s Campaign in April 2018. As of 2010, African Americans have the highest poverty rate (27.4 percent) among racial and ethnic groups, followed by Hispanics (26.6 percent) and whites (9.9 percent). Over 45 percent of black children under age 6 live in poverty, compared to 14.5 percent of white children.

While there has been a meteoric rise of the mega independent church in recent years, the PNBC operates as a denomination with a national office and five regions representing over 2,000 churches, which allows for quick galvanizing of congregations to work from a place of strength while abiding by its mission of “equipping pastors and churches to be effective in ministry; lifting our voice on behalf of the voiceless.”