Too often, in recent days, I have found myself yearning for a return to “compassionate conservatism.” Each new day brings another revelation that our national leadership is motivated primarily by self interest; and our lofty national ideals, however poorly realized, no longer even figure in our national decision making. That nostalgia is proof positive, for me, that our moral compass needs recalibration.
As members of First Unitarian, a community that describes itself as a liberal religious beacon of hope, we promise to help each of us find our moral compass. We are called, I believe, to resist despair and limit our “eye rolling” at each new degradation of our civic norms. We have a responsibility to bring our moral sensibility to public discourse, to ask who is benefitting from public policy and to shine a light on who is paying the price. The work of understanding our privilege does not reduce that responsibility.
The now more than year-long investigation into Russian interference with our last election is a case in point. It seems very possible, even if it has not been proven conclusively, that Russian support for the Trump campaign may well have been the decisive factor in his election. That possibility and any “collusion” by that campaign needs to be investigated, the results evaluated, the responsible American actors (if any) punished, and steps taken to prevent a repetition. I believe that those are minimal responses to this attack on our democratic institutions and commitments.
But I also fear the attack on our democratic aspirations that is happening within our borders.
Do you know that there are fewer voting rights in 2018 than there were 50 years ago when the Voting Rights Act was passed? That is the conclusion of the new Poor People’s Campaign (PPC).
Since 2010, 23 states have passed laws designed to suppress voting by making it harder to register, reduce early voting, purge voter rolls and institute voter ID laws. Gerrymandering of districts has also reduced the practical impact of the votes that are cast.
While most of these legal actions disproportionately impacted Black voters, 17 states saw voter suppression cases targeting American Indian and Alaskan Native voters in 2016.
Emergency Financial Management (think Flint, Michigan) has stripped voters of control over their communities.
6.1 million people have been disenfranchised due to felony convictions, including one in 13 Black Americans.
The Poor People’s Campaign: “The truth is that when the democratic process and the right to vote are restricted, preempted and nullified, our democracy is under attack. These attacks target people of color, especially the poor, youth, and elderly, but in doing so, they strip us all of our constitutional protections; they allow extremists to get elected through voter suppression and racial gerrymandering and then use their power to hurt all people of all races.”
The PPC insists that these and many other interlocking issues are moral issues, that they speak directly to our understanding of who we are as moral agents, living in community, with responsibilities to one another and not just to our self-interest.
As Rev. William Barber preaches: “The nation’s problem isn’t that we don’t have enough money. It’s that we don’t have the moral capacity to face what ails society.”
The PPC continues through June, focusing on one lens to view the interlocking issues each week. This week the focus is on Linking Systemic Racism and Poverty. Next week, The War Economy.
First Unitarian has been hosting trainings sponsored by the PPC each Tuesday. To learn more about the Poor People’s Campaign in Oregon, join us on Tuesday, June 5th at 6PM for a free dinner followed by the orientation program from 6:30-8 PM. This orientation will provide more information about the national and statewide movement. The next Oregon PPC Direct Action Days in Salem will be Mondays June 11 and 18. I and other members of First Unitarian are committed to being in Salem on June 18. Register here for the June 5th Poor Peoples’ Campaign Orientation.
You can check the PPC (poorpeoplescampaign.org) website for more information, and the PPC Oregon website (oregon@poorpeoplescampaign.org) for updates and information about local issues.
First Unitarian is committed to being a moral beacon. Living into that aspiration is a demanding discipline. In these days, it requires resisting the temptation to react to each new outrage and remain centered in the moral values we hold together. When we speak of the Beloved Community it is not to suggest that we hold a blueprint to be followed toward heaven on earth. It is the affirm our belief in the values of justice, equity and compassion. It is not to condemn any other persons, but to bear witness to our faith in the possibilities and the hope our common striving can bring forth.
In the words of the PPC, “we must join the ranks of those who are determined not to rest until justice and equality are a reality for all.”
Blessings,
Bill