Black Church Leaders Revive Civil Rights Playbook to Mobilize Midterm Voters
Black Christian leaders launched new voter mobilization efforts in April 2026, drawing on Civil Rights Movement strategies. Initiatives include Sunday dinners in 10 cities, online bridge-building talks, and a 15-city Southern outreach project.
Black church leaders are organizing ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, and they are drawing directly from the Civil Rights Movement to do it.
Pastor Mike McBride, founder of the nonprofit Live Free, is hosting Sunday dinners in 10 U.S. cities. The gatherings bring together church and community leaders to share stories and discuss concerns, including the treatment of immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Live Free is also collecting signatures for a "Love Free" pledge focused on defending democracy and building community power.
The Rev. Cece Jones-Davis launched "Just People on a Zoom," a series of online talks designed to bridge political divides. Co-hosted with Jon Mays, a former evangelical missions pastor, the sessions draw on Martin Luther King Jr.'s emphasis on moving from protest to reconciliation. Guests have included a January 6 participant and former religious right activist Rev. Rob Schenck.
The Rev. Traci Blackmon's Faith Out Loud project, launched in 2025, operates in 15 Southern cities. It works with anchor churches and faith-based organizers to address community needs, with a particular focus on voting rights.
The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference held a "Sacred Strategy" session on voter mobilization at its February annual meeting. The conference is developing a "Moving the Needle" curriculum for pastors to use with their congregations.
Leaders involved in these efforts say they are not partisan. "The gospel is the gospel," said one organizer. "These are people decisions and constitutional decisions."
