Black Clergy Mobilize Voter Registration Drives After Supreme Court Weakens Voting Rights Act
Black pastors and church leaders across the United States launched voter registration campaigns this week after the Supreme Court issued a ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act. Leaders from the Church of God in Christ, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, and other denominations announced plans to turn congregations into voter registration hubs.
Black clergy across the United States moved quickly this week to organize voter registration efforts after the Supreme Court issued a ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act.
Bishop Talbert Swan II, director of social justice ministry for the Church of God in Christ, announced plans to turn every COGIC congregation into a voter registration hub. He said churches would set up registration tables at every service, train volunteers, and follow up with registered members to make sure they vote.
Bishop Charley Hames Jr. of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church announced similar plans. He said each local church would designate a voter engagement captain by the first Sunday in June. The CME Church also plans to organize rides to the polls and bring back "Souls to the Polls Sundays."
In Louisiana, the Rev. Richelle Lewis-Castine, an ordained elder in the AME Church, urged her congregation in Patterson to vote early and encourage others who do not typically vote to participate. The state legislature is debating new congressional maps following the court's decision.
The New National Christian Leadership Movement organized protests at the Louisiana State Capitol during a redistricting hearing on May 8. Pastor Debra Morton of the Greater Saint Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church told worshippers to take action rather than despair.
In Memphis, the Rev. J. Lawrence Turner and Rev. Earle Fisher joined demonstrations against efforts to break apart a majority-Black congressional district. Both vowed legal challenges and increased voter turnout.
Not all Black church leaders opposed the ruling. Some Black conservatives, including members of Project 21, said the decision promotes equal treatment under the law.
