Remarks at 50501 rally
I was asked to speak at the 50501 rally at the Pennsylvania state capitol on February 17, 2025. These were my remarks.
Sometimes the most important thing you can do is show up. Whether that’s showing up for a friend in need, showing up for a milestone event in someone’s life, or — as is the case today — showing up to make a statement. And I commend you for showing up today; going to an outdoor event in February isn’t at the top of many Pennsylvanians’ wish lists.
I suspect you’ve come for a variety of reasons. Some of you might be concerned about our democracy. Some might be concerned for the safety of LGBTQ neighbors. Some might be concerned about the cuts to sustainable energy solutions in favor of those that make people sick and fuel environmental disasters. Some might be concerned about corruption related to cryptocurrency, government contracts, and the security of our personal information. Some might be concerned about policies being put in place that will funnel an even greater percentage of our nation’s wealth into the pockets of the ultra-rich.
I share those concerns, but as a pastor, something else that brought me here today is my concern for religious freedom. You might not be aware, but last week something extremely unusual occurred involving a diverse collection of religious traditions in the United States: They agreed on something. Representatives from Baptist, Brethren, Jewish, Episcopalian, Evangelical, Mennonite, Quaker, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Unitarian Universalist, United Methodist, and Zion Methodist bodies signed on to a complaint against the Department of Homeland Security.
What was their complaint? DHS has recently reversed course on a long-standing precedent to allow those groups to practice their moral and scriptural mandate to protect the alien in their midst. Already ICE raids have begun occurring in houses of worship.
As the complaint reads, “The Torah lays out this tenet 36 times, more than any other teaching: ‘The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love them as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ In the Gospels, Jesus not only echoes this command, but self-identifies with the stranger: ‘For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.’ The plaintiffs’ religious scripture, teaching, and traditions offer clear, repeated, and irrefutable unanimity on their obligation to embrace, serve, and defend the refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants in their midst.”
The new administration seeks to depersonalize refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. They would like us to blame them for our problems. Or they would like us to blame our neighbors who see things differently from us. They seek to pit working class people against other working class people, or people who live in cities against people who live in rural areas. But what is becoming abundantly clear is that the problem is not with our neighbors, or with other working class people. The problem is that the ultra rich seek to gain and retain wealth without work, regardless of what it will cost the 99%, future generations of Americans, or the livability of the planet.
I suspect those of you who have shown up today have done so for a variety of different reasons. But there’s one thing that unifies us: We know something is wrong. Things shouldn’t work this way. We don’t have kings in this country. People who didn’t earn their fortunes should not be making it harder for working class people to afford necessities. Policy should not be for sale. Aid dollars should not be cut from children in need in order to fund a tax break for the rich.
I spend a lot of time studying the Bible, and a theme it reiterates over and over across authors and centuries is the importance of justice. You can tell things aren’t working when some have far more than they need and others are struggling just to survive. That is the situation now, and the policies being put in place are going to widen that gulf.
So I thank you for showing up today, for stating by your presence that something is wrong. Things are not working as they should. None of us can address the entire breadth of problems that face us, but you should be encouraged by the people around you. This is a shared effort. So find where to plug in. If you don’t already have a place, talk to me, talk to someone else who is here representing an organization working to make things better. There is a role for you that fits with your passion, talents, and availability.
Sisters, brothers, siblings: Know that a brighter day is coming. We are facing many trials, but our work will not be in vain. The Author of Life smiles on our efforts. Biblical teachings smile on our efforts. And history will smile on our efforts.
Thank you for your presence. Thank you to Cristin for this opportunity to speak. And God bless you.
