Advocacy
The Vote is Sacred Tour: Pittsburgh
We began day seven of The Vote is Sacred Tour in Cleveland. We partnered with the NAACP of Cleveland and Greater Cleveland Congregations on a Souls to the Polls block party across the street from the one voting center in the county on the last day of early voting in Ohio. It was shocking to see such a long line of people waiting to vote, but their determination to make their voice heard was inspiring. We helped ensure that voters felt encouraged as they waited and celebrated for playing their part in democracy.
After the block party in Cleveland, we boarded the bus and headed to Pittsburgh to start the final stretch of the bus tour in Pennsylvania. After traveling through Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, our team was relieved and grateful to reach the final state.
In Pittsburgh, we partnered with Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network to hold a press conference at Pittsburgh Mennonite Church. They had spent the afternoon canvassing neighborhoods to get out the vote, and our press conference put a spotlight on this important work. We heard from Rev. Dave Swanson, Rev. Shannon Doege, Rev. Kate Walker, and Christina Mohamed on behalf of Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network. Our own Rev. Paul Brandeis Rauschenbush and Adam Friedman also spoke.
You can watch the full press conference in this video.
Transcript
Department of Education Gets Patriotism Wrong
Interfaith Alliance, together with major religious organizations committed to religious freedom and education, has submitted a formal comment to the U.S. Department of Education opposing the proposed priority and definitions on promoting patriotic education.
Moral Courage in Action: Faith Communities Confront Executive Overreach
This June, the Trump administration deployed the National Guard to California following widespread protests against a series of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across the city; protesters stood in solidarity with immigrant communities and voiced opposition to mass deportation. Executive overreach under the guise of making communities “safer” threatens the freedom and safety of protesters and distorts democratic norms. In August, the administration further displayed overreach by deploying National Guard troops and quelling protests in Washington, D.C. In September, the administration announced that Portland, Oregon, would be the next city to have troops mobilized in its community. In response, faith communities, along with their partners, have not relented and are pushing back in defense of immigrant rights and the integrity of our democracy.