Washington, D.C.—The National Black Church Initiative, a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African Americans, is simply asking a question of Al Sharpton and march organizers against the President elect Donald Trump, after we march, then what?
Do we have a strategy moving forward in these next 4-8 years? NBCI’s 34,000 churches know of no strategy coming from the National Action Network or any other Civil Rights group. They just want us to march and register our dismay that Hillary Clinton lost the election.
The National Black Church Initiatives was one of the first national organizations to denounce Donald Trump’s racists views, so those who believe we are raising this question because we are some hidden supporters of Donald Trump are sadly mistaken. It just does not make any sense to us that the only thing that we have in our arsenal moving forward is to march against Donald Trump whereby if we had listened to Tavis Smiley and Cornel West we would have had a more sophisticated response concerning the election of Donald Trump.
The number one reason why we are so reluctant to march with Al Sharpton and his liberal pro-women, pro-gay coalition is because Al, over the past 8 years had carte blanche access to the White House and to the halls of power and he did not once bring us together to create a lasting strategy for the Black community in the critical areas in which we live, education, housing, economic development and health.
Instead, Al Sharpton and his liberal friends took the time to get rich off of Government contracts and private business deals like the contract with Comcast. Now that he will be shut out of the White House for the next 8 years, he wants us to get upset when he blew an opportunity to secure critical issues that affect the African American community like forcing the White House to charge White racist officers under the Civil Rights Division. Not one White officer was charged under the Civil Rights Statutes during the tenure of Barack Obama and Al Sharpton.
Still after full statistical employment, even though our joblessness was cut in half, many of our young professionals with degrees are still looking for meaningful employment under the Obama Administration. This is why, during the last campaign, the National Black Church Initiative sought to separate itself and declare its independence from both Al Sharpton and the National Congressional Black Caucus.
Reverend Anthony Evans President of the National Black Church Initiative said, “I urged all of our 34,000 churches’ members not to participate in this march because it is hypocritical in its application, it also undermines what we have been trying to do for years which is to create a strategy for the African American community so that when we suffer a political loss we will not be completely out of the game. The Black Press, the Black political minds and the late Ron Walters pleaded with the Black community to develop a more balanced political strategy so that we may not have to march everytime we disagree with an incoming administration.
Al Sharpton is a good brother, and we have some of the same goals Al has but his strategy is backwards, elementary and does not indicate any level of political sophistication. In 2017 we choose not to march with someone who only looks out for himself and his organization who refuse to allow dissent or another creative idea when he controlled the access to the White House. The National Black Church Initiative invites Al Sharpton, instead of marching, to come sit down with us and develop a holistic strategy, not only for the next 4 years but for the next 20 years of how we educate and motivate our community from White racist elements who want to harm us and from White racist liberals who want to control us.”
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