April 8, 2025
“We can’t be comfortable in America. Historical past is pushing us; the current is demanding us; the longer term is looking us.”
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The Rev. William J. Barber II speaks throughout the “Palms Off!” day of motion in opposition to the Trump administration and Elon Musk on April 5, 2025, in Washington, DC.
(Paul Morigi / Getty Pictures for Group Change Motion)
Fifty-seven years in the past, Dr King mentioned on the night time earlier than he died, “Nothing could be extra tragic than for us to show again now.”
God, assist us to not flip again from the Structure’s name to ascertain justice, promote the final welfare, present for the frequent protection, and guarantee domestics tranquility.
When Trump and Musk and Johnson are signing unconstitutional govt orders, illegally firing individuals, attempting to move an immoral price range, and wrongfully elevating tariffs that not solely harm Wall Road however again streets, facet streets, and again roads, we should say immediately that we’ll arise in fact and lift our voices, our votes to declare, “Take your fingers off our democracy!”
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When their silly price range plans might take away 36 million individuals from healthcare and thousands and thousands of poor, low-wage kids from college lunch and refuse to lift wages for 14 million low-wage working American individuals from $7.25 to $16, we should pray, “God, give us the braveness to face!”
Take your fingers of our Medicaid!
Take your fingers off our Medicare!
Take your fingers off our voting rights!
Take your fingers off our residing wages!
Take your fingers off our public schooling!
Take your fingers off our off our lives!
When grasping technocrats with a supremacy basis wish to rule the nation, we with ethical vigor and righteous indignation should arise and say, “No!”
We can’t be comfortable in America. Historical past is pushing us; the current is demanding us; the longer term is looking us
I mentioned in 2018 that each age will need to have a motion of individuals that may construct an ethical fusion mass motion that stands collectively as a result of the problems earlier than us usually are not about left versus proper or Republicans versus Democrats, however ethical versus immoral, proper versus fallacious, and justice versus injustice.
And with the assistance of all that’s divine, we should unite an increasing number of, declaring that we’re black, we’re white, we’re Latino, we’re Asian, we’re native, we’re younger, we’re outdated, we’re north, we’re south, we’re east, we’re west, we’re homosexual, we’re straight, we’re trans. We’re America, and we ain’t going nowhere!
God, give us the energy. We won’t permit a price range that goes after the insurance policies that carry the poor and low-wage employees of this nation. We won’t settle for the assault on federal employees—not now, not ever!
We are going to prayerfully, with no equivocation, no capitulation, no weak spot, declare with all that’s holy and divine, “We won’t, we can’t, we should not bow.”
We should reclaim our authorities. We should pledge ourselves to the work of a Third Reconstruction of America. We should carry each voice and sing collectively. We should lead with love, and we should repent of the apathy that has too typically slipped in. We can’t bow.
Lastly, they’re afraid of you—Trump and Musk, who’re wanna-be kings and lords. That crowd is afraid of the ability of affection, reality, and justice, afraid of unity and variety. Properly, let’s hold them afraid till they modify.
My pals, that is manner greater than only a celebration difficulty. That is an outright battle for civilization. And the reality is, they’re fearful of your energy to return collectively. And they’re betting that we’ll be afraid of them. However that is the time that we should improve, intensify, and embolden our agitation for what is true.
We should declare that the one manner a wannabe a king generally is a king is that if we bow, and bowing down just isn’t an choice for us. Our knees usually are not made for bowing to power-drunk neofascists. We bow solely to God.
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And so we should stand tall. Once they assault on a regular basis individuals with imply, hurtful insurance policies, we should stand tall and say, “Take your fingers off our lives!”
So stand as much as the technocrats.
It’s time for our pulpits to face tall!
It’s time for our statesmen and stateswomen to face tall!
It’s time for the individuals to face tall!
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We should mobilize our righteous our bodies and hearts by the thousands and thousands and stand tall now!
We should stand tall as a result of bowing down just isn’t an choice.
It might take mass nonviolent sit-ins within the halls of Congress or nonviolent civil disobedience. In the event that they arrest us, so be it. However we should stand tall.
It might take mass pray-ins, however stand tall.
It might take a labor strike day on Election Day so that every one working individuals can vote, however stand tall!
It might take mass counter lawsuits, however stand tall!
Stand tall!
Their plans can’t work lengthy as we’re indivisible.
Stand tall in each precinct!
Stand tall in each voting district!
Stand tall in each metropolis!
Stand tall in each state!
Stand tall within the reality!
Stand tall in love!
Stand tall in justice!
Stand tall and demand, “Palms of our democracy!”
And if we stand tall, the God of the universe will stand with us. Stand tall!
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II is The Nation’s civil rights correspondent, and president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, cochair of the Poor Folks’s Marketing campaign: A Nationwide Name For Ethical Revival, and professor within the follow of public theology and public coverage and founding director of the Heart for Public Theology and Public Coverage at Yale Divinity College. His most up-to-date ebook is White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy.
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