In the proud justice-seeking tradition of the Black Church, the Religious Affairs programming at People For the American Way has been rooted in supporting and collaborating with thousands of Black clergy, theologians, seminarians, and lay leaders to promote civic engagement and bring their vision and voices into the public arena to promote policies that advance a vision of “beloved community.”

People For the American Way board member and longtime community leader Rev. Timothy McDonald launched the African American Ministers Leadership Council to protect public schools and the communities that rely on them from efforts by the radical religious right to divert education funds to private schools.

For more than 20 years, the AAMLC and African American Ministers in Action have trained and mobilized members to bring Souls to the Polls; brought prophetic progressive religious voices to the public arena on issues such as immigration, reproductive justice, LGBTQ equality, and the centrality of fair courts to achieving equality and justice for all. The voices of these faith leaders have and offered an alternative to the divisive, exclusionary voices of the white Christian nationalist movement.

In 2024, we will rely on African American faith leaders as a core part of our civic engagement and advocacy strategies to build a democracy that works for all of us.

African American Religious Affairs is a program of People For the American Way.