St John AME Church: On the Front Lines Through Civic Engagement
By Bobby Adkins, II, 9th Episcopal District
The year of 2020 has been challenging and filled with plenty of hardship and struggle. Clifton Jones said it best in his often-recorded and performed gospel hit, “Trouble in My Way.”
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and with many Americans feeling the weight of healthcare inequality, systemic racism, economic inequities, and gross injustice within the criminal justice system, one would be excused for hanging their head and weeping. However, as protests against injustice have gained renewed national attention, sweeping the nation in both rural and urban communities, we should be reminded of how Jones ends the song, writing, “Jesus will fix it. It’s gonna be alright in the morning. Jesus will fix it… After a while.”
The book and hit movie Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson, grabbed national headlines earlier this year by depicting the real-life inequities in the criminal justice system. It examined how racism impacts every aspect of policing and judicial punishment. The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, to name the most prominent this year, have brought the big screen to life. Their stories further the argument that the system is broken and disproportionately impacts people of color, often with catastrophic consequences.
History tells us that the African-American community has carried the brunt of social and political injustices. Injustices have created structural and systemic constraints as well as an uneven playing field for people of color. These concerns have had devastating consequences for many in our communities. To counter these inequalities, African-Americans, including St. John AME Church members, have been leading the fight in pressing for social change, serving on the front lines locally and nationally.
St. John members have stepped to the forefront in pushing for criminal justice reform and civic action. The Coalition for Justice through Civic Engagement (CJCE), led by St. John member Dr. Tonya Perry, is leading the way in the Huntsville Metro Community by shining a spotlight on several key initiatives. CJCE hopes to bring attention to voter registration, CENSUS 2020, support for black-owned businesses, COVID-19 testing, and the removal of Confederate monuments and statues from Huntsville municipal areas.
When the Mississippi State Legislature voted overwhelmingly to replace its state flag, which contains the Confederate battle emblem, people with a vested interest locally paid attention. As a native Mississippian, this author was well pleased with this change as it reflects a monumental shift in the southern narrative regarding the significance and use of these racist symbols in public spaces. St. John members participated in weekly protests that captured the attention of local media and encouraged a summer of activism not seen in the Huntsville area in many years.
St. John members, partnering with Faith in Action–Alabama, Huntsville Hub (FIAA-HSV) have moved forward with the Freedom Vote 2020 Statewide Voter Engagement Campaign, which runs August 4-November 3. Participants from the AME Church include Bishop Harry L. Seawright, Ninth Episcopal District and St. John’s Dr. Thalia Love-Brown, Brother Willie Sandifer, Brother Bobby Adkins, and Dr. Jeanette Jones.
FIAA’s Freedom Vote 2020’s goal is to reach out to over 160,000 African American, Latino, and low-wealth white Alabamians. Training is focused on conducting the campaign’s voter engagement phonebank sessions. Over 40 congregational and communal phonebank teams are the foundation of FIAA’s Freedom Vote 2020 Campaign. St. John will host a phonebank in August.
Along with phone banking, the core components of FIAA’s Freedom Vote 2020 are social media, relational organizing, email, and pulpit announcements. The training also included discussions about how our voter engagement work will impact powerful issues and voter engagement campaigns in 2021 and 2022. Critical to this great turnout was the work of FIAA’s member, CME Church Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton of the Fifth Episcopal District, Bishop Seth Lartey of the Alabama-Florida Episcopal District of the AME Zion District, and Bishop Harry L. Seawright of the Ninth Episcopal District of the AME Church.
With crucial elections on the horizon, St. John will continue to serve on the front lines for social change. To God be the glory as we look for “good trouble.”
