Sojourners and the Washington Interfaith Staff Community (WISC) continue co-organizing a series of faithful witness vigils at the Capitol every Wednesday in March at noon. These multi-faith vigils call on Congress to exercise greater moral courage to uphold its Article 1 powers and prevent executive overreach. The March 12 vigil focused on federal cuts to foreign aid and the dismantling of USAID, and featured such leaders as Rick Santos, president/CEO of Church World Service, an organization that has been severely impacted by the cuts to foreign aid organizations. Other speakers included Bridget Moix, general secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Rev. Eugene Cho, president/CEO of Bread for the World, and others. Matthew Markay, NCC project coordinator, attended the rally, which was held outside the United States Capitol Building, and heard appeals from various speakers who called on Congress to have the moral courage to stand up to unjust federal overreach.
The March 19 vigil will focus on the many ways children and families are being harmed by the administration’s executive orders and policy decisions. Preliminary featured speakers include: Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland Tune, chief operating officer of the National Council of Churches Jeanné Lewis, CEO of Faith in Public Life Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, president/general secretary of the National Council of Churches Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Rev. Marvin Silver, director of leadership for Development & Organizing for Children’s Defense Fund Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, senior strategist for Faith in Action International Sandy Ovalle, senior director of campaigns and Mobilizing for Sojourners
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