Friday, November 22, 2024

Truth and Action Roundup 11.22.24

Welcome to the Truth and Action Roundup, a reliable source of information, inspiration, and action for the post-election period. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to continue receiving it.

Today is Friday, Nov. 22, 59 days before Inauguration Day. In today’s news, we focus on a voting rights case in Pennsylvania, troubling signs of Project 2025-associated officials being appointed to key positions in the incoming administration, and the ACLU’s efforts to expose the mechanisms that the Trump administration may use to carry out mass deportations. We provide resources for preaching on domestic and sexual violence as well as a guide to organizing a group of faith-rooted advocates in your community. As always, we also offer spiritual sustenance for the journey ahead.

– Rev. Adam Taylor and Rev. Moya Harris, Sojourners

In the News

Here’s what we know at the time of writing:

1) In a setback for voting rights, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that mail-in ballots lacking a correct handwritten date on the return envelope may not be counted. The ruling comes in the context of the incredibly tight race for U.S. Senate there, as a statewide recount begins. Regardless of which party or campaign such a decision might favor, we must protect the moral imperative to honor the image of God in every voter. Simple clerical errors should not be allowed to override voters’ right to have their voices heard.

2) Despite President-elect Donald Trump’s disavowal of Project 2025 during his presidential campaign, he is naming several key architects of the alarming policy framework to serve in his new administration. For example, Brendan Carr, who has been nominated to chair the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), wrote the chapter on the FCC in Project 2025. Russ Vought, who wrote the chapter on the executive office of the U.S. president and reportedly led development of Project 2025’s playbook for Trump’s first 180 days in office, is being considered to lead the Office of Management and Budget.

3) The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is already pursuing an aggressive legal strategy to push back against the incoming Trump administration’s efforts to institute mass deportations of migrant people. A lawsuit filed on Monday seeks information from the government about the secretive system of private flights dubbed “ICE Air.” It currently forms a part of the deportation system, sending more than 142,000 people to approximately 170 countries last fiscal year. This information will help the ACLU and other partners working to protect migrant people to understand how the Trump administration may intend to use these mechanisms to increase deportations.

A red, white, and blue collage of a donkey, elephant, courthouse, capitol building, along with the preamble of the U.S. Constitution

Take Action

Get preaching resources on domestic and sexual violence. The incoming president and several of his high-profile nominees have faced credible accusations of sexual violence, and there are far too many recent examples of churches and church leaders minimizing or denying similar accusations. A few years ago, Sojourners curated a database of more than 100 sermons on domestic and sexual violence for times such as these. Whether you are seeking spiritual sustenance for yourself or a loved one, or inspiration for your preaching, we hope this resource will be helpful to you.
Create a Faith-Rooted Advocates Network group. As Thanksgiving approaches, we want to offer a resource that can help build deeper trust in communities of faith and enable them to dream together about what healthy, thriving community can look like. This toolkit offers guidance on how to organize an initial conversation among like-minded people in your community around an ongoing commitment to advocacy for social justice.

Deep Breaths

As we approach the weekend, let’s reflect on a simple yet powerful message: Love requires nourishment. This wisdom was first shared by the visionary (some would call him a prophet) Stevie Wonder in 1976. Wonder explained that for love to be effective, it must be sustained by love itself. Love is not passive; it’s an action. It serves as a balm for healing, alleviating suffering, dispelling fear, and making room for joy. Remember that God’s love is all-encompassing. Allow Wonder’s sermon, “Love’s in Need of Love Today,” to resonate with you this weekend. Remember to nurture love, ensuring its continued presence and strength in your life, family, and community. Enjoy this love-filled playlist.

— Rev. Moya Harris, Director of Racial Justice, Sojourners

The Truth and Action Roundup is compiled by Sojourners staff:
President: Rev. Adam Russell Taylor
Director of Racial Justice: Rev. Moya Harris
Senior Research Associate: J.K. Granberg-Michaelson
Senior Adviser and Director to the President’s Office: Elizabeth Denlinger Reaves
Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing: Sandy Ovalle Martínez
Director of Congregational Outreach & Education: Rev. Andrea Saccoccio
Digital Communications Associate: Lexi Schnaser
Senior Director of Marketing: Sandra Sims