Truth and Action Roundup 8.22.25

View this email in your browser Welcome to the Truth and Action Roundup, your reliable weekly source of information, inspiration, and opportunities for action during the second Trump administration.  Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to continue receiving it. This week, we’re seeing the full picture of Trump’s federal assault on our political, social, and civic life come into full view. With reports that Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on orders from an official at the Department of Justice, targeting current Fed Governor Lisa Cook with criminal charges to intimidate the board into lowering interest rates, and the ongoing occupation of the District of Columbia, we see that “crime” and the racist implications wrapped up in the subject are front and center in Trump’s political and operating philosophy. We often cite the principle of Imago Dei when addressing racism, emphasizing the importance of recognizing God's image in every individual. We should also look to the example of the Apostles Peter and John, who were told to remain silent about their Christian witness in the book of Acts. Just as they responded, “It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard,” we must refuse to be silent. We can't ignore the white supremacy at the heart of our current crisis. Long-standing assumptions, attitudes, beliefs, and actions regarding Black and Brown criminality underpin the actions we are witnessing, where Trump has used the power of the federal government to try to criminalize his opponents. We must not allow these attitudes to remain at the root of this endeavor as we denounce the harm this hatred produces. Being silent about what we see and hear must be unthinkable. — Rev. Moya Harris and Chad Stanton, Sojourners  In the News Here’s a look at what happened this week: 1) As the federal occupation of the District of Columbia enters its second week, there is reportedly no exit strategy—even as studies and reports continue to show the disproportionate impact of state power on marginalized people. A new study of state violence in the context of youth incarceration shows once again that people of color are especially vulnerable and that vulnerability is intersectional. Neurodivergent youth of color report being physically assaulted by authorities at rates 120 percent higher than their white, neurotypical peers. Human Rights Watch issued a thorough and damning report showing that police responded to protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles this June with “excessive force and deliberate brutality.” National Guard members currently deployed in the District of Columbia are being trained in the use of a controversial handgun "should the official order to be armed come down from Trump or his Department of Defense.” 2) Trump’s deportation regime continues to create widespread human suffering, while rewarding some of the business interests that support him: Amid the heat wave engulfing Los Angeles, the fear of ICE raids is keeping vulnerable people away from cooling centers, parks, senior centers, and more. A new court filing reveals that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s arrest during a protest outside an immigration detention center in May was carried out on the orders of the Trump Department of Justice’s second-in-command, Todd Blanche. Surveillance firms like Palantir and private prison and surveillance companies GEO Group and CoreCivic are reporting “bombastic numbers” and “unprecedented growth” to their investors due to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. 3) The Trump administration and its allies continued to overreach in other areas, ranging from voting rights to civil rights to the economy. The Texas House moved forward with Trump’s aggressive partisan redistricting plan, adding fuel to California Democrats’ efforts to counter it in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections. Rep. Nicole Collier, a Black lawmaker representing Fort Worth, was forced to spend the night in the state Capitol after refusing to sign an agreement to be under 24/7 surveillance to ensure she returned for the Wednesday vote. The latest reporting from The Washington Post confirms that the Trump administration has reversed the Department of Education’s civil rights focus, emphasizing cases “that allege transgender students and students of color are getting unfair advantages.” Trump has called for Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to serve in this role, to resign. His call comes after a Trump official known to be critical of the Federal Reserve accused her of mortgage fraud. This latest overreach is occurring in the broader context of Trump’s demands that the Fed lower interest rates and his threats to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell. 4) In another busy week for foreign affairs, there were significant developments in the conflicts in Israel/Palestine and Ukraine. In Tel Aviv, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered last Saturday to demand the release of the remaining Israeli hostages and an end to the war in Gaza. The Trump State Department sanctioned French judge Nicolas Guillou of the International Criminal Court over his role in supporting an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom the court has indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the context of Israel’s offensive in Gaza. After Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week ended without a concrete deal, Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and key European leaders featured Trump appearing to soften his insistence on a ceasefire, while also affirming his support for U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine. Take Action Capitol Hill United Methodist Church is partnering with Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid - When: This Saturday, August 23rd at 6 PM Where: Capitol Hill UMC, 421 Seward SQ SE Cost: Free and open to all Tell Congress to end the federal occupation in the District of Columbia! What We’re Reading The Israeli Human Rights Group Urging the World to Confront Genocide | B'Tselem's report demonstrates why genocide isn't just a problem for Gaza but a problem for humanity. (By Josiah Daniels) From the Early Church to ‘Boots on the Ground,’ Dance Is Worship | Christians who condemn dancing in church have adapted a colonized perspective that robs dance of its sacredness. (By Deirdre Jonese Austin) Deep Breaths  This is not normal. It is not normal to see militarized vehicles in front of Union Station in the nation’s Capital. It is not normal to witness grown men crying out in pain, despair, and fear as masked men violently attack them on their way to work. It is not normal to call special sessions of a state legislature to redraw election maps that silence Black and Brown voters in Texas. It is not normal to defund vaccine research because of conspiracy theories and junk science. It is not normal for a president to order an audit of Smithsonian museums, searching for any history that might make white people uncomfortable. It is not normal for 300,000 Black women to leave the labor force in three months. This is not normal. THIS IS NOT NORMAL. Our senses are being manipulated. The flood of awful images and endless social media clips forces our bodies to shield us from trauma. Our minds resist what our eyes see. And slowly, dangerously, the abnormal starts to feel ordinary. We cannot afford that. We cannot normalize the daylight kidnapping of immigrants because of the color of their skin by plainclothes, masked, unbadged law enforcement officials. We cannot normalize the militarization of police in Black communities because of the color of their skin. We must not become numb. Just this past Sunday, a colleague of mine could not worship because ICE officers were parked outside the church doors. Imagine: a world where people live in constant fear of being snatched away, sent to a country they have never known, stripped from loved ones forever. This is not just abnormal. It is racist. And it must be named. Texas Representative Ann Johnson, a white woman admittedly born in privilege, spoke the truth on Wednesday: the gerrymandering in Texas is about racism and power. That honesty matters. To resist, we must do the same—we must speak clearly, boldly, without flinching. Don’t fall for the lie. Don’t let the abnormal become ordinary. This is not normal. — Rev. Moya Harris, Senior Program Director, Sojourners P.S. Here are Texas Representative Ann Johnson’s remarks before the vote to disenfranchise thousands of Black and Brown people in Texas. The Truth and Action Roundup is compiled by Sojourners staff: President: Rev. Adam Russell Taylor Senior Research Associate: J.K. Granberg-Michaelson Digital Content and Community Specialist: Kassandra Tapia Chief Program and Impact Officer: Bryan Epps Political Director: Chad V. Stanton Senior Program Director: Rev. Moya Harris Digital Education and Outreach Specialist: Cortnie Brooks Mobilizing and Policy Assistant: Miriam Tellez Senior Director of Marketing: Sandra Sims Copyright © 2025 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842