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Interfaith Clergy Hold ‘Moral March’ to Reject the Nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 9, 2017

CONTACT 

Michelle Nealy, (202) 735-7123, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org

Washington, D.C. — On Monday, January 9th, a coalition of 200 interfaith clergy, moral leaders, and persons who will be impacted by the decisions of the U.S. Attorney General held a press conference on Capitol Hill, calling on Congress to reject the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions. Immediately afterward, these leaders marched to the offices of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pray and to deliver a “Declaration of Moral Resistance” calling for the rejection of Sessions’ Nomination. Faith leaders also urged lawmakers to support cabinet appointees who will embrace a fair, inclusive and moral public policy agenda for the nation.

Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life:

“As people of faith, we know our orders come from on high. We pledge today to resist by nonviolent means all who threaten to harm our neighbors. We will show up. We will sit in. We will cry out, and we will not stand down.”

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, President and Senior Lecturer, Repairers of the Breach; Pastor, Greenleaf Christian Church; Architect of the “Moral Mondays” Movement:

“We are representing the moral center. We are fighting against systemic discrimination. And, when you look at discrimination you have to look at policy and its impact. Sen. Jeff Sessions’ immoral record shows consistent support for ideologically extremist, racist and classist policies. Senator Sessions has the trappings of respectability in his title and in his stated faith practice, but in his testimony — proven by his record and his word — he does not honor our shared values of love, justice and mercy. The Senate should reject his nomination.”

Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Director of Bend the Arc Jewish Action:

“We are here today because we are inheritors of a tradition that believes it is self evident that we are all created equal. We are inheritors of a tradition that is designed to resist tyranny. The role of Attorney General requires a demonstrated commitment to providing equal protection under the law. Jeff Sessions unequivocally fails that test and should not be confirmed.”

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Faith in Public Life is a strategy center for the faith community advancing faith in the public square as a powerful force for justice, compassion and the common good.

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