Posts By: Christian Brooks

The Prophetic Witness of Black Women

By Langley Hoyt This March, I attended the Beyoncé Mass created by Rev. Yolanda Norton. The mass uses Beyoncé’s music as a tool to have empowering conversations about Black women and God and to lament the violence against Black women. The most impactful part of Beyoncé Mass, for me, was when the choir sang Beyoncé’s… Read more »

A Time for Action

A Statement from Rev. Jimmie R. Hawkins, Director of the Office of Public Witness The week of May 24th will be remembered as a week of lament, mourning, grief, and outrage. Death has been a constant presence throughout the world as lives have been impacted by loss and pain. The most troubling aspect is the… Read more »

Tell the Securities and Exchange Commission to Protect the Voice of Small Investors!

Tell the Securities and Exchange Commission to Protect the Voice of Small Investors! On November 5th 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)  proposed a rule that will limit small investors’ ability to file shareholder proposals and bring their concerns to corporate managers and boards. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) has been a driving force in… Read more »

To Solve the Housing Crisis, We Must Dismantle Systemic Racism

By: Langley Hoyt, Domestic Issues YAV People of color are disproportionately impacted by the housing crisis in the United States. This is not a coincidence, but a product of racism baked into the housing system over the course of decades. The U.S. has a long history of government-sanctioned policies that denied people of color, especially… Read more »

Office of Public Witness Supports the REAL Act

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (PC(U.S.A.)) has a long-standing history of engagement around criminal justice reform. In 1988, the 200th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopted a statement calling for “changing a prison system that is based on the concept of punishment to one that encourages the restoration of incarcerated citizens…” For that restoration… Read more »

Statement on Gun Violence and Recent Mass Shootings

“33 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)…  37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of… Read more »

Statement on the Federal Death Penalty

Capital punishment has been a widely debated topic in the United States for many years. In 1972, following the Furman v. Georgia Supreme Court decision, the death penalty was deemed unconstitutional and outlawed at the state and federal levels.  However, it was reinstated by most states and the federal government by 1988 and expanded by… Read more »

A New Approach to Preventing Gun Violence

Written by Deanna Hollas of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship This weekend is Wear Orange for Gun Violence Awareness.  I want to share with you a new awareness I had around the issue of preventing gun violence.  In late April, I traveled to Denver, CO to participate in a pilgrimage to remember the 20th anniversary of… Read more »

Abortion Bans and Reproductive Rights

Over the past year, several states have passed bills that place extreme restrictions on a woman’s legal ability to obtain an abortion. Many of these bills restrict access to safe reproductive health care as well. These laws are in opposition to the historic Roe V. Wade Supreme Court decision which confirmed a woman’s constitutional right… Read more »