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Kamala Harris’ Baptist faith is rooted in Martin Luther King and Gandhi
WASHINGTON (AP) — Black clergy who know Vice President Kamala Harris, now the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, are thrilled by the mix of traditions and teachings which have shaped her religious faith and social justice values.
She is a Baptist, married to a Jew. She is inspired by the work of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., in addition to the religious traditions of her native India, where her mother comes from, and the Black Church.
“She had the best of both worlds,” says her longtime pastor, the Rev. Amos Brown, who leads Third Baptist Church in San Francisco.
In interviews, religious leaders and theologians told The Associated Press that Harris’ candidacy carries special symbolic significance after President Joe Biden’s exit from the campaign trail. Not only because she could be the country’s first female president, but she is a Black American with South Asian roots, and her two cultures are inextricably linked.
Clerics and scholars have noted that the concept of nonviolent resistance, a key strategy in the American civil rights movement, gained influence under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in India, who inspired American black preachers and civil rights leaders for a long time. Gandhi was a Hindu who preached Hindu-Muslim unity.
“Perhaps through the Negroes the unadulterated message of pacifism will be conveyed to the world,” Gandhi told a delegation led by the eminent black theologian from the United States, Howard Thurman, in 1935.
These shared cultural connections can be found in Harris’ family history. Her maternal grandmother was a community organizer, and her grandfather, PV Gopalan, was a civil servant who joined the resistance to India’s independence from Britain.
Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, met King while she was a student on the University of California, Berkeley, where she participated in civil rights demonstrations.
“She was aware of history, aware of struggle, aware of inequality. She was born with a sense of justice etched into her soul,” Harris wrote of her mother in her 2019 book “The Truths We Hold.”
Harris was also influenced by the Black Church tradition.
“The vice president has a strong Christian faith, which she’s talked about a lot,” said Jamal Simmons, a pastor’s son and Harris’ former communications director, who has helped candidates construct influence in faith communities as a Democratic strategist.
“She was raised in a Christian church and attended Christian churches all her life. I think that still has an influence on her, her worldview and her ethical commitments,” he said.
Dallas pastor Freddie D. Haynes III met Harris at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, starting a friendship that has lasted greater than 30 years.
Haynes — whose family has close ties to Third Baptist — was a guest preacher visiting his mother on the time. Harris, then the Alameda County district attorney, had just joined the congregation.
“She always understood that Jesus and justice go hand in hand. So it’s not hard to see why she chose a church that had that DNA of justice,” said Haynes, whose grandfather shaped Third Baptist’s social justice identity as pastor, a practice his father continued during his temporary time in the pulpit.
Over the years, Haynes and Harris bonded over their shared faith. Haynes said she admired his ability to mix black Christian theology in the pulpit with the rhythm and cadence of hip-hop. It was Harris’ commitment to serving essentially the most vulnerable that impressed him.
“Her spirituality is based on a sense of justice for those who are different, disadvantaged and treated as second-class citizens,” said Haynes, who leads Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas.
As a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Harris was immersed in a cultural environment influenced by her deep faith. The friendships and service she learned at her alma mater are key to understanding the spirituality that fuels her sense of purpose, said Matthew Watley, pastor of nearby Kingdom Fellowship AME, one among the fastest-growing churches in America.
Watley said Howard’s commitment to service through religious passion and academic achievement never leaves his students. Several of Harris’ friends, including a line sister in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., worship at Kingdom Fellowship, where Harris has attended twice in recent years.
Joshua DuBois, former head of the White House Office of Religious and Neighborhood Partnerships, said Harris, influenced by cultural and religious traditions from each the East and the West, exudes a form of ecumenism that makes her candidacy appealing to a broad range of spiritual voters.
“I think presidents are grounded in their faith and inspired by their faith in many ways. It’s a wellspring from which they draw,” said DuBois, who served under former President Barack Obama. “When you know the world has gone crazy, how do you connect to something bigger than yourself?”
“I also think faith can help you set priorities,” he added. “Often as a president, you can focus on just one thing, and you’re faced with the question: Who needs you the most? I think that’s what Jesus did. That’s what Gandhi did.”
Black women, including clergy and activists who haven’t stopped organizing and praying because the COVID-19 pandemic, are quick to endorse Harris.
Pastor Traci Blackmon, who recently joined 4,000 black clergy on a conference call supporting Harris, said the outpouring of support for her comes amid the anticipated ugliness and backlash she is going to face in a fight with former President Donald Trump.
“She should be president because she is equipped, she is prepared and she is the best candidate for the job,” said Blackmon, a pastor of the United Church of Christ in St. Louis who spoke to the AP as Harris was rallying delegates.
The conversation was organized by Black Church PAC, co-founded by the Rev. Michael McBride, a longtime Harris supporter and pastor of The Way Christian Center in Berkeley. McBride told the AP that he was still speaking from the pulpit Sunday when Biden withdrew his candidacy. After the blessing, McBride said, one among the church moms stood up, shared the news and asked, in essence, “What do we do now?”
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McBride and many other black pastors who’ve called for an end to Israel’s war with Hamas will look to Harris for leadership that can bring peace. Brown, her own pastor, was amongst black clergy who’ve visited the White House in recent months to appeal to the Biden administration.
“For me, it’s an issue of peace and justice,” Brown said.
On Sunday, after Biden endorsed Harris, she called Brown in the evening, about an hour before the AP reached him at his San Francisco home.
“I’m calling my pastor,” Harris said in her typical greeting, referring to the person her office staff is required to satisfy during their first week on the job.
She wanted her pastor to hope — and Brown prayed, too — that Harris “would be the perfect instrument to bring healing, hope and wholeness” to the United States of America.
Lifestyle
Simone Biles and Jenifer Lewis receive honorary doctorates at Washington University in St. Louis
Actress Jenifer Lewis and Gymmen Simone Biles have recent titles: Doctor!
On Sunday, May 12, 68-year-old “Czarny” Ałun and 28-year-old 7-year-old Olympic gold medalist were among the many six people honored with honorary doctorates at the University of Washington in St. Louis through the school start ceremony. While Lewis received one in the sphere of Fine Arts, Biles, which was also at hand to offer the address of the beginning of the college, he received one in humanitarian letters.
From the Francis Olympic pitch on the DanForth campus, dressed in a royal college hat and a dress, and through the rain knowledgeable gymnast gave an exciting and inspiring speech of wisdom about success.
Noticing that she achieved many “news” in her gymnastic profession, she celebrated graduates who may be the primary in their families who achieved bachelor’s studies, together with the remainder, for “one of the most difficult things”.
“The world doesn’t need to be perfect,” she said News from the spectrum. “You must be brave, he needs you to care and continue, even when things do not go according to plan. So go there and write your own story, only one you can say.”
A supporter of mental health at all times, Biles also led graduates in a deep breath in order that they may fully “breathe” their last achievement and advise them to “be careful and care for themselves.”
Lewis, dating from Missouri, was also a highlighted speaker through the bronze school recognition ceremony, and even received Special spiritual tunnel Inspired by Jennifer Hudon’s viral trend. Members of lecturers and school employees serenaded Lewis with the performance of “simply the best” when she danced and threw away the high, dug in the center of the Spirit Fight line.
During her comments, addressing the graduates of the Brown Recognition ceremony, Lewis gave advice on maintaining vigilance.
“Oh, class from 2025 – one day you can fall down wild animals, so with every step you do, pay attention” she said. “You will go into an unknown world – and oh, what an unknown. You studied hard and deserved your own arsenal of tools. Go there and apply them with grace and compassion.”
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On May 13, 1950, the star was born in Saginaw, Michigan and it was no person aside from Stevland Hardaway Judkins, often called Stevie Wonder. Stevie is a music genius that delighted tens of millions of individuals with his incredibly beautiful catalog of songs. Black company He selected 13 from Stevie’s crucial songs to have a good time the sound of an actual master and motown sound. Stevie Wonder is a legend.
Happy birthday to the true one.
He throws me off my feet
“Knocking Me Off My Feet” fell in 1976 to the legendary album Stevie, is a jazz love song, which is perfectly useful that he feels someone, looks like someone.
Golden Lady
“Golden Lady” appeared on the stage in 1973 on the album Stevie. This song is a smooth romantic number that flies under the radar. This is certainly one of Stevie’s most sleeping love songs.
If you actually love me
“If you really love me” appeared in 1971 on the album Stevie ,. It defines a key moment in his profession, through which Stevie’s sound becomes a function. The song strikes in another way whenever you realize that he finds the voice.
Part -time lover
So “Lover part -time” appeared in 1985 on the album Stevie. This is a really perfect mixture of classic Motown Vibrations with the shiny production of the 80s synthesizer. “A lover of part -time employed” has a melody that lives in your head for a lot of days.
Lately
“Recently” fell in 1980 as a part of the Stevie Wonder album. It is such a harsh, painful ballad that somebody you’re keen on slowly drains away. Stevie really pours his heart and vocal to this. It is so boomed you could feel any ounce of pain in his voice.
This time in my life
“For For Fer My Life” fell in 1968 on an album of the identical title. This is a sincere love anthem through which someone finally finds his person. It is performed with harsh emotions and soul and may easily give listeners goose bumps.
Signed, sealed, delivered (I’m yours)
“Signed, sealed, delivered (I’m Yours)” fell in 1970 on the album Stevie “SIGNTED, Sealed & Delived”. This song is value adding to your playlist. He is energetic and catchy. Stevie co -produced the song.
Master Blaster (Jammin)
“Master Blaster (Jammin ‘)” debuted in 1980 on the album Stevie Wonder. “This is a superb tribute to Bob Marley with this unique Stevie Wonder Groove Ombudn.
Superstition
Stevie abandoned “Superstition” in 1972. Stevie doesn’t stop and offers funk and soul without effort.
Is she not wonderful
“Not She She Lovely” dropped in 1976 as a part of the masterful album Stevie Wonder The Song Is Dedicated to his daughter Aisha And he’s entwined with a spiritual, characteristic game of Stevie harmonica. Stevie balances technical brilliance with harsh emotional honesty. This is unquestionably certainly one of those timeless gems.
Don’t worry about something
“Don’t You Carth” Bout a Think “fell on the album in 1973. It has a Latin jazz atmosphere that makes you must move, in addition to these funny lyrics that may make you smile in your face. The whole song is largely a musical hug. It’s like a small pocket of the sun from the 70s, which never gets old.
You did nothing
Oh wounds, “You Doted Nothin” “got here to the stage in 1974. He was hidden in Stevie Wonder’s absolutely good album. Why would you switch it? Well, this can be a splendidly funny political statement that Stevie directed straight to the Nixon administration during your entire Watergate mess. Cherry upstairs? He led Jackson 5 to borrow them harmonies in spare vocals. This is Vintage 70. Protest music from Groove, which still appears to be current.
Happy birthday
Stevie abandoned “Happy Birthday” in 1981 on his album. He wrote it to press MLK on his birthday to change into a national holiday. Stevie is clever in how he mixed the climate with social activism, carrying a serious message about equality. MLK Day finally became official in 1983.
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reports that the housing crisis can To be Brewing as a demographic boom Collect their houses and refuse MOVEW financially bored residential facilities.
Meredith Whitney, a financial analyst, said that the generation of the boom of demographic houses maintains hard -earned houses, because moving to residential assistance is equally expensive. During the interview, Whitney emphasized that some older Americans are attached to money and borrowing towards their homes. Forty -four percent of home equity loans are charged by seniors, which they call “contradictory”. “It’s crazy, right?” She preserved.
Whitney’s points of view are significantly different from the standard narrative that the majority of the demographic boom is financially secure and sits on money flaws. This shall be true because seniors constitute 42% of all houses buyers in comparison with generations who constitute 29%. “I divide it into various cohorts,” said Whitney.
“So a senior who everyone thinks that” demographic booms have all this money ” – this is a small part. Seniors live withdrawals for payment. ”
The generation collectively has 75 trillion usd wealth. However, Whitney, also sometimes called “Oracle of Wall Street”, which provided for a incredible financial crisis, estimated that only one in 10 seniors can afford to assist in maintaining help, forcing many to stay in their homes with a mortgage surplus.
As a result, the rates created the “block” effect, described as when the owners of the house who got to the market at low rates, hesitate to purchase recent houses, bearing in mind today’s increased loan costs. “This is one of the problems with housing inventory,” said Whitney during the interview. “They stop longer in their homes because they can’t afford to move out.”
The weight is just not only on the demographic boom. Their thousand -year -old and generation X got stuck in an inaccessible long -term address aging parents. Because the elders not have funds for long -term care, in response to subsequent generations they typically leave work or work less to supply care. Social insurance experts Name it “victim” which could potentially hurt them Financially at present and in the future. “The bigger problem is that you can create almost a series of poverty,” said professor Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Marc Cohen.
“This is not something that simply sticks to one generation. The costs are socially incurred.”
The Harvard Center for Housing Studies 2023 report confirmed that private long -term care, like helpful communities and healthcare, is beyond the reach of the average middle class citizen. Less than 15% of Americans 75 and older people living alone in the primary American cities could afford to pay for help in the field of help or healthcare without immersing in their savings. The federal government may not have much help, because Trump’s administration focuses on Medicare, a government medical insurance program for the elderly.
Medicare also doesn’t include most long -term healthcare.
(Tagstranslat) demographic boom house
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