Members of the NAACP Religious Leaders Roundtable who met in Atlanta last week sent a statement to congressional leaders and President Obama calling for a resolution of the fiscal cliff crisis that ensures the common good of the country and meets the needs of the nation’s poorest and most vulnerable.
“It is time for the leaders of our nation to focus on the task at hand,” said NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock. “Any resolution surrounding the fiscal cliff must be inclusive of all the people in this nation, assuring job stability and economic stability for all.”
The faith leaders hope that the final resolution will maintain a fair and equitable tax plan, and reject and option that would cost jobs, reduce benefits for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, or damage the nation’s safety net. The group also opposed any extension of the Bush tax cuts for the richest two percent of Americans.
The NAACP hosted a three-day National Religious Leaders Summit in here to help move the faith community back to its long-held leadership role in matters of social justice. The Roundtable will send the letter to each of the leaders who were present at the summit and those who were not able to attend, asking them to share it with their database of constituents. They will be encouraged to distribute these letters on their websites and in newsletters and letters to their churches and organizations.
“The faith leaders attending this summit witness the impact of America’s socio-economic problems in their places of worship and communities each day,” said Rev. Nelson Rivers III, Vice President of Stakeholder relations with the NAACP. “They have the responsibility, the resources, and the power to reach out to their colleagues and influence government in a way that supports the people of this nation.”
The letter was signed by the following members of the NAACP Religious Leaders Roundtable: Rabbi David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; Rev. Patricia Maples, President, National Convocation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Bishop Dennis Proctor, President of the Bishop’s Council, AME Zion Church; Dr. Stephen Thurston, President, National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.; Dr. Carroll Baltimore, President, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; Elder Bernard C. Yates, President, Primitive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; Mr. James Salley, Board of Directors, Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR); Dr. Charles Mock, Executive Secretary, Home Mission Board, National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.
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