• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
NC Council of Churches

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

Get Involved Donate
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Statements
    • Board
    • Careers
  • Voices
  • Our Priorities
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • The PHW Collaborative
      • Focus Areas
    • Eco-Justice Connection
      • Faith
      • Advocacy
      • Energy
      • Environmental Justice
      • Food
      • Global
      • Health
      • Resiliency and Restoration
    • Racial Justice
      • Confederate Monument Removal
      • Reparations to Restoration
    • Criminal Justice Reform
      • Cash Bail Reform
      • Death Penalty Abolition
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Workers’ Rights
      • Paid Sick Leave / Paid Family Leave
      • Raising Wages
    • Overdose Response
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Healthcare Justice
    • Farmworkers
    • Public Education
  • In the News
    • NCCC in the News
    • Press Releases
  • Events
  • Resources

Search NC Council of Churches

Resources for Voting Rights Sunday

March 12, 2013 by George Reed, Former Executive Director

Raleigh Report masthead

As you probably know, the Voting Rights Act is being challenged in the US Supreme Court, and General Assembly leaders in Raleigh are renewing their push to pass laws that will make voting harder, especially for African Americans, seniors who no longer drive, people who don’t own a car, and other low-income voters.

These legislators would create a new barrier for voters by requiring them to show a current driver’s license or other government photo ID. They also want to cut a week off of Early Voting, stop counties from offering Sunday Voting, and end Same-Day Registration during Early Voting.

We must speak out and encourage people of faith to express opposition to these voter restrictions. Rev. William Barber, President of the state NAACP, and Bob Hall, Executive Director of Democracy North Carolina, have partnered to create a bulletin insert for use on a Voting Rights Sunday. I’m asking you to help distribute this half-page flyer to your congregation during March. You can view it and download it here or order it below.

As you will see, the bulletin insert is tied in with this month’s observance of “Bloody Sunday”. On March 7, 1965, hundreds of peaceful marchers were beaten and tear-gassed at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama – it’s now known as “Bloody Sunday.” They finally reached Montgomery on March 24. They were demanding an end to the trickery, retaliation, and violence that kept African Americans from being able to register to vote.

Because of Bloody Sunday and the Freedom Movement’s non-violent pressure, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act later in 1965. Now it is threatened, and now the General Assembly is ready to make voting harder in North Carolina.

Democracy NC can provide you with multiple copies of the bulletin insert, at no cost to you and ready to be used. In addition, they can also provide talking points, scripture suggestions, a short video and other material to help make Voting Rights Sunday an important part of a service during March.

To order bulletin inserts or other resources, complete the following information and email it to Bob Hall at sprc@mindspring.com. You can also email him with questions.

Quantity of insert/handouts:

My name:

My mailing address:

City/State/Zip:

Church/organization:

Phone:

Email:

Do you want additional materials (scripture, sermon ideas, etc.): yes/no?

Prophetic people of faith have been crucial leaders and participants throughout the history of efforts to extend voting rights. Please join us now for this critical campaign to preserve that for which we and those before us have struggled.

–George Reed, Executive Director

Filed Under: Raleigh Report Tagged With: Civil Liberties, Equality & Reconciliation, Good Government, Interfaith, Prophetic Voice, Religion & Society

About George Reed, Former Executive Director

As I had hoped, I have spent more time reading books in my retirement. One recent read was Jon Meacham’s splendid biography of Thomas Jefferson. I resonated with something TJ wrote in a letter shortly after leaving the White House in 1809: “I am here [at Monticello] enjoying the ineffable luxury of being owner of my own time.” I can’t say that I am complete owner of my time, but I am really enjoying not being controlled by clock and calendar. Well, except when there’s a deadline for Raleigh Report.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Subscribe

Click here to subscribe to newsletters and blog updates.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine