The NC Council of Churches is proud to publish a brand new e-book collection of testimonies from Moral Mondays. With 32 short vignettes from North Carolinians across the state, Voices of Moral Mondays tells the story of everyday folks being motivated to speak out on account of their faith. Many, though not all, of the accounts describe what it was like to engage in civil disobedience and be arrested by the authorities. Click here to download the free e-book.
By Chris Liu-Beers, NC Council of Churches, Raleigh
I felt called to participate in Moral Mondays as a way to “bear witness” in this time and place. I believe that as a society we are judged by how we treat the most vulnerable people among us; and as a North Carolinian, I could not stand silent while the General Assembly passed bill after bill that harmed the marginalized and propped up the powerful.
So with my family I stood on that grassy lawn, surrounded by the halls of power, bearing witness to the ways our state is failing its most vulnerable members. We shouted our slogans, sang our songs, joined together in prayers, bearing witness to the vision of justice for all people. I felt honored to be a part of such a peaceful, diverse, and strong crowd, lending my voice to the cries for justice. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.
For me, the true highlight of Moral Mondays was the opportunity to line up and cheer on those who would go on to be arrested for acts of civil disobedience inside the General Assembly building. These ordinary folks – pastors, nurses, and teachers; professors, students, and administrators; young and old – demonstrated true courage by bearing witness even at the risk of imprisonment. There is a powerful biblical precedent for this kind of faith-in-action, and it was deeply inspiring to play even a small part.
Moral Mondays has given me hope that even when our state leaders go down the wrong path, there is a great cloud of witnesses holding them accountable and raising awareness about the implications of their actions. Some of these harmful policies may take years or even decades to undo, but I have faith that together with God’s help we can bend the long arc of history towards justice.
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