 |
| Nick Park |
The eyes of the world are focused on the US elections. Whatever the results, the most powerful nation in the world is bracing itself for an avalanche of outrage and recrimination.
Meanwhile, I’m bracing myself for more media stereotypes about “right-wing Evangelical Christians”.
Religion and politics are often intertwined in the United States. For example, an Evangelical pastor is tipped to be elected to represent Missouri’s 1 st Congressional District in the House of Representatives.
Nothing unusual there, you might say. The unexpected twists to this story are that Cori Bush (or Pastor Cori, as she prefers to be known) is an African-American single mother, that she is a Democrat, that she came to prominence as a community organiser during the 2014 Ferguson protests against police brutality and racism, and she belongs firmly to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
Alexandra Rojas, of Justice Democrats, commented on Bush’s primary victory, “The Squad is here to stay, and it’s growing.” Pastor Cori represents a long-standing tradition of African-American Evangelicals who believe they are called by God to address the issue of race through political activism.
Religion and politics are often intertwined in the United States. For example, an Evangelical pastor is tipped to be elected to represent Missouri’s 1 st Congressional District in the House of Representatives.
Nothing unusual there, you might say. The unexpected twists to this story are that Cori Bush (or Pastor Cori, as she prefers to be known) is an African-American single mother, that she is a Democrat, that she came to prominence as a community organiser during the 2014 Ferguson protests against police brutality and racism, and she belongs firmly to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
Alexandra Rojas, of Justice Democrats, commented on Bush’s primary victory, “The Squad is here to stay, and it’s growing.” Pastor Cori represents a long-standing tradition of African-American Evangelicals who believe they are called by God to address the issue of race through political activism.
No comments