Social Justice Ministry

Google defines Social Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges. within a society. “If a man doesn’t have a job or an income, he has neither life nor liberty or the possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Poor People’s Campaign)

The Social Justice Ministry (SJM) was initiated in May 2019 to expand the efforts of its predecessor, the Social Action Committee. The Social Action Committee members continue to support the SJM to ensure that intellectual capital as well as community connections and relationships remain viable and accessible to new and expanded ministry efforts.

In addition to community and grassroots organizations, the SJM includes representatives from church Outreach Ministries. We believe Outreach Ministry workers — at FBHP and sister churches — hear and carry the personal experiences of injustice shared by the people to whom they minister. Analysis of these experiences reveals the institutions/individuals inflicting the injustice and who, therefore, will (through our effort) be engaged to reconcile differences and eliminate such injustice. In this way, the SJM works to engage the passion and energy of the oppressed in the eradication of the injustices within their communities.

Focus on Injustice: IFOCUS: Active Engagement Toward the Passage of H.R. 1, For the People Act

We will engage partner organizations to mobilize our community to demand the passage of H.R. 1, For the People Act. This bill addresses voter access, election integrity, election security, political spending, and ethics for the three branches of government. Specifically, the bill expands voter registration and voting access and limits removing voters from voter rolls. Click here for more details. 

Our 2020 community engagement centered around census responsiveness, voter education, voter information dissemination, and registration. Activities included a community-wide call to census reporting, voter registration drives, and a celebration of the 57th March On Washington to include virtual forums with notable activists, professors, pastors, politicians, grassroots organization leaders, and media personalities. These efforts were facilitated to effectively engage the community in identifying and discussing not only the injustices experienced but also ways to participate in efforts to address/eliminate them.

In addition to the iFOCUS initiative, the SJM is seeking to engage the community, local schools, local leaders, and sister churches to identify immediate areas of need that can be eradicated by resources and assistance from the local churches. The SJM seeks to collaborate with Outreach Ministries to readily identify, address, and possibly eliminate specific needs within the surrounding community including information and resources for employment, mental illness & substance abuse, food insecurities, housing, utility assistance, COVID-19, etc.

For more information about Social Justice Ministry, contact the Church Administrative Office at (301) 773-6655 or send an email to soci-just-ministry@fbhp.org

Officers, Subcommittees and Chairpersons:

• Rev. Dr. Rachel Boyd – Social Justice Minister and President/Programs Chair
• Mrs. Audrey B. Chase, M.S.W.- Vice President/Communications Chair
• Mrs. Anetha Christmas, J.D. – Secretary/Social Media Subcommittee
• Mr. Lavon Harper – Secretary/Virtual Platform Sub-Committee
• Mrs. Cheryl Crawford – Treasurer
• Ms. Sidonie Becton, J.D. – Social Media Subcommittee/The Plug Representative
• Mrs. Veronica Jacobs – Virtual Platform Sub-Committee

Monthly Meeting: 4th Thursday via Zoom at 7:00 pm

ORGANIZATIONS WORKING FOR CHANGE: 

• Color of Change
• Know Your Rights Camp
• Legal Defense Fund
• NAACP
• National Coalition of Black Civic Participation
• Poor People’s  Campaign: A Nat’l Call for Moral Revival
• The Advancement Project