OPINION
On Thursday, September 19, in a meeting with Black clergy, Jack
Ciattarelli responded to a question about the erasure of Black
history by asserting — then lecturing us — on Columbus Day
being “the first civil rights holiday.”
The audacity.
To invoke Columbus—a man who initiated the transatlantic
slave trade, who captured and sold Indigenous people into
bondage, and whose voyages laid the foundation for centuries of
racial terror—as a symbol of civil rights is not just historically
inaccurate—it is morally bankrupt. During that same conversation,
Jack stated that he would roll back the scope of the Amistad
mandate to teach Black History in schools. His comments are a slap
in the face to every ancestor who died for freedom, every child who
still suffers under the weight of systemic injustice, and every
preacher who dares to speak truth to power.
Jack shakes our hands, but he will not honor our lives. He will
sit in our meetings, but he will not rebuke white Christian
nationalism—because, as he told us, it won’t win him the election.
Let’s be honest: he is counting on a part of his base that harbors
deep resentment and hatred toward Black people. That is not
strategy. That is surrender to racism.
On Sunday, September 21, as he stood before the people of
New Jersey at the gubernatorial debate, Jack bragged about
attending a Black church earlier that day. Then, minutes later
during the debate, when Dr. King’s name was raised in the context
of Charlie Kirk, Jack refused to denounce Kirk’s anti-Black
rhetoric.
Jack has used our churches as pawns. And will continue to do so,
if we let him.
Jack will stand in our pulpits, but not with our
people. He will quote our prophets, but not confront the forces
that killed them. Dr. King was assassinated by political
violence, and now, in the same breath that his name is lifted, we
are told to honor Charlie Kirk—a man who called King “awful,”
who mocked the Civil Rights Act, and who trafficked in anti-Black
rhetoric.
Now, don’t be confused, we abhor the votes of Mikie
Sherrill, Cory Booker, Andy Kim, Josh Gottheimer, Nellie Pou, and
Frank Pallone—members of New Jersey’s delegation who voted in favor
of the resolution honoring Kirk. However, we affirm the statements
acknowledging the harm Kirk caused. We can value life and
condemn political violence without affirming hatred.
And political violence is not new to us. It is our inheritance.
From Emmett Till to Medgar Evers, from church
bombings to lynchings, from George Floyd to the
threats we receive today for preaching justice—Black people have
always paid the price for America’s sins. This is why we can’t
allow a candidate like Jack to enter our pulpits to condone
them.
Adding insult to injury, Jack doubles-down on his anti-Black
agenda by advocating to roll back the Mount Laurel
Doctrine—the very legal framework that made affordable housing
possible in New Jersey. Let us not forget that it was
at Jacob’s Chapel AME Church in Mount Laurel that Ethel
Lawrence and others organized to fight exclusionary zoning. That
doctrine was born from the Black church. To attack it is to attack
our legacy.
Jack’s ringleader in the White House has already gutted many of
these successful programs. Even more disturbing, during that same
Sunday debate, Jack publicly vowed to never sue the Trump
Administration—making it abundantly clear that they will never be
held accountable. The firewall we desperately need to protect us,
will be turned into a Trump ‘welcome mat’ with Jack at the
helm.
Jesus said, “Whoever denies me before men, I will also
deny before my Father who is in heaven.” Jack Ciattarelli
has denied us—by refusing to reject white Christian nationalism, by
refusing to affirm our dignity, and by refusing to stand with our
people. And his dangerous agenda
So let it be made very clear: any self-respecting,
God-fearing, people-loving Black person—especially those of
faith—should reject Jack Ciattarelli on Election Day.
In order to tighten this up a bit more, I think we need to cut
this section down. One or two of these issues need to be pulled
out. Thoughts?
This letter was signed by Rev. Dr. Lester Taylor, Jr.; Rev. Dr.
Charles F. Boyer; Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Slaughter; Rev. Dr. Semaj
Vanzant, Sr.; Rev. Dr. Corey Jones; Rev. Dr. Deborah Blanks; Rev.
George E. Britt; Rev. Dr. Lesly Devereaux; Rev. Dr. Darrell
Armstrong; Bishop John Gandy; Rev. Crystal James; Pastor Barry
Wise; Rev. Dr. Carol Lynn Patterson; Bishop Timothy L. Pernell Jr.;
Rev. Ritney Castine; Rev. Dr. Douglas Williams III; Rev. Howard
Jenkins; Rev. Richard F. Norris II; Rev. Weldon McWilliams IV, PHD;
Rev. Dr. Calvin McKinney; Pastor Alfred Johnson; Pastor Amir Khan;
Bishop R. Fulton Hargrove II; Rev. Dr. Pamela Jones; Rev. Dr. Toyin
Laoye; Pastor Michael Ogunleye; Pastor, Dr. Femi Adegbonmire; Rev.
Dr. James A. Dunkins; Rev. D. Deborah L. Stapleton; Rev. Dr. Olivia
Stanard; Rev. John Maurice; Rev. Dr. Dorothy A. Patterson; Rev.
Valencia B. Norman; Rev. Dr. John D. Givens, Rev. Dr. Cartina
Blackmon; Rev. Quavon Newton; Rev. Dr. Kenneth Clayton, Sr.; and
Rev. Dr. Randall Lassiter.
The post Black Ministers: The Black Church, Columbus Day,
and the Audacity of Jack Ciattarelli appeared first on New
Jersey Globe.
