FUTURES NOT FUNERALS

A coalition of people of faith dedicated to demanding peace and ending violence

During your historic run to the White House, you challenged us to act within the urgency of the moment and urged us to be the change that we wished to see in the world. As you most certainly know, we live in a very urgent time in our country. The loss of jobs, the loss of homes, and the instability of the stock market have made times troubling for all Americans; but there is a problem that most people have overlooked. Our children are dying at highly alarming rates, but they are not dying because of swine flu or other diseases like pneumonia. Our children are being killed by another epidemic-scale disease known as gun violence.

This is a preventable illness, but we are doing all that we can as parents, as community activists, and as faith leaders. We are being the change that you asked us to be, but, Mr. President, we need you to act in the urgency of the moment. There is not a minute to waste. We are now faced with the fact that our children are no longer being killed solely by bullets, but by the unwillingness of others to act on their behalf. It is not enough for us to rely upon the personal responsibility of our citizens. It is also the responsibility of the legislative and executive branches of our Government. With that being said, our coalition is asking for three main initiatives from your Administration:

Re-instate the Federal Assault Weapon Ban as a permanent law
Call a National Summit to address the national gun violence epidemic, highlighting problems and possible solutions to the problems.
Call for a Federal Agency to collect, track and disseminate national data on firearm violence to youth.

We do not have any time to waste. Every three hours in the US, a child is killed by gunfire. We need Federal intervention. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that the ultimate measure of a human being is not where that person stands in times of comfort and convenience, but where that person stands in times of great challenge and controversy. Thank you for your consideration. We need your vision, we need your support, but we also need your action.

For information contact
Rev. Michael Pfleger, The Faith Community of Saint Sabina
1210 West 78th Place, Chicago, IL 60620
773-483-4300

Over 50 Signatures :

Rev. Dr. Susan K. Smith Advent United Church of Christ Columbus, OH	Rev. Michael Jones Progressive Missionary Baptist Church Indianapolis, IN
Rabbi Debra E. Goldstein Trumbull, CT	Rev. Dr. Donald L. Perryman Center of Hope Community Baptist Church Toledo, OH
Bishop Donald Hilliard Cathedral International Perth Amboy, NJ	Pastor Peyton B. Harrison, Jr. Grace Covenant Christian Church San Diego, CA
Rev. Tony Lee Community of Hope AME Church Prince George’s County, MD	Dr. Robert Burkins, Sr. Elmwood United Presbyterian Church East Orange, NJ
Rev. Herbert Carey MLK Jr. Memorial Baptist Church Renton, WA	Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant/Derek Davis Empowerment Temple AME Church Baltimore, MD
Dr. Frank Thomas Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church Memphis, TN	Rev. Daniel Buford Allen Temple Baptist Church Oakland, CA
Rev. Dr. Frederick Haynes III Friendship West Baptist Church Dallas, TX	Rev. Dr. Qiyamah A. Rahman Meadville Lombard Theological School Chicago, IL
Rev. J. Alfred Smith, Jr. Allen Temple Baptist Church Oakland, CA	Rev. Nathaniel Gadsden Imani African Christian Church Harrisburg, PA
Rev. Dr. Dennis W. Wiley Rev. Dr. Christine Y. Wiley Covenant Baptist Church Washington, D.C.	Rabbi/Cantor Rhoda JH Silverman Temple Emanuel of Baltimore Reisterstown, MD
Jamye Wooten Kinetics National	Dr. Cynthia Hale Ray of Hope Christian Church Atlanta, GA
Rabbi Andrew Klein Temple Habonim Barrington, RI	Dr. Iva E. Carruthers Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference Chicago, IL
Rev. Michael L. Pfleger The Faith Community of Saint Sabina Chicago, IL	Rabbi Fred Guttman Temple Emanuel Greensboro, NC
Rev. Otis Moss III Trinity United Church of Christ Chicago, IL	Rev. Yvonne Delk Macedonia United Church of Christ Norfolk, VA
Rabbi Allen Frheeling Los Angeles, CA	Rev. John E. Jackson, Sr. Trinity United Church of Christ Gary, IN
Melech Thomas Howard University Washington, D.C.	Rabbi Andy Koren Temple Emanuel Greensboro, NC
Rabbi John Sherwood Oxnard, CA	Rabbi Joshua Minkin Temple Emanu-El of Canarsie Brooklyn, NY
Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. Pastor Emeritus Trinity United Church of Christ Chicago, IL	Rabbi Phil Posner Ajijic-Lake Chapala, Mexico
Rabbi Liz Rolle Stamford, CT	Rev. Reginald Williams, Jr. First Baptist Church or University Park University Park, IL
Rev. Glenn B. Dames, Jr. St. James AME Church Orlando/Titusville, FL	Rabbi Myra Soifer Reno, NV
Rev. John F. Kenney, Campus Pastor St. Paul’s Baptist – Belt Campus Richmond, VA	Rabbi Daniel Grossman Adath Israel Congregation Lawrenceville, NJ
Rev. Timothy McDonald III First Iconium Baptist Church Atlanta, GA	Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak Los Angeles, CA
Elizabeth Alexander Righteous Noise-Spelman Chapter Atlanta, GA	Rev. Martin Espinosa Ray of Hope Community Church Nashville, TN
Rabbi Barbara Goldman-Wartell Temple Concord Binghamton, NY	Rev. Earl Mason Bible Based Fellowship Church of Temple Terrace Tampa, FL
Rabbi Morton M. Rosenthal, Pennington, N	Rev. Debbie Blue, Chicago, IL
Rabbi Beth Kalisch Stephen Wise Free Synagogue New York, NY	The Rev. Wallace Adams-Riley Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Richmond, VA
Rev. Earl Mason Bible Based Fellowship Church of Temple Terrace Tampa, FL

Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 September 2009 20:08

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