Vice President Kamala Harris, who is being endorsed by Democratic leaders to succeed President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election, is reportedly a “dues-paying member” of the church whose pastor is seeking reparations, and also serves as vice chair of California’s reparations task force.
The Rev. Amos Brown is pastor of the Third Baptist Church in San Francisco and recently I boasted. She spoke to Religion News Service about Harris’ connection to the church, even describing her as a “dues-paying member.” Americans shouldn’t just take his word for it, either. Harris even called Amos “my pastor” and described him as someone she has relied on for years. She praised Brown and his “wisdom” and leadership during her speech at the 2022 Annual Conference of the National Baptist Convention of the United States. At the time, she said Brown had supported her for nearly 20 years. Additionally, Harris reportedly served as Brown’s campaign manager when he ran for reelection to the San Francisco City Council in 1999.
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After Biden formally dropped out of the race, Harris contacted Brown again to nominate her to replace Biden in the presidential race against former President Donald Trump, according to Religion News Service, who reported that Brown recited the lyrics to “The Black National Anthem.”
Brown herself has a history of taking controversial positions, including serving as vice-chair of California’s Reparations Task Force. read:
Amos C. Brown, PhD, 80, of San Francisco, is a prominent civil rights leader who studied with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1961, he was arrested with Dr. King during a lunch counter sit-in and joined the Freedom Riders in protest against racial segregation in the South. Brown received the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for outstanding leadership and contributions to the black church in America and was inducted into the International Hall of Fame at Morehouse College’s King International Chapel. Brown has served as pastor of San Francisco Third Baptist Church since 1976. He served as pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church from 1970 to 1976 and St. Paul Baptist Church from 1966 to 1970. Brown is president of the San Francisco chapter and a member of the NAACP Board of Directors. He received his Doctor of Divinity from United Theological Seminary and his Master of Divinity from Crozer Theological Seminary. Dr. Brown was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the Reparations Task Force.
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It is not surprising, then, that Brown’s church was also the meeting place for the task force tasked with examining and developing a proposal for reparations for African Americans in California. Its final report, tasked with examining “the ongoing and compounded harms suffered by African Americans as a result of slavery and its lingering impacts on American society today,” concluded that “160 years after the abolition of slavery, the legacy of slavery and its lasting negative effects remain deeply ingrained in the politics, laws, health and institutions of slavery, and affect the economic, educational, cultural, environmental and social aspects of the descendants of enslaved people in the United States economic system.”
“This system of white supremacy is a symbol of slavery and remains embedded in many of the legal and social institutions of the United States and California today,” he said. executive summary The report ultimately urges Congress to develop “State reparations legislation or programs.”
Brown seemed to endorse these sentiments, telling Religion News Service that black communities must “respond” to the harm caused by the state, “instead of reacting, we need to respond in a responsible, rational, realistic way and get results that will lift black people out of the depths economically, academically and health-wise.”
That aside, Brown supports Harris’ presidential bid, telling the outlet, “That’s what we need in this country.”
“My role as vice president, and hopefully as president, is to lead this country out of darkness,” he argued. “The darkness of disrespect. The darkness of lies. The darkness of dishonesty. The darkness of irresponsible behavior. And that extends to every level, from our communities to our national government.”
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That is not surprising, given that he was one of 350 religious leaders. approved Biden and Harris in the last election cycle.
Pastor Harris’ influence has also been evident in her political life, as she ran a full-throated campaign for reparations as a senator in 2019 and stated her support for “some kind of” reparations when she ran for president.
“So, are you in favor of some kind of reparations?” The Breakfast Club host Charlaman the God asked her in a 2019 interview.
“Yes, yes,” said Harris. Responded.
In the same month, Harris Said Reparations were needed to help black people heal from the “trauma” caused by America’s “dark history.”
In a separate interview later that year, Harris added that the situation was complicated and that she didn’t think simply writing a check was enough.
“I really don’t think so… and the worst thing that can happen is that the checks are written and then everyone says, ‘Okay, let’s not talk about this anymore,’ without addressing the systemic inequalities that require deep investment,” she says. Added.
That should be it. I got it. California Governor Gavin Newsom (Democrat) and lawmakers recently agreed to a budget bill in June that included $12 million in reparations.
