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Harvard
Professor Calls for One Thousand Minister Anti-Casino Conference
Members of Stand For Democracy gathered today for a press conference at Harvard
University to support a call made by Professor Harvey Cox for a one thousand
minister anti-casino conference to be held at Harvard this fall. Professor Cox
is a world renowned theologian and academic who has spent the greater part of
his life working on social justice and civil rights issues. “I am here, in part
because this is my expression of my religious commitment, and I have been formed
in my attitudes by a couple of people, one of them being Martin Luther King and
more recently, Pope Francis ” Cox said.
Supporting Cox’s call for what would be the largest ever gathering of ecumenical
and interfaith leaders at Harvard University were leaders from the Catholic,
Lutheran, Latino Christian, and Muslim communities. Father Francisco Anzoategui
of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston said, “I am here to stand for the
vision of Pope Francis, to stand for the poor…So, I am joining all of those
across religions, religious beliefs, and faith communities and I will be here in
September to join the effort of praying so that casinos are not expanded to
Massachusetts”.
Imam Sherif Shabaka, who has long been a vocal leader in the Massachusetts
anti-casino movement committed twenty other imams to participate in the fall
conference. Other religious institutions, such as the New England Synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Churches in America, which oversees over 180 churches in
the region, have already been working with Stand For Democracy to educate its
congregants about the socials ills and misconceptions about the casino industry.
Furthermore, Stand For Democracy’s mission to give voice to those who have been
marginalized in the democratic process was re-affirmed by Les Bernal, the
national director for Stop Predatory Gambling. He said, “this public policy of
sponsoring casinos is about cheating and exploiting citizens. This event today
is part of a movement of everyday citizens and of faith leaders stepping forward
and taking ownership of the direction of our country”. Professor Dan McKanan, an
expert on religious movements working for social transformation echoed Bernal’s
sentiments, saying “in a good society, we the people share the responsibility
for doing together the things thing that none of us can do alone…The good news
here today is that this press conference is about…the rebuilding of democracy
through people coming together…democracy is being recreated in our midst”.
For nearly one year, members of Stand For Democracy have been quietly working
outside of the public view to solidify its network of churches and to form a
world class team of advisors. Advisors for Stand For Democracy include Cox,
McKanan, and other faculty members at Harvard Divinity School and Kennedy School
of Government such as Marshall Ganz who is credited with devising the successful
grassroots organizing model and training for Barack Obama’s winning 2008
presidential campaign.
“Stand For Democracy has compiled a comprehensive network of churches throughout
the commonwealth to connect with the incomparable level of strategic,
intellectual, and experiential resources we have with our advisors”, said Pedro
Morales, a founder of Stand For Democracy. “The one thousand minister conference
called for by Professor Cox will ultimately mobilize thousands of volunteers to
campaign against the casino this fall. Stand For Democracy has been sowing the
seeds of justice throughout the whole commonwealth. The time is finally ripe for
David to slay Goliath”, Morales continued. The one thousand minister conference
will be held at Harvard in September, at a time to be determined shortly.
Source: Sunha Kim, Stand for Democracy, July 15, 2014 |
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