We envision a National Coalition of Churches who share a commitment of unity towards the common goal of equity and reparations. We are churches with different doctrines and faith traditions knitted together by the finished works of Christ, our unique economic justice claim and shared lineage as American Descendants of Slavery. Our work, as a coalition, is reflective of our clergy brethren that wer
e present with General William T. Sherman’s Special Field Order No. 15, of "40 acres and a mule," which only took shape after the meeting held with those 20 Black Ministers. (See *The Truth Behind ’40 Acres and a Mule’*) This coalition of churches became unified to honor the memory of those clergy and 40,000 freedmen who had settled on 400,000 acres of 'Sherman Land. As faithful brethren, we commemorate their deep vision of reparations. We affirm the heartbreak, despair, and weeping of these Black ministers and their families in the days and months that followed as Lincoln's successor overturned the Order in the fall of 1865, and, returned the land along the South Carolina, Georgia and Florida coasts to the planters who had initially owned it. We see a world where "The Church" acknowledges our differences yet recognizes our common lineage, and confirms that the church has always been the safe space and saving grace of our people. We have the revelation of our need to unite together as a coalition of churches to once again become our people's same saving grace today and during these last days. We come together humbly, seeking to finish the work of the original 20 Black Clergy. This Coalition of Churches consists of various denominations taking action to advocate for reparations for American Descendants of Slavery, which are 400 plus years overdue. In his 1968 speech, "The Other America," Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. verbalized the opportunities given to Europeans which were denied to African Americans. Dr. King said, "It is a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps. The fact is that millions of negroes as a result of centuries of denial and neglect have been left bootless, and they find themselves, impoverished aliens, in this affluent society. And there is a great deal that the society can and must do if the Negro is to gain the economic security that he needs." We believe that Reparations is the most crucial thing that will close the household wealth gap that exists between White and Black Americans. In conclusion, The National Coalition of Churches For Reparations is a divinely inspired movement, existing in a pivotal moment in history. Our hope is that every Clergy member, ally, Church, and faith-based organization, across all denominations, is inspired to lock arms with us, as God’s children, as we pursue the fulfillment of the vision of those 20 Black Ministers.
