By April Ryan
Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent
[This post contains video, click to play]
Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church asked. He is working on a strategy targeting the immediate “consequences” of the Trump administration’s executive orders.
The Stonecrest, Georgia pastor is calling for ministers of all Black denominations to “adjust yourselves” in an attempt to cushion the harshness of “the Trump imperial regime” over the past 60 days.
Bryant believes parishioners need “deliverables” from churches because of the impact of the Trump EOs.
In the past eight weeks, American families have been devastated by cuts in the federal workforce. They have also been concerned about the Department of Education’s downsizing and its impact on school food programs.
Pastor Bryant, who is simultaneously leading the Lenten Target Fast, wants ministers to consider his request for help. He expects that, in some cases, more parishioners will ask for help instead of giving.
He is taking drastic measures as the Black church is experiencing the largest number of “Black people who don’t go to church.”
During COVID-19, the charismatic pastor painfully discovered, “The only time they [children] eat is when there is school lunch.” Studies have concluded that for low-income Americans, schools are significant in feeding children in this nation.
The blueprint for this Bryant-devised plan comes from the Oakland-based Black Panther Party of the 60s.
That rights group of young activists knew kids could not focus on their class assignments during school hours if they were hungry. In January 1969, the Party began providing free breakfast for children before school. In 2025, many low-income kids will receive a guaranteed meal to stave off childhood hunger.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is the nation’s second-largest food and nutrition assistance program, providing billions of meals to tens of millions of children and adolescents each year. https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details?pubid=110125
On a side note, I asked Bryant what he would say if he had a chance to talk with President Donald Trump. Bryant’s answer, “You have an amazing opportunity to make America great for the first time.” Bryant emphasized that President Trump needs to understand that America “is the tapestry, the mosaic, the goulash of different cultures, different backgrounds, different genders—all having the space to excel and exceed.”
He offered a qualification to America’s greatness. “America can be great by allowing people to flow on their genius and not to be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” according to Bryant.
