At a time when politics in the United States seems to look like a whirlwind of decadence, a Christian minister is seeking to reintroduce morality back in the minds of the public.
Reverend William Barber II started the "Moral Mondays" movement back in 2013 to lead civil rights protests in North Carolina's state capital, Raleigh. More than two years since the protests, the Protestant minister continues working on his goal to reinject morality into politics through a movement called "Moral Revival."
Speaking to The American Prospect, Barber explained that he seeks to let the people know that change is in their own hands.
"The last thing about this movement is it's bottom up; it's not top down. You're not going to get rescued by some national leader coming in and saving you," the minister said.
"We're holding services and calling on people to be engaged in the public square. We can no longer sit in our sanctuaries," he added.
The movement, he further explained, also strives to fight for the basic needs of Americans.
"Economic sustainability—a living wage and labor rights; education equality—every child should have receive a high-quality, well-financed, diverse public education. Health care for all; protecting the environment and women's health; criminal justice reform—the way we have disparities with black, brown, and poor white people," Barber said.
In doing these, the Christian minister further said he only has two missions.
"First, I wanted to come as a clergy person, not as a pastor representing my church, and to reframe that history. Because if you look down through history, if it had not been for clerics involved in the public square, the public square often would not have done the things we've seen happen toward justice," Barber said.
"Secondly, I wanted to frame the issues as moral issues and to challenge the use of religion in the service of hate and meanness and ugliness," he added.
