Rev. Traci deVon Blackmon has been ministering on the frontline of the Ferguson demonstrations. Photo: EAD
WASHINGTON, March 18, 2015 — The Rev. Traci deVon Blackmon, a prominent religious leader from the Ferguson, Mo. area, will deliver the April 17 opening keynote at the 2015 Ecumenical Advocacy Days event in Arlington, Va., just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC.
Policy makers, expert speakers and representatives from global regions will join church leaders and grassroots activists at the Apr. 17-20 national gathering to reflect on the theme, “Breaking the Chains: Mass Incarceration & Systems of Exploitation.” Participants will explore human exploitation and the need to reform a prison-industrial system in which millions of people are incarcerated in the United States and around the world.
Rev. Blackmon, who is pastor of Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Mo., has been ministering on the frontline of the Ferguson demonstrations, helping the families and friends of those who have been affected by the events in Ferguson where the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown last August sparked protest demonstrations that continue to this day.
“EAD is honored and quite fortunate to welcome Rev. Blackmon to the pulpit at our opening celebration,” said Douglas Grace, director of EAD and a CWS staff member. “Mass incarceration and systems of exploitation are hardly issues to celebrate, but what Pastor Traci will inspire is a deep passion for a faithful, active and moving public witness for justice while helping EAD participants to unpack this year’s theme, based on Lamentations 3:34-36 and Acts 16:16-40.”
Blackmon earned an appointment to the Ferguson Commission as a result of her early and prominent response to racial tensions in the aftermath of the killing. She also has been honored many times for her ongoing ministry, including with The President’s Volunteer Service Award from the White House, the St. Louis University Community Leader of the Year Award, the Drum Major Award from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist and the Rosa Parks Award bestowed by the St. Louis County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Blackmon has urged a unified response to the concerns growing out of the events in Ferguson, saying, “I think we are all working in the same direction, but we are not always working together in terms of being wise about our utilization of resources, both human and physical resources, so that we can endure for the long-term.”
EAD, sponsored by CWS with broad ecumenical support, is the premier multi-denominational Christian advocacy event in the United States, bringing together around a thousand faith advocates each year from churches throughout the United States with international partners to mobilize for action and to make a public witness on Capitol Hill. Participants in past national gatherings have addressed such issues as food justice; economy & livelihood; poverty and hunger; immigration and refugees; climate change;; and issues affecting women and children around the world.
The event will culminate in a Congressional Lobby Day on April 20 when participants will meet with their members of Congress to discuss ways of addressing these concerns through legislation or budget priorities.
For more information and registration visit AdvocacyDays.org