Democrats Announce Faith Leaders Participating in 2020 Democratic National Convention: “Uniting America”
MILWAUKEE, WI—The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) today announced the faith leaders who will give the invocation and benediction during each night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. At the convention—which will take place over four nights from August 17-20 and air from 9:00-11:00 PM Eastern—Democrats will celebrate our nation’s collective strength, diversity, and humanity and prepare to unite around Joe Biden’s vision for a kinder and stronger country.
Participants include:
- Monday’s Invocation—Reverend Dr. Gabriel Salguero: Reverend Salguero is the president and founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, and the pastor at The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida. He formerly served as the director of the Hispanic Leadership Program at Princeton Theological Seminary and on the My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Board.
- Monday’s Benediction—Pastor Jerry Young: Pastor Young has faithfully led the vibrant congregation of New Hope Baptist Church since 1980. Under his watchful care, Pastor Young has led New Hope to experience explosive growth physically, spiritually, and influentially for the cause of Christ. To date, the ministry is comprised of over three thousand members and forty-four ministries. He is the immediate past President of the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi, Inc. and immediate past Vice President At-Large of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. Dr. Young was elected as the 18th President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. in September 2014, during the convention’s 134th Annual Session held in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Tuesday’s Benediction—Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde: Bishop Budde serves as spiritual leader for 88 Episcopal congregations and ten Episcopal schools in the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties. The first woman elected to this position, she also serves as the chair and president of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, which oversees the ministries of the Washington National Cathedral and Cathedral schools.
- Wednesday’s Benediction—His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America: Archbishop Elpidophoros is the eighth Archbishop of America elected since the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in 1922. He has been an active member of the World Council of Churches serving on its Central Committee and also serving on its Faith and Order Commission since 1996.
- Thursday’s Invocation—Sister Simone Campbell: Sister Simone is the Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice—a federal advocacy organization founded by Catholic Sisters to lobby in Washington, DC for policies that mend the gaps in income and wealth in the United States. She has also led six cross-country “Nuns on the Bus” trips focused on tax justice, healthcare, economic justice, comprehensive immigration reform, voter turnout, bridging divides in politics and society, and mending the gaps.
- Thursday’s Benediction—Rabbi Lauren Berkun: Rabbi Berkun is a Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, where she directs Rabbinic Initiatives and is a member of the senior executive team. She also oversees staff education, training and curriculum development for Hartman’s iEngage project.
- Thursday’s Benediction—The Reverend James Martin, SJ: The Reverend James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, editor at large of America, and the author of many books, including Jesus: A Pilgrimage, The Jesuit Guide, and the forthcoming Learning to Pray.
- Thursday’s Benediction—Imam Dr. Al-Hajj Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid: Imam Talib is a Muslim faith-based social justice activist whose mission spans more than three decades. He has been the religious and spiritual leader (Imam) of The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc. since November 1989. The mosque, located in Harlem, New York City, is the fifty-three-year-old lineal descendant of the Muslim Mosque Inc. founded by the late El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X) in 1964. Imam ‘Abdur-Rashid is also a former Ameer (President) of the Majlis Ash-Shura (Islamic Leadership Council) of New York. Currently he is its Special Assistant for Restorative Justice, Civil and Human Rights. Nationally, the imam serves as the Deputy Amir (Vice President) of The Muslim Alliance in North America.
Earlier today, Democrats came together ahead of the convention for an interfaith service, led by religious leaders and performers from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and all across the nation who represent the unique backgrounds and communities that together will help Joe Biden restore the soul of America. The full service can be viewed on the convention’s YouTube page here.
Ways to Watch and Get Involved
The Democratic National Convention will take place over four nights from August 17-20, 2020. Convention programming will air from 9:00-11:00 PM Eastern. Additional speakers, including national leaders, advocates and celebrities will be announced in the coming days.
Last week, convention organizers also announced over a dozen options for watching the 2020 Democratic National Convention, ensuring that this year’s convention will reach viewers where they are, however they prefer to watch, all across the nation.
The official live stream for the 2020 Democratic National Convention will be hosted on DemConvention.com, where viewers can also find the full convention schedule, a digital toolkit to get involved, more resources for viewers, delegates and the media and additional plans and details.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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