One week ago, I was one of 16 folks arrested as we protested the immoral attempt to cut health care for up to 32 million Americans. I went to Washington to add my voice to a chorus of people — a “Love Army” of all races, ages, religions, genders and professions — fighting for our futures.
Today, the Senate is set to put those lives at risk again in one of the most important votes in a generation. Will you join and help amplify that chorus of voices by sending a message to Republican leadership today?
All of our sacred texts call us to compassion and mercy. They call us to take care of those who can't take care of themselves. As a Reverend, I must adhere to Jesus' call to take care of the least of those among us: to feed, clothe, and heal those who are sick. When we do this for our human family, we do it also for Christ.
But I also went to Washington because this fight is personal. I lost my mom on April 25, two weeks after her 80th birthday, and seven years after a tragic diagnosis of stage 4 metastatic lung cancer.
Tell Republican leadership: Don’t play politics with our lives and our health care.
Early in her treatment, my mom, was given six months to live. She kicked cancer's butt for a miraculous seven years, due to the excellent care she received from some of the finest doctors in the nation. If she had no health care, she would have died before she had a chance to see her granddaughter Rio born, before she saw my sister Wanda get married, and before she celebrated her 58th wedding anniversary.
Somebody else's mom is sick; somebody else’s granddaughter needs chemo; somebody else’s son is living with HIV. Those stories are as personal as mine. And so we are standing up; waves and waves of protests around the country and in DC. We will not silence our voices; we will call our leaders to live out the values of our constitution, and the faith they claim for their lives.
Tell the President, Mr. McConnell, and Mr. Ryan: We want health care for all.
You might not be able to get to a protest in DC, but you can sign this and join your voice in the chorus. This fight is not partisan, it is about people we’ve got to take care of.
In solidarity,
The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis
Senior Minister, Middle Collegiate Church
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