Clinton supporters call on delegates to be 'bound by principle'

The group of religious leaders, which includes several well-known African Americans, warned that "we must not allow our future to be derailed by old, time-worn lines of race or gender or economic status that feed our fears and frustrations."

The letter was signed by 42 "people of faith" from across the country, including several prominent African American ministers.  Rev. Amos Brown of San Francisco, Rev. Calvin Butts of New York and Rev. Marcia Dyson of Washington, D.C., a contributor to The Daily Voice, all signed the letter.

"We, as this generation of Americans, have the remarkable opportunity to participate in and carry out a political contest that may lead to an exceptional first - the next President being either a woman or an African American," the group said.  "That is why we call on all Americans to bring their highest and best selves to this moment in time - to focus on content and character, depth of ideas, and a tangible vision for our future."

The group also called on the news media to "bring us together instead of pushing us back toward divisions that have plagued our past."

(Read the full letter below)

Dear friends, fellow clergy and people of faith:
 
We are people of faith from all traditions and backgrounds, all genders and races and all regions across our great nation. We are Americans who look to God and the holy texts for our moral compass in our private decisions and civic duties. We are concerned about the direction the current Presidential race is taking, and we feel we must bring attention, as clergy and faith leaders, to our concern.  How will we, as Americans, come together in this moment to overcome past and current divisions and move forward as one in the best interest of our nation?
 
We are fortunate to be living in such a historic time - yes, for American politics but more importantly, for the American people.  In every generation, moments of time that surpass the mundane and rise above the ordinary present themselves and when the responsibility rests clearly and squarely upon the shoulders of that generation's leaders and members to make a definitive statement about their future.  In this election season, we stand at just such a profound juncture.
 
We, as this generation of Americans, have the remarkable opportunity to participate in and carry out a political contest that may lead to an exceptional first - the next President being either a woman or an African American. And we are in charge. We may be the generation that tears down the walls of Jericho and after two hundred and nineteen years, ushers in a leader who forever changes the composite of Presidents hanging on the wall.
 
But with great opportunity also comes great responsibility - a responsibility to simply be and do better. In this moment in history - our moment - we must not allow our future to be derailed by old, time-worn lines of race or gender or economic status that feed our fears and frustrations.  We must rise above debilitating rhetoric and attempts to force us to focus on our differences and instead embrace that which implores us to focus on our common purpose. We are a generation uniquely gifted with both the opportunity and the responsibility to make the promises of our nation real to everyone - not only through our dreams, but also through our actions to ensure that we are successful in making those dreams realities. 
 
That is why we call on all Americans to bring their highest and best selves to this moment in time - to focus on content and character, depth of ideas, and a tangible vision for our future.  In this, we must demand that our political leaders, participants in the political process, and the news media bring us together instead of pushing us back toward divisions that have plagued our past. We cannot afford it, and we must not accept it.
 
Delegates to our national conventions should be bound by principle, beliefs and a shared commitment to the common good that we are all in this together. They are charged with using their judgment individually and collectively to determine who will be our next Democratic nominee for President of the United States. 
 
No one should be cornered or cowered into believing this election is about one group over the other. Too much is at stake. There must be a higher standard.  Our nation, our world, our children, need much more right now.  They deserve much more right now.  We must move forward guided by a collective consciousness that leads to mercy for the poor, justice for all and the freedom to walk humbly - as one people.
 
This is our charge, our gift, our sacred trust.  What will we do with our moment in time?  What will the history books write about us?  How will we be viewed by our children's and our grandchildren's generations? Let us meet history face to face.  Let us rise above division and move toward unity.  Let us come together for one another and for our country.  We can do better! And more still, we will be better!
Yours in faith and for the future,

Reverend Marcia L Dyson
Washington DC

Reverend Terry Alexander, Baptist
Florence, South Carolina

Bishop Cecil Bishop, AME Zion
Charlotte, NC

Reverend Amos Brown, Baptist
President, San Francisco NAACP
San Francisco, California
 
Bishop Lynn Brown, CME
Cincinnati, Ohio

Rev. Calvin Butts, Baptist
Abyssinian Baptist Church

Sister Dorothy Ann Busowski, Catholic
Women Religious
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
 
Reverend Tony Campolo
Professor Emeritus of Sociology
Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania

Bishop Richard Allen Chappelle, AME
Little Rock, Arkansas

Reverend Suzan Johnson Cooke, Baptist
Past President of the Hampton Ministers Conference
New York

Reverend James DeLange, Lutheran
Chair, San Francisco Interfaith Council
San Francisco, California

Sister Sharon Dillon, Catholic
SSJ-TOSF
Bethesda, Maryland

Reverend Robert Fowler, Baptist
Las Vegas, Nevada

Rabbi Menachem Genack
Englewood, New Jersey

Reverend Henry Green, Southern Baptist
Annapolis, Maryland

Reverend Joe Hartwick, Baptist
Los Angeles, California

Bishop Thomas Hoyt, CME
Washington, DC

Reverend Darrell Jackson
Senior Pastor, Bibleway Megachurch
Columbia, South Carolina

Reverend Reginald Jackson, AME
Orange, NJ
 
Bishop Frederick James, AME
Columbia, SC

Reverend Barbara King
Atlanta, GA

Bishop Larry Kirkland, AME
Birmingham, AL

Rabbi Mark Kram
Miami, Florida

Bishop Othal Lakey, CME
Atlanta, Georgia

Reverend Calvin McKinney, Baptist
Garfield, NJ

Rabbi Norm Mendel
California

Reverend John Modest Miles
Kansas City, Missouri

Rabbi Adam Mintz
New York, NY

Reverend Debra Morton
Atlanta, Georgia

Bishop Chandler Owens, COGIC
Atlanta, GA

Rev. Zina C. Pierre
Annapolis, MD

Rabbi Sally J. Priesand
Ocean City Township, NJ

Reverend Allen Ramirez, Reformed
Brookville, New York

Reverend B.T. Rice
Seventh Day Adventist

Rabbi Ariel Stone
Portland, Oregon

Reverend Frank Trotter, United Methodist
San Diego, California

Dr. James L. Waits, United Methodist
Retired President of Candler Seminary (Emory University)
Atlanta, Georgia

Reverend Stan Wachtstetter, Pentecostal
Oneness Pentecostal, Leader of Apostolic Coalition
Charleston, Mississippi

Reverend Renita Weems, AME
Nashville, Tennessee

Reverend Daniel Williams, Baptist
Norwalk, CA

Bishop Roy Winbush, COGIC
Lafayette, LA

Reverend Phil Wogamon, United Methodist
Bethesda, Maryland