Rev. Al Sharpton and leaders from all faiths came together Wednesday at St. John the Divine following the election of former President Donald Trump.
“We must stand together and be examples that no matter what our views and our anxiety and our disappointments or our jubilation, that we must stay together across religious, racial and gender lines, because the people that we believe, that we will call to serve, need just to show service at this time,” he said.
What You Need To Know
- Rev. Al Sharpton and leaders from all faiths came together Wednesday at St. John the Divine following the election of former President Donald Trump
- They called it a vigil for the healing of the world
- According to organizers, more than 600 people turned out to the event
They called it a vigil for the healing of the world.
“I’m an English as a second language teacher, and my students read a lot of conversations with my high school students today. They’re really worried. And so I was holding space for them. And now I need to hold space for me,” Upper East Side resident Jennifer Goodnow said.
Hundreds of New Yorkers turned out, while many say they have concerns for the future.
“Over the last year, I, personally, have been with what’s been going on in the Middle East in Palestine. I think I’ve been really troubled with our government in general. And so I’m happy to find a home here and leave it up to the divine,” Jacob Sierra said.
One concern among religious leaders is the status of undocumented immigrants.
“We have convictions that as New Yorkers, we will take care of our neighbors, no matter what. We have helped host 65,000 new New Yorkers over the last two years, and we — and they — are not going anywhere. We have convictions that we will counter hate whether we find it, and convictions that we will continue to respect religious difference,” Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, executive director of the Interfaith Center of New York, said.
But leaders say as the city continues to navigate through these uncertainties, they can find solace in their faith.