The Party’s First In-Person Event Gathered Marylanders of Faith to Address the Climate Crisis
Maryland — Yesterday, the Maryland Democratic Party hosted their first public, in-person event in over eighteen months — a panel focused on improving climate awareness among communities of faith. The panel, titled ‘A Moral Imperative,’ was the first event in the Party’s ‘Maryland Climate Matters’ series that will feature in-person panels, town halls, podcasts, and more; all with the goal of educating Marylanders about how the Climate Crisis will affect our state.
Hosted at Greater Mt. Nebo AME Church in Bowie, the event examined how Maryland’s faith-based communities are embracing the climate challenge and the moral imperative every person of faith has to protect our planet. Speakers included*:
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Calvin Hawkins, Chair, Prince George’s County Council
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Bishop James Davis, AME Bishop, Second District – Via letter
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Pastor Jonathan Weaver, Greater Mt. Nebo AME Church
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Jodi Rose, Executive Director, Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake
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Joelle Novey, Director of Interfaith Power & Light
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Yvette Lewis, Maryland Democratic Party Chair
The event was attended in-person and online by over 350 Marylanders from faith communities across our state.
At the event, participants focused on the obligation we all have to take on the Climate Crisis.
“We recognize the sanctity of the earth and as a result of that we want to make sure we’re honoring not only the land, but the air that we breathe, because we realize that there are consequences if we don’t do that,” said Greater Mount Nebo AME Church Pastor Jonathan Weaver. “This issue surrounding Climate Change… I think as faith leaders, as persons here today, we need to make sure our voices are heard wherever we can. Be prepared to say something about how we need to do better in terms of the air that we breathe.”
“There are 5,000 congregations in the state of Maryland… you’re the right messenger. This shared mandate to love one another is really really relevant because it’s people who will suffer [from Climate Change]… especially those who are poor,” said Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake Executive Director Jodi Rose.
“For so many of us, the Climate Crisis has become very politicized… when we talk about Climate Change in faith communities, people hear it differently… people hear it as a moral issue. I truly believe if we don’t bring these messages [to communities of faith], people don’t hear them,” said Director of Interfaith Power & Light Joelle Novey.
The importance of the event was highlighted by Prince George’s County Council Chairman Calvin Hawkins who called the panel “a voice for the way forward.”
You can watch the full panel here. The next ‘Maryland Climate Matters’ event will be hosted on July 14th in Baltimore City and will focus on protecting the Chesapeake Bay.
*titles are for identification purposes only.