A house RESOLUTION

 

to recognize and honor Reverend Dr. William Joseph Barber II, President of Repairers of the Breach, and to welcome him to the State of south Carolina.

 

Whereas, the House of Representatives is pleased to learn that Reverend Dr. William Joseph Barber II will visit the Palmetto State the weekend of January 16 and 17, 2026; and

 

Whereas, Bishop Barber graduated from Plymouth High, earned a bachelor's degree from North Carolina Central University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a doctorate from Drew University, with a concentration in Public Policy and Pastoral Care. He has studied in a special fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Having received many awards for his service, Bishop Barber has had twelve honorary doctorate degrees conferred upon him; and

 

Whereas, Bishop Barber served as senior pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church with the Disciples of Christ for thirty years, as president of the North Carolina NAACP from 2006 through 2017, and on the National NAACP Board of Directors from 2008 through 2020. He is the architect of the Forward Together Moral Movement that gained national acclaim in 2013 with its Moral Monday protests at the North Carolina General Assembly; and

 

Whereas, he serves as president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, bishop with The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, executive board member of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ, professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy, and the founding director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. He is the co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, and is a Kettering Foundation senior fellow; and

 

Whereas, Bishop Barber is the author of five books: We Are Called to Be a Movement; Revive Us Again: Vision and action in moral organizing; The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, fusion politics, and the rise of a new justice movement; and Forward Together: A moral message for the nation. White Poverty: How exposing myths about race and class can reconstruct American democracy was released in June 2024; and

 

Whereas, in 2015, he established Repairers of the Breach to train communities in moral movement building through the Moral Political Organizing Leadership Institute and Summit Trainings. In 2018, he co-anchored the relaunch of the Poor People's Campaign: A national call for moral revival, reviving the 1968 Poor People's Campaign organized by the women's rights movement, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. worker's rights movement, religious leaders, and people of all races to fight poverty in the United States; and

 

Whereas, as a moral leader engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience, Bishop Barber has been arrested more than fifteen times in various states, standing with those who have been marginalized by systematic racism, poverty, and injustice; and

 

Whereas, Bishop Barber gave a keynote address at the 2016 Democratic National Convention; was one of few preachers in the nation's history to be invited to give the homily at an Inaugural Prayer Service, the 59th Inaugural Prayer Service for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris; and addressed the 5th UNI Global Union World Congress to more than twenty-five countries in June 2018; and

 

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives values the dedication of involved citizens like William Barber who seek the betterment of our nation, and the members appreciate the honor that his visit bestows on our great State. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Reverend Dr. William Joseph Barber II, President of Repairers of the Breach, and welcome him to the State of South Carolina.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Reverend Dr. William Joseph Barber II.

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