Liturgies of the people
This final chapter, Liturgies of the People, invites us into a journey through prayers, poems, and songs shaped by the lived struggles and victories of poor and dispossessed communities.
Rooted in the Greek meaning of “liturgy” as the work of the people, these offerings testify to the resilience, resistance, and revolutionary spirit at the heart of the Freedom Church of the Poor. Unlike earlier chapters organized by theme, these liturgies are adaptable for many purposes—public or private, celebratory or solemn.
They are meant to be honored, shared, and reimagined in context, offering strength and vision to all committed to the fight for dignity, justice, and collective liberation.
Covid-19 Memorial: An Interfaith Litany for Healing and Justice
An Interfaith Litany for Healing and Justice
In June 2022, the Poor People’s Campaign brought tens of thousands of poor and low-wealth people to Washington, DC, for a Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Worker's Assembly and Moral March to share their stories and address systemic injustices worsened by the pandemic. This interfaith litany was part of the Everyone Has a Right to Live Memorial Service, held in Washington, DC, on June 17, 2022.
Read MoreEarth Liturgy: A Liturgy of Resistance to Climate Chaos
Not In Our Name
Not in Our Name! was written for a Faith Climate Action at Chase Bank, NYC. As Chase and other major banks continue to bankroll new fossil fuel projects, accelerating the climate crisis, people of faith responded by saying, "Not in our name!" Clergy and faith leaders of diverse traditions sang, spoke, and burned money as a symbol of this sacrilege committed by Chase and other corporations, in a ritual that wove together the despair and anger people feel—but also the defiant hope they have. They rejected the worship of money and greed. They act with fierce love for the planet.
Read MoreCommissioning Celebration: A Litany for Organizers
We Who Believe in Freedom
A Commissioning Liturgy was developed for the First Annual Poverty Initiative Fellows Commissioning and Community Celebration, sponsored by the Poverty Initiative (now the Kairos Center) at Union Theological Seminary, a community committed to raising up religious and community leaders dedicated to building a social movement to end poverty, led by the poor. The Commissioning Litany for Organizers was shared in the book. The following charge was also offered as part of the liturgy.
Read MoreRemember those who have gone before And those who will go in the future
An Anniversary Ritual: A Ritual to Honor Our Past and Inspire Our Future
A Palm Sunday Litany: A Litany of Hosanna and a Cry for Justice
A Palm Sunday Liturgy
A Palm Sunday service was held in Washington Square Park with New York City churches, community leaders, leaders from the NYC Poor People’s Campaign, and the Kairos Center. Together, they gathered to remember that Jesus’ Palm Sunday procession was a bold act of resistance—an anti-imperial march led by a movement of the poor and oppressed demanding freedom and justice. The service served as a powerful reminder that our faith calls us to confront empire and organize for life.
Read MoreLas Posadas: A Litany for a Las Posadas Procession
Os Pido Posada
Os Pido Posada is a song by Caleb Venezuaela that was created in 2021 for the We Cry Justice Cultural Arts Project, a collection of visual arts and musical resources that help movement leaders, students, congregations, artists, and people of conscience develop a deep understanding of and take up core concepts that undergird the We Cry Justice devotional.
Art and culture work is central to the way we do political education and organizing. Contributors to this project are artists and cultural organizers from across the country and world who are committed to building the work of the Poor People’s Campaign and uniting the poor and dispossessed to end poverty and the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, militarism, ecological devastation and the distorted moral narrative of White Christian Nationalism.
Abrid Vuestras Puertas
Abrid Vuestras Puertas by Caleb Venezuaela is a song that was created as part of the We Cry Justice Cultural Arts Project (WCJ) in 2021. WCJ is a collection of visual arts and musical resources that help movement leaders, students, congregations, artists, and people of conscience develop a deep understanding of and take up core concepts that undergird the We Cry Justice devotional.
Art and culture work is central to the way we do political education and organizing. Contributors to this project are artists and cultural organizers from across the country and world who are committed to building the work of the Poor People’s Campaign and uniting the poor and dispossessed to end poverty and the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, militarism, ecological devastation and the distorted moral narrative of White Christian Nationalism.
"From the mountain high, to the valley low, gotta organize"
End Child Poverty in New York: Las Posadas Petition Delivery Playlist
On December 22, 2024, faith and anti-poverty advocates delivered a petition signed by over 1,250 New Yorkers and 35 organizations to Governor Hochul, urging the adoption of bold policy recommendations to end child poverty in the state. Marked by a Las Posadas procession, the action highlighted the crisis of child poverty in cities like Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo, and called for taxing the rich to fund vital housing, nutrition, and income support programs. Advocates made clear: child poverty is a policy choice—and New York has the resources to end it now.
Read MoreNuestro cuerpo espera Un sitio de descanso Estamos construyendo El Reino de Dios.
An Ash Wednesday Ritual: Imposition of the Ashes
I Am Not Afraid
"I Am Not Afraid" was born out of grief, courage, and the collective spirit of resistance. Written by Lu Aya of the Peace Poets, the song emerged one night in East Harlem after a direct action—an offering to confront the ongoing crises and oppression in our communities. Sung in moments of risk and confrontation, it becomes both a shield and a declaration: we are not afraid, because the struggle for liberation is greater than fear.
Read MoreLitany of Remembrance: A Prayer to Honor the Dead
I’m Gonna Lift My Sister Up
This song was written by Faya Ora Rose Touré. She is an American civil rights activist and lawyer. She was the first Black female judge in Alabama. Faya is a founder of the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma, AL and helped coordinate the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee to mark the anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
Read MoreSong of Hope: A Song to Counter Hate and Bring People Together
Power of Love
In January 2017, amid the division and hate-fueled rhetoric following Trump’s presidency, Steff Reed wrote a song to bring people together around the universal value of love—a mantra that transcends politics, religion, and class. First sung at a New Orleans high school art exhibition on police brutality and anti-Blackness, the song offered hope as students united in its message.
Steff Reed is a singer, songwriter, producer, and self-taught multi-instrumentalist and leads movement music with Songs in the Key of Resistance and Dream Defenders.
Hope and love can conquer anything
Song of the Water Protectors: A Song of Resistance, Healing, and Struggle Against Occupation
May This Body Be a Bridge
Te Martin wrote this song after being at Standing Rock for several months in 2016 to stand with Indigenous water protectors from over two hundred tribes to protest the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Said Abdallah, a Palestinian friend of Te’s, had joined the protests at Standing Rock and shared the connections he saw between the militarized violence at Standing Rock and the occupation of Palestine. He said that he wanted his “body to be a bridge for liberation of his Palestinian homelands.” These words and the persistence of the water protectors at Standing Rock inspired this song.
Read MoreA Shinnecock Call for Peace: A Song of Peace in a Death-Dealing Society
Mothers and Children for Peace
This song was written by Rev. Holly Haile Thompson of the Shinnecock Nation. It is deeply rooted in the lived experiences and reflections of the Shinnecock people and intersects other Indigenous communities and poor folks who must counter the violent, death-dealing practices of patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy. In March 2003, during a time of heightened global tension and imminent conflict, Rev. Holly led prayers for peace in two yoked neighboring non-Native congregations. Just three days later, the United States invaded Iraq.
Read MoreA Prayer for Diwali: A Prayer for LIght in Times of Darkness
A Prayer for Diwali
Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and honors the Goddess Lakshmi—not only as the bringer of wealth, but as a symbol of material well-being, morality, love, and liberation. Her story reminds us that these four values are inseparable and must coexist to create a just and thriving world. Diwali calls us to envision and build a society where no one is hungry or unhoused, where resources are shared, and where love and justice guide our path to true freedom.
Read MoreGoddess born from the struggle between good and evil Guide us toward the light.
A Revolutionary Advent Wreath: An Advent Ritual
An Advent Ritual
During the Freedom Church of the Poor’s Season of Advent of a Revolution, community leaders came together each week to light Advent candles and reflect on the four pillars of Advent: hope, peace, joy, and love. Leaders from various social justice organizations led prayers and invited participants to contribute images and reflections to a shared altar—both physical and virtual—honoring each theme and deepening collective spiritual practice.
Read MoreA Blessing for Peace and Resistance: A Ritual for Life
We Teach Life, Sir
Rafeef Ziadah is a Canadian-Palestinian spoken word artist and activist. Her debut CD Hadeel is dedicated to Palestinian youth, who still fly kites in the face of F16 bombers, who still remember the names of their villages in Palestine and still hear the sound of Hadeel (cooing of doves) over Gaza.
Read More