Interfaith Action at the State Level: Florida, North Dakota, Pennsylvania

REV. PAUL BRANDEIS RAUSHENBUSH, HOST:

Rev. Dr. Sharon Harris Ewing is president of the board of Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida. Sharon is an ordained minister and an educator. Rev. Anne Flynn is a deacon in the Episcopal Church and a leader with Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania. And Ross Keys is a longtime activist and political strategist currently heading up Interfaith Alliance of North Dakota.

Welcome to each of you to The State of Belief!

REV. DR. SHARON HARRIS EWING, GUEST:

Thank you!

REV. ANNE FLYNN, GUEST:

Thank you.

ROSS KEYS, GUEST:

Thanks for having us.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

I just want to start with an just a note of deep, deep gratitude for each of you, for all that you are doing. I'm just, you know, I'm so honored that we are affiliated with you, and and just so grateful for the work that is being done around the country. When we think about the faith communities in places like Southwest Florida, in places like Pennsylvania, in places like North Dakota, you know, what you're trying to do there is not always easy, and what you're trying to do is actually create communities that value all people and understand this deeply American ideal that everyone deserves equal respect from whatever tradition or belief you have. Equal respect under the law and within communities.

And so thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm just so honored that Interfaith Alliance can provide this network and the support. And so let me just start out with great thanks to each of you.

As Ross and Sharon have been with us before, I'm going to start with Rev. Anne Flynn. And maybe you can just kind of dive right in. You know, we were watching and and just so moved by what you were able to do to organize in response to a Harrisburg Neo-Nazi march. Maybe you can just say a little bit about what happened there and why it was so important to speak up.

ANNE FLYNN:

Well, it was a surprise that the Neo-Nazis marched in Harrisburg, and what was a pleasant surprise was that we, Interfaith, and various organizations in the Harrisburg area, were able to respond quickly. So we gathered the day after the event, and that was something that I think was, in part, facilitated by Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania, by the networking that we have been doing.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

It's so important. This is the reason to have these networks in place. First of all, can we just take a moment and say, what in the world are Neo-Nazis still feeling empowered to march in our communities? I mean, this is not normal. This is very, very bad. And so I hate to normalize that, oh yeah, the Nazis were marching. But, unfortunately, it is becoming all too frequent. And so what you just said is so important. How are we prepared for this? And one way that we can be prepared is by networking in times where Neo-Nazis are not marching, so that when they do, we're able to show up. And I just feel like that is such an important message.

So who were some of the people who you immediately said, we’ve got to  be in conversation with these folks to help us show up? Who were some of the people who Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania was able to reach out to immediately?

ANNE FLYNN:

Well, John Flood, who's an organizer in the area, was one that really brought us all together. And we were lucky enough to have Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission become involved, and Common Defense, which is an organization of veterans.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Just to stop there for a second, I think it's so great that veterans were like, uh-uh, didn't we fight a war against Nazis at one point? You know? And we can't cede the idea of patriotic people coming up and saying, Neo-Nazis are not welcome in this country. And I think it's important that as wide of a net as you were able to spread, that's a very interesting collaboration. It's not just kind of a couple people in collars showing up. It represents the people alongside members of the different faith traditions.

ANNE FLYNN:

Exactly. Exactly. And, we all gathered and the energy was there. And of course we were fortunate enough to have the media present too, so we got good coverage after that. And the message was so important to me, and it was important to people of faith or no faith gathered on those steps on Saturday morning. And the message was, we are responsible for ourselves and our neighbors.

We are responsible for our neighbors. So look around you. That's why we're here. And that was the statement. That's why we're here. And that was the statement before we continued on the walk, and then returned to the capitol.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

I think that's so important. And that's what it means to be a community. We're responsible for one another. And that, I think, is really an important message right now in this moment when the tensions are rising and the threats are rising. I mean, we are there are threats all the time.

I want to turn to you, Ross, because you've been doing so much great activism, so much great organizing, in one of the areas that we've been really promoting around the country to all the affiliates and our network is, you know, what are the polls going to look like? Because both poll workers and voters are going to be subjected to some serious intimidation under the guise of, yeah, we're just there to make sure no one cheats. But, you know, cheating is is less common than intimidation, frankly.

And so, Ross, maybe you can tell us a little bit about what's going on in North Dakota and how important it is to have something called poll chaplains. Can you explain what they are, first of all, and and why they're so important in this time?

ROSS KEYS:

Well, poll chaplains, it's been found, when they're present at polling locations, they provide a calming influence. They're people who naturally are talented at bringing people together, calming problems down, doing that sort of thing that would make a polling area a little bit safer for folks that may not feel safe.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Right, it's like a de escalation almost. It's like a nonviolent intervention which says, okay: we're going to show up in our capacity as religious leaders. If people feel comfortable wearing a collar or whatever, but they're saying, we're here for everyone. We're here to ensure that this is a safe space for people to exercise their right to to vote. I mean, am I getting that correct?

ROSS KEYS:

Absolutely. Now, it doesn't have much of a history in in North Dakota, I understand. I've been in conversation with the elections director at the Secretary of State, and when I brought up, well, have you worked with poll chaplains before in the state yet? Well, no, not that they were aware of. But I've been pushing out some trainings by Faiths United to Save Democracy.I was on the training myself this past Monday. It was really, really good. And so I don't know how many of the pastors in my network are going to do this, but it it just seems like a kind of a a logical thing, that what can it hurt to have these folks trained up if they're able to go and act as poll observers.

So pushing out the trainings, next week on my monthly call with my partners across the state, we've got the International Center For Religion and Diplomacy coming on to provide a deescalation training. And we've been working in partnership with organizations such as the League of Women Voters to see what they're doing in terms of their activities as poll watchers. Some of our poll people may sign in as part of their network, you know, nonpartisan, just to provide a a safe space.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

It's really, really important. Say again the name, Faiths United…

ROSS KEYS:

It's Faiths United to Save Democracy. And they've had a series of of four poll chaplain trainings. Like I said, I was on the last one this week. There's another one coming up on September 30th.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

You know, people can go to that. You don't have to be part of an Interfaith Alliance affiliate or something. People can do this in your own community, and see if there are other people who are signed up. So it's an important resource.

And I love that you mentioned the League of Women Voters, who I'm a big fan of. And speaking of the League of Women Voters is the way I met Rev. Sharon. Do you remember that? Like, this is 2 years ago around this time. It seems like, you know, a longer time because we've done so much good work together, but I I spoke at a League of Women Voters gathering, and I just want to shout out to the League because that was wild.

In Southwest Florida, in Collier County, there were probably 80 people on this call that I was talking about religion and democracy and Christian nationalism, and you were on that call, and you were like, you know what? Maybe an Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida is in order. And so Southwest Florida is one of our more recent Interfaith Alliances, and you all have gotten busy. And this is really exciting, the the organizing that you've done, your kind of stepping up, and I've seen videos of you showing up in school boards, speaking out, saying we don't want Christian nationalism in our schools, and speaking out on issues of LGBTQ equality.

And now, you know, really, as an important religion and democracy issue and religious freedom issue, you all have really begun to focus on Amendment 4. Tell us about what amendment 4 is in Florida, and then also, how Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida decided to get involved.

SHARON EWING:

Sure. And I do remember that call very well, Paul. It was actually, I believe, Halloween of 2022. And Kristin Muschett and I were on that call, and she was in charge of the Unitarian Universalist lecture series. And she got you to come, and then we started the affiliate, and we've been very excited ever since. And I thank you for this opportunity and also for all the support that we get from National. It means a lot.

In terms of Amendment 4, it is to limit government interference in abortion. And, basically, in July, Florida implemented a 6-week abortion ban - which as all of you know is pretty meaningless, since most women don't even know that they're pregnant at 6 weeks. And this amendment, if passed, would enshrine in the constitution abortion rights very similar to Roe v. Wade. And the the sad.. Well, there are many sad parts, but one of the sad parts right now is that the governor and some of the government agencies are actively working against it. And many of us are saying, leave it to the people. You put this on the ballot, and and we want to decide.

In Florida, it takes a 60% majority to pass a constitutional amendment. So you can imagine that there are a lot of people working very hard to get it passed.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Yeah. You're a pastor. You're ordained and have served churches. For you, why is this so important as a religion issue and a religious freedom issue?

...

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Well, I want to answer that with with two comments. One is, for me, it's first and foremost a religious freedom issue. That when anyone tries to say the only faithful - or perhaps more accurately the only Christian response - is to support a full total abortion ban; we need to be, as Interfaith Alliance has been doing for 30 years, to speak up and say, those folks don't speak for us, and that many, many, many people of faith support full reproductive rights and comprehensive health care for women. So that's the first argument that we've made.

The other reason that it's important to me that the board of the Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida voted unanimously and enthusiastically to support Amendment 4 and to publicly advocate for it because I think many pastors - I am ordained, but I'm not serving a church at this time - I think many people who are serving churches or synagogues or other faith communities, and many religious leaders themselves, do not feel empowered, do not feel able, to speak out, because there's so much diversity within their their own faith community. And so for those of us who are people of faith and religious leaders, I think we, especially, have to stand up and say, yes, people of faith do.

Trying to figure out how do we be public about this, we sent out a press release and one of the local TV stations interviewed me and Rev. Tony Fisher, who's a minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation. And, actually, unbeknownst to us, a rabbi was part of the segment when it aired. But it was pitched as: this might surprise you. People of faith support Amendment 4. I mean, that was how the the the reporter, pitched it, to say, yes, you need to know.

And I can tell you that the Sunday after that when I went to my church, there was a woman I don't know well. I know her, but she just came up to me and said, thank you. Thank you for representing what we believe.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

You know, this is the reason it's so great that you all are on the ground; but we're fighting against a misperception among the public and among the media that somehow people of faith are uniformly against LGBTQ rights, against abortion access, are for this incredible degradation of immigrants. There always a kind of surprise: Oh, people of faith actually have something to say about this. And I think that's the reason it's so important that we keep having to hammer down, like, actually, we're not outliers. The other side is outliers. And the more we can do that… We try to do that at the national office and do national narrative work; the more it can happen in local communities, where local people hear from local leaders, the the more real it becomes. And so again, thank you so much.

Ross, you have been going through a lot in North Dakota, frankly, and I think North Dakota is such an interesting case because I think after Mississippi, North Dakota is one of the primary locations for Christian nationalism. That was in a PRRI survey. And so, you know, what you are dealing with in North Dakota is a really strong kind of movement around enforcing one idea of what religion can be, and one idea about how people can live their lives, which has real implications for people across the state.

Overall, how does it feel to be working in an Interfaith Alliance there, or working in communities where people really feel this incredible, powerful Christian nationalist lobby is really trying to impose a certain way of being on the rest of the citizens.

ROSS KEYS:

Yeah. And and in fact, North Dakota is tied for number 1 with Mississippi in that poll.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

I would say congratulations, but I don't think it's in order here.

ROSS KEYS:

Yeah. So you know that it's an uphill climb, and that's the way it feels, because there is a lot of funding behind these efforts. So when they bring in someone like Charlie Kirk with TPUSA or Tony Perkins, you know, that there's a lot of outside support that's flowing into North Dakota. But I think we've been very active and very successful in pushing back. This upcoming weekend, I'll be providing a a workshop on Christian nationalism to a UCC conference, in Valley City. We just had a showing of God and Country with a panel discussion afterwards up in Grand Forks that, thank you, Paul, that you helped promote on the state's largest talk radio program. So that was very helpful. Got some great comments about your appearance on that call afterwards. And there are other efforts.

We're hoping to bring the the show - UCC in Morehead has the show and they’re letting us use it, hopefully, in Bismarck and Minot yet. And there are some other programs that are being shown at faith communities around the state. And so it's a, like I said, an uphill battle, but I think that we've been really consistent in our efforts around North Dakota and pushing back on that message.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Well, I also want to say - and this is for all three of you - it's life-giving, even life-saving. I'm just thinking about, you know, if you're an LGBTQ youth in North Dakota, and all you're hearing is that you don't belong, you're wrong, you know, you're not supposed to be that way, you're not supposed to love that way, you're not supposed to feel that way, you're not supposed to be that way… And then they hopefully come upon something from Interfaith Alliance of North Dakota that says, actually, you do belong here, and you are loved, and you are valued, and we're so glad that you exist. In some ways, it feels maybe like just putting that out there feels like a small thing - but it's not a small thing if you're feeling completely alone and feel like you have nowhere to turn.

And so especially in these places, I'm just so grateful for how, Ross, you, and so many across the state have shown up there. It's incredibly important, and we need to really lift up one another and offer praise to one another, because it is lonely work, but it's incredibly valuable work.

And let me turn back to you, Rev. Anne, and just ask: like, you're in a state, I mean, Florida's, I guess, a little bit in a political state right now. I mean, especially Amendment 4, and it's be seems like it's becoming more of a, battleground state. Pennsylvania, you've gotta be just getting slaughtered right now with all of the ads and all of the, you know… What does it feel like to be in that state, in this moment where everybody's like, well, whatever Pennsylvania decides, I guess that's our new president. I mean, how does that feel as a resident? I mean, we're next door in in New York, and so we kind of, like, look over there and say, are they okay? You know? How does it feel in Pennsylvania right now?

ANNE FLYNN:

Well, fortunately, we're not saying, oh, whatever, whatever Pennsylvanians do or whatever the others do. We're saying, we need to encourage and facilitate our members, either on congregations or in social situations, we need to encourage people to be informed and to vote. And so we are concentrating on getting people to the polls - but not from a perspective of, you know, souls to the polls. I mean, some people are doing that, but we're more from: vote faithfully. Understand the ramifications of the issues that you're facing. Understand that your vote counts. And, yes, you can be frustrated. And, yes, you don't like everybody or everything that that someone does, but you have to be informed and you have to make a decision, and you really have to commit.

And so that's been our message.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

I think it's very hopeful to hear that, and I hope that many, many people are hearing that. This is, you know, obviously a really important, critical election.

ANNE FLYNN:

This is a critical reelection. No question about that. But we also have to be prepared for after the election. These situations are not going away, and ignoring them will not make them go away. So so the goal is have people encouraged to educate, to be informed, and then continue that - because the message has to be played over and over again, and there has to be opportunity for people to to learn and to understan- and to take it to the local level. Yes, we have a national election. Yes, it's the president and vice president, But you know what? They're city council. There's school board. And we have to be paying attention.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

I think it's so important that we talk about Project 2025, and people are like, oh, well, I would hate for that to come - but Project 2025 is here in many communities around the country. And, you know, this playbook is playing out. I mean, I think Florida definitely knows it. I think probably North Dakota is feeling that, and I think Pennsylvania has that in spaces too, and it's the reality. And so being really clear about this moment, and that it matters.

I'll say one more thing. I was just with the American Library Association, and I'm really promoting this idea that religious communities have to show up for librarians right now,and libraries, because they are getting slaughtered, often, under the mantle of religion and Christian nationalist efforts. But you know, I had never realized that libraries have advisory boards that are also elected, and sometimes those are on ballots. I didn't even know that that was an elected position. And so it's just really important to recognize that it's not just the top of the ballot. It's all the way down.

And you know, the people on the show have heard me just share this. We had Moms for Liberty win three seats in my district in Manhattan. And introducing anti-trans resolutions in my district, which is, like, includes Greenwich Village and Chelsea. Anti-trans resolution. And so no one can just say, oh, well, it's not in my backyard. This is everywhere. We all have to be aware.

Sharon, seems like you want to jump in. Go ahead.

SHARON EWING:

Oh, I wanted to interject. This actually relates to what Anne was saying about the election, because I think this might be something that you don't know about. One of the things that I'm excited that is the brainchild of our vice president, Craig Cranston - Rev. Craig Cranston is the senior minister of Saint John the Apostle Metropolitan Community Church in Fort Myers. But on November 4th, on the evening of the election, we are going to have an interfaith evening of prayer for the nation. And we've talked about it and that it is not only important that we, as faith leaders, are praying for the nation, but that we model for people: you can pray without spewing Christian nationalist language. And to say we're going to pray for a a fair and free and safe election, that we're going to pray for wisdom as people make their choices, for wisdom for whoever is elected, and as you alluded to, and for peace, whatever the outcome, because I think that's a really scary opposition.

So I'm excited, that we're saying we need to come together to pray and to worship, and to pray for our nation.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

That's just so important. One thing that we've been kind of dancing around, but this is this feels very scary to me, is the potential for violence in the days after the election. This isn't like some sort of crazy idea. We we have seen how this can play out. We saw after the 2020 election how, you know, people were really trying to use intimidation. It ultimately culminated in the January 6th attack on our capital. But it feels like much of that was, you know, almost a prelude to what could happen. I don't want to say it will happen, but I am curious how that feels on the ground in places like Harrisburg and in North Dakota and in Collier County in Florida. I think it's really great that we have you three on, because these are very real contested places.

Have you all been thinking about what you might do? I mean, we are in the middle of some scenario plannings about what is possible, but I'm just wondering - and and look forward to working with each of you to kind of crowdsource wisdom on what the best practice is. But, you know, as long as we're talking, what are some of the things that you all are thinking about and maybe participating in as far as the civic safety net, in some ways, after the election - because people are threatening violence? Anybody want to take that? Has anybody been part of any scenario planning or any thoughts about that?

ANNE FLYNN:

Well, I am Episcopalian within the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, and we were meeting last evening with the bishop and with leaders around the diocese. We were concentrating on ending gun violence. So an event to commemorate the October 27th Tree of Life Synagogue shooting - and we're coming up on the 6th anniversary of that event. And so we are gathering in different locations around the diocese. There are four different spots where we're gathering. And the question came up then - because we thought, well, it's so close to originally, in our original planning, it's so close to the election that we may have an opportunity to do voter education. That might be something we can do as Episcopalians. And so we are engaging in the Vote Faithfully training. The Episcopal Church is part of it. It's it's not only the Episcopal Church.

But what the concerns that came from around the Harrisburg area and beyond, is that there's a real possibility that we will get pushback from the community, or we will have a response to the Tree of Lifes event and to our support of our Jewish brothers and sisters and siblings. And so what are we going to do with that? And so we are now talking about how we might listen to what's going on the day of the event, and how we will respond. So so we have taken that up from that perspective, but then concern was voiced about doing voter education, in the congregations and how that might also cause us to be put in a vulnerable position.

So that conversation is going on. People are concerned about it, and they want to be ready and they want to defuse. So that was part of the conversation. How do we listen, hear, and defuse, if that's necessary?

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Anybody else thinking about scenarios, post-election?

ROSS KEYS:

In North Dakota, you know, I think we pretty much understand how many of these elections will go. I don't hear a lot of concern about post-election. At the same time, I think the things that we've been doing, such as the upcoming deescalation training, and if there are other things that I hear of through the grapevine, I'll be pushing out to members, but I'd be surprised, but it's always good to be prepared in case we do have to defuse situations or or or participate in some way.

SHARON EWING:

And I'm always getting new ideas. So even as I listen to us, I'm thinking we have an October 9th meeting of interfaith religious leaders, and we need to put that on the agenda to talk about.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Yeah. I mean, this is something that many of the faith communities across the country are really thinking about, is the potential for violence after the election. I don't want to predict it, but, you know, the stakes feel high and there are already people saying, well, it's going to be rigged, and we're going to fight back. So we want to be thinking about what are the ways that we can be organized? And do we each have the number of the secretary of state for each of our states? Do we have contacts with the people who are in positions so that we can avail ourselves and make ourselves available for any efforts to help with civic unrest and how people are understanding the results of the election. So it’s a difficult moment, and we're hoping to do some advanced thinking about it so that we can be prepared.

I had a chance to talk to Robby Jones who runs PRRI, the Public Religion Research Institute. And he does this county-by-county religious diversity census, which I don't know if you all have seen. It might be interesting for each of you to look at your own county, but you can go to PRRI.org and really look at the religious diversity in your own county. I think one of the things that we've seen recently is, for those communities that felt like, okay, well, we're all just homogeneous, but now there's maybe diversity that's coming in, or that demographic change is creating anxiety. I think this incredible news cycle around Haitian immigrants who were brought into a community to help to fill jobs, have been part of a community, being targeted for being different.

I'm wondering how religious diversity functions both at - hopefully not caused that kind of level of vitriol, but what are ways that interfaith diversity can help Interfaith Alliances grow community? Have any of you noticed a a kind of religious diversity opportunity in in your areas? Anybody want to speak on that?

ROSS KEYS:

Well, probably the most diversity in North Dakota would be over in the Fargo Moorhead area, the eastern part of the state. And we've got some great leadership there. I've been able to tap into a local, it's the FM, Fargo Moorhead Interfaith Center, with a wonderful board of wide range of faiths, beliefs or non-beliefs, and met with a number of leaders of the Muslim community, just a lot of different faith leaders in the area, and a lot of them work under the banner of the FM Interfaith Center, and that has really allowed us to to make some wonderful connections.

I don't know if you know, but there was an incident there a couple of years ago with the Patriot Front vandalizing an international marketplace where a lot of new Americans have shops or or do business. And I'm part of another organization, North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, that is actually part of a lawsuit involving that case. But the faith response has been fantastic, and being able to work with those local leaders on the ground, I think, has been very, very rich, for the Interfaith Alliance. It’s strengthened us. And, and I look forward to those partnerships moving forward.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

That sounds amazing. Patriot Front, is that like a White identity group or something like that? I'm not familiar with them, but it sounds like…

ROSS KEYS:

Yep. That's exactly it.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Yeah. Yeah. I had a chance to talk to some of the leadership of Southern Poverty Law Center several weeks ago when they released their hate index; you know, they do a report every year. And the explosion of White identity and antisemitic hate groups, we're in a moment where we have to take that very seriously, and a lot of that does show up in places like the kind of places where you all are working. I mean, the example of Neo-Nazis in in Harrisburg, and then this White identity group in North Dakota. And certainly one of the surprises to me when I became a little more familiar with Collier County was the antisemitism. Shame on me for thinking that that wouldn't be a problem, but it certainly is. And, you know, there was a rabbi who was associated with Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida, spoke out at a school board meeting, and then was intimidated on his way back to his car. I mean, Collier County has religious diversity, but there is still this presumption that there has to be one way that is the dominant way.

SHARON EWING:

Well, that is absolutely true, and that incident was when we were just getting started, and it gave us one of our first opportunities to speak out and to to publish a guest commentary about not only Jews, but all of us need to stand up against antisemitism as an act of unity.

We do have diversity. We have some Muslim and Buddhist members of our alliance, but we need much more. There is certainly a largely prevailing Christian nationalist viewpoint from the majority. And you see it in funny ways, but a lot of it is paranoia about the federal government. And the the county commission passed an ordinance, a bill of rights sanctuary county, that should the federal government take away our rights, do not be concerned. Collier County has got our back.

And what that has to do is with things like gun rights: if the federal government were to pass some kind of legislation, you know, rest assured, Collier County will not comply. We'll do our own thing. They actually voted - and to me, this is just simply a measure of the craziness. They voted to take fluoride out of the water because this was poisoning people against their will. They had not chosen this. It's just one of those little indicators of how crazy you can get.

So we have a lot to speak up against and about, and we don't always win the case. But we're growing, and that's exciting.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Well, you know, I want to keep going with you, Sharon, for a moment, because you did have a recent win with the school board. And I want to ask each of you to think of just a recent win that you had. I mean, there's a lot to look at and a lot coming at you all the time. But I think it's important to celebrate victories and say, hey. You know what? We can do things, and we're making a difference. And so, Sharon, do you want to talk a little bit about the recent school board election?

SHARON EWING:

Well, it's really important, and I didn't know this until I moved here, that the school board actually is frequently decided in the August primary because they are nonpartisan - although Amendment 1 on the ballot is to make them partisan, which we are also fighting against. But what it means is, whoever wins the primary, unless there are so many candidates that nobody gets 50%, which doesn't usually happen, then that person becomes the school board member. And this year, we did have 2 contenders running against incumbents who were explicitly Christian nationalists in their language. One of them said that it was her goal that students would stand for the flag and kneel for the cross. Very explicitly saying we need to bring back Christian values into the classroom. We already have a school board member who says that the separation of Church and State is a historical mistake.

And so on a school board of five, where you already have two people thinking like that, it's very scary. And we did massive get out the vote, but as you said, Anne, be informed and know that this is where people stand. This is what they say they stand for. Here, we have so many people who are gone in the summer. It makes it particularly precarious. So we were saying to people, if you're not here, make sure you get your mail-in ballot. Know that they won't forward it, so give them your address in the north. And we really did believe that we made a difference. We got some assistance with text messaging and reaching out to underrepresented voters from national. And the good news is that the incumbents won, and Christian nationalism did not become the majority view of our board - but it's precarious. And I used to serve on a school board of nine, so the idea of just five for this whole county. is is amazing.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

With 50,000 students or something like that. I mean, it makes a huge difference in the life of of students, and it's just really important.

What wins would you describe, Ross, as something that you can really point to as something you're celebrating?

ROSS KEYS:

Well, I suppose I'd connect it with what's coming up. We've got another legislative session coming up, in January, which was quite difficult in 2023. We're going to have a couple of trainings on how to testify successfully, how to follow legislation for our pastors in our November and December calls. But I'd go back to that last session. It was difficult, just extremely difficult, but I think that I've seen one of the best ground games I've ever seen at a session from faith leaders, from progressive organizations, people trying to protect religious freedom. I just hope that we can pull that off again.

There were a number of bad bills that passed, but there were bad bills that were stopped or were modified. And I like to point to that session as something that, you know, when folks come together and they work together and they communicate and they share messaging, that you can have success even in places where it can get pretty dark at times. And so I'm looking forward to putting together, with a number of others, other great leaders in the state, putting together a strong ground game in 2025.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Just to pursue that, what were some of the bills that you were really concerned about?

ROSS KEYS:

There were about 20 anti-LGBTQ bills. And actually, in response to that, we put together a letter to the editor that was signed by between 70 and 80 faith leaders in North Dakota, across the state, saying, this is the wrong thing to do. Please quit pursuing this type of legislation that hurt our family, friends, and neighbors. I don't believe I've seen a letter signed by faith leaders quite like that before. So again, it galvanized us, brought us together.

But there were some terrible bills there. There was book banning bills, an attempt at school vouchers, and that'll come back again. It might have been vetoed, but that'll be back again in 2025, I assume. So we'll see some of the bills that didn't get through, I assume, will be back on the table.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Well, congratulations. That's just huge. It's huge to get 80, 70 to 80, faith leaders to speak out for LGBTQ folks.I mean, it makes a difference. The only thing that will allow them for sure to win is to be quiet. You know, North Dakota is sparsely populated. I'm from Wisconsin. We are positively densely populated compared to North Dakota. You know what I mean? You know, we're just crowded in Wisconsin compared to North Dakota. 80 pastors means a lot in North Dakota, and I think you should be very proud of that.

And a ground game that… Really, you know, that's how we win, is when we show up, when we organize, when we connect with people who are allies, and we win. And we win by not just making statements, but actually recognizing that the ways laws pass and legislation is going to create environments that are either welcoming for everyone to thrive or not. And so we can't ignore what happens in the state legislature, in the state senate, and what happens in government. It's really important that we make our voices known. You know, we see it so much, and you all have already said it, a lot of times, political leaders and the media just assume they know where religion stands on something. If we stay silent, they'll keep assuming that, and you know what they say about people who assume. So what we need to do is speak out, organize, and so congratulations, Ross.

What about you, Rev. Anne?

ANNE FLYNN:

Well, I I can't speak to any one particular, but one I have noticed is the willingness of people to collaborate and come together. And I I think that that's a success. So that, for instance, we were able to organize people across Harrisburg and the Greater Harrisburg area, it was even further in the state, but, to respond to the Neo-Nazis last week. But I think there is an openness and a willingness to listen and to get engaged.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

I mean, I think that even that response is just so important, and does recognize it is the result of work, of talking to your neighbor, learning about your neighbor,  and attempting to show up for one another in times of need.

We're coming close to the end here, but I would love each of you to say, what's the best way to learn about what your organizations are doing? Do you have a website? Do you have a contact? Is there social media? What what's the best way to learn about what you're doing in North Dakota, Ross?

ROSS KEYS:

Well, we're working on social media. I've still gotta get that figured out, not being the one that's very comfortable with it myself, unfortunately. So the best way is is to get ahold of me directly or through Interfaith Alliance nationally, which has my contact information on your website, I believe.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Yeah, if people want to go to interfaithalliance.org, you can find out more about each of the affiliates and others that are not on this call in places like Oklahoma and Hawaii and Wyoming. We have many affiliates. And if you're interested in your local community, and you're like, you know what? What I've been hearing is inspiring me. Maybe we should start an Interfaith Alliance here. Interfaith Alliance is ready to work with you, to organize in your own community, and really show up in the way these three great leaders have. They are not exclusive. And also, you know, we're everyday people. No one is born with this secret sauce of, well, I'm going to be the organizer for my community. It's just if you have that in you, if you feel like you're moved right now, reach out to interfaithalliance.org, and ask us about how to organize, or sign up to learn more about Interfaith Alliance.

But also, on our site, you can find out more about all the different affiliates and figure out ways to support them.

Sharon, I can't remember if you all have your own website?

SHARON EWING:

Working on getting our own website, but we do have an email address. So you can reach out to us at swflinterfaith@gmail.com. We will get back to you.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Swflinterfaith@gmail.com. That all makes sense to me. Southwest Florida, is interfaith@gmail. Good. And Rev. Anne?

ANNE FLYNN:

We are working on it. So it's best to go through national.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Okay. If you want to get in touch with any of these Interfaith Alliances that have been on this call or any other Interfaith Alliance, or learn how to get an Interfaith Alliance going in your own community, please reach out to interfaithalliance.org. You can go on our website, learn more specifically about the affiliate network, or just reach out to us at info@interfaithalliance.org. We would love to hear from you.

I'm going to close this show out like I always close our shows out by asking each of you, what gives you hope? So let me start with you, Rev. Anne. What gives you hope in this moment?

ANNE FLYNN:

In this moment, the sun rises, and I wake up, and that gives me hope.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

I love it. Yeah. That always is a good reminder. Hey, we woke up today. You know, we're alive today. That is great.

Rev. Sharon.

SHARON EWING:

It gives me hope that in this very conservative environment where I live, there is so much enthusiasm for our work. Our numbers keep growing. We've got four important events coming up in October and November, and people are responding. And so, that is a huge beacon of hope among all the other Christian nationalist and other views that are out there, that people are responding to our our message.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Ross?

ROSS KEYS:

Well, you all give me hope. The partners I have across the state give me hope, and working with good people every day, no matter what walk of life, you know, good people out here, give me hope.

PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:

Rev. Dr. Sharon Harris Ewing is president of the board of Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida. Rev. Anne Flynn is a leader with Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania, and Ross Keys is heading up Interfaith Alliance of North Dakota. Thank you all for being with us today on The State of Belief. You give me hope. So thank you so much.

SHARON EWING:

Thank you, Paul.

ANNE FLYNN:

Thank you.

ROSS KEYS:

Thank you. Pleasure.