When Derecka Purnell stood behind the pulpit at the Alliance of Baptists’ 2023 Annual Gathering, she paused, asked us to pray, paused again, and before she began praying she became visibly overcome with emotion. She shared with the crowd that in the Baptist church she grew up in, women were not allowed to stand behind the pulpit, to preach nor to pray. In that moment, you could feel the hearts of everyone in the room melt, because that was why the Alliance was founded in 1987.

Justice has been the heartbeat of the Alliance of Baptists throughout its 35-year history. The Alliance has wrestled with what justice looks like for women, for the LGBTQIA+ community, and for various other communities where it has felt called to work.

But there is still work to do. This is especially true in regard to issues of racial justice. As people of justice, we feel called to take on white supremacy in the church.