Holding Space for Grief and Hope After the 2024 Election 

Beloveds, for many the results of the US election are a devastating departure from the just world we are called to build. We face immense challenges ahead and in historic moments such as this, it may feel like everything has changed overnight. 

If the results of the election cause you to grieve, allow that grief to come. Be gentle and patient with yourself and your neighbors during this time. As Cole Arthur Riley writes, “just because you’ve braced yourself for the worst, doesn’t mean it’s any less terrible when it comes. Whatever you thought might come, today is for grief.” 

But while our political landscape has undoubtedly shifted, our mission and work remain unchanged. No matter who is in power, we will continue to follow the way of love every day. We will counter all efforts to strip reproductive rights, deport immigrants, and dehumanize the LGBTQ+ community. We will stand up with our family, friends, and neighbors for disability and mental health justice, environmental justice, racial justice, and economic justice. We will fight for the dignity and wellbeing of our siblings abroad. We will continue to be courageous, creative, and collaborative in living out the hope of the gospel in the public square. 

And amidst our grief, let us not overlook the stories of progress. On Tuesday, Delaware voters elected Sarah McBride, the first trans person to be elected to Congress. And voters in Maryland and Delaware respectively elected Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester to the Senate, doubling the number of Black women ever elected to the U.S. Senate, from two to four. This will be the first time in history that two Black women will serve as senators together.  

Ballot measures protecting reproductive healthcare passed in many states across the country, including Missouri, Arizona, Colorado, New York, Maryland, and Montana. California and Colorado codified the right to same sex marriage in their state constitutions, DC expanded ranked choice voting, Maine voted to limit Super PAC contributions in elections, and Missouri increased minimum wage and paid sick leave. While these uplifting stories may get lost in the headlines, we should all stop, take a breath, and rejoice in this good news.  

We are also grateful for the engagement of many UCC congregations who joined the UCC’s “Our Faith Our Vote” Campaign and worked tirelessly to ensure their neighbors had the information and opportunities they needed to vote. You made phone calls, mailed post cards, and sent text messages providing voters with instructions on how they could vote. In doing so, you promoted faith in the American democratic process at a critical moment. We chose to have faith in one another and in the processes of our institutions. And we will continue to do so as we demand with loud voices that our democracy recognize the humanity of all. 

Our faith calls us to build a just world for all. As such, our commitment to justice will continue no matter who is in the White House, Congress, or the Supreme Court. The work of advocacy, public witness, and nonviolent resistance will all be needed in the months to come. We invite you to join in this sacred work and spread the word to others in your church or network. The best way to get involved is by staying engaged with the Justice and Peace Action Network, where you will join a network of advocates committed to fighting for our values and standing with vulnerable communities during this time.  

And remember, the journey toward justice is long. As the late civil rights activist and public servant John Lewis reminds us, “Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.”   

Let us continue to do our part and remain faithful to our vision of a just world for all. Amen. 

Want to get involved?
Contact the UCC Office of Public Policy and Advocacy in Washington D.C.
UCCTakeAction@ucc.org