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General Baptist State Convention Joins NC Council of Churches to Oppose All Six Constitutional Amendments

“Whatever you do, get out to vote and compel others to get out the vote, because our very lives depend on it.” —Rev. T. Anthony Spearman, North Carolina NAACP

Largest association of black Baptist churches urges NC church-goers to vote against all six “blank check” amendments

The General Baptist State Convention of NC, the largest association of black Baptist churches, today joined the NC Council of Churches in urging church-goers to vote against all six constitutional amendments on the ballot in November. Click here to read the General Baptist State Convention resolution opposing all six amendments.

The organization held a press conference in Durham on Thursday  to announce their opposition to the six “blank check” amendments, and released a flyer with information about the amendments which the General Baptist State Convention will distribute to more than 1,500 member churches in all 100 counties of North Carolina before Tuesday’s election. On Wednesday, more than 1,200 GBSCNC delegates from across the state voted at their annual convention to approve a letter of opposition to all six amendments.

Speakers at Thursday’s press conference included Rev. Dr. Nilous Avery II and Rev. Dr. Leonzo Lynch, the current president and incoming president of the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, as well as Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman of the NC NAACP, and Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland of the NC Council of Churches.

“At a glance the amendments may seem to represent the best interest of all the citizens of our state, but upon careful examination we find something vastly different,” said Rev. Dr. Nilous Avery II. “These six misleading amendments would give the General Assembly a ‘blank check’ to fill in later, and we hope all people of faith in North Carolina will vote against all of them.”

“God’s people have always believed in equality…North Carolina deserves nothing less and these amendments don’t further those goals…we must vote against all six amendments.” –Jennifer Copeland, NC Council of Churches

“These amendments hurt the weakest among us while protecting the strongest,” said Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland. “They give politicians a green light to disenfranchise and discriminate against the poor and working class, which disproportionately affects people of color. They are everything we in the faith community ought to stand and fight against at every opportunity.”

For more information, contact Rev. Zinfindale Smith, Program Services Assistant with the General State Baptist Convention at z.smith@GBSConline.org or 202-710-2205.