We Pray Freedom: Liturgies and Rituals from the Freedom Church of the Poor

A book of prayers, rituals, and liturgies that grows out of communities committed to abolishing poverty.

Prayer has long sustained movements for social change. Ritual gives shape to our desire for justice, and liturgy lends power to our work. In We Pray Freedom, we learn from activists and movement builders the songs, stories, and ritual practices that keep them going for the long haul. The Freedom Church of the Poor, called for by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has existed in many forms; today it includes laborers, poor folks, pastors, organizers, and others bound together by a conviction: It does not have to be this way.

Edited by Liz Theoharis, theologian, pastor, anti-poverty activist, and editor of We Cry Justice, and Charon Hribar, song leader, cultural organizer, and social ethicist, this book guides readers through a journey of remembering, healing, mourning, action, and celebration. It is a collection of prayers, resources, and stories from the communities in which they arose, including:

A Prayer to Protect a Sacred Place

A Prayer for Burials

A Black Friday Prayer for Workers' Justice

Passover Seder

Vigil for the Detained

Healthcare Vigil

A Shinnecock Song of Peace

Earth Liturgy

A Ramadan Ritual

A Poem in the Wake of Police Violence

A Revolutionary Advent Wreath

A Prayer for Diwali

Benediction for Homeless Persons' Memorial Day