NEW YORK, CMC – Caribbean-American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke has lamented what she described as “trying times in our nation’s history,” noting that Americans are living through “difficult and uncertain moments that test our faith and our sense of purpose”.
Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, told the congregation at the Fenimore Street United Methodist Church (FSUMC) that families are “feeling the weight of an affordability crisis every single day.
“The cost of groceries, rent, and healthcare continues to rise,” said the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“This past year alone, costs have gone up by over US$2,000 in New York. And more than 52,000 people in my district are at risk of losing their healthcare. And while families here are struggling, we are being pulled into a reckless war in Iran – a war that is costing the United States one billion US dollars a day; one that this president has threatened to wipe out an entire civilization,” she added.
At the same time, the congresswoman said communities are being targeted. She said the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency “has created fear in neighborhoods across this country.
“We are seeing leaders filled with hate pushing anti-immigrant agendas that are trying to divide us instead of addressing the real challenges people are facing. And we have a president who is tweeting out images depicting him as Jesus, which is absolutely detestable.
“All of this, happening at once. These are trying times, but it is our faith that sustains us, even when we do not fully understand what we are going through.
“We are not alone. We have each other and the Lord guiding us. But our faith calls us not just to believe, but to act, to stand for justice, to care for our neighbors, to speak up when something isn’t right.”
Clarke said part of that responsibility is making “our voices heard” and that voting is not just a civic duty, but a moral responsibility.
“It is one of the ways we stand up for our communities, for our families, and for the values we carry with us in spaces like this. That is what guides me every day in my work – fighting to lower costs, protect our communities, and ensure that no one is left behind – standing up for dignity, for fairness, and for opportunity for all.
‘Let us continue to show up for one another, to lead with faith, and to act by ensuring our voices are heard in this fight for justice,” said Clarke, who serves as co-chair of the Haiti Caucus in the US House of Representatives.
She applauded the House of Representatives’ passage of an historic bipartisan bill to protect Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals living in the US.
The House of Representatives voted 224-204 to pass the measure that would safeguard the lives and futures of more than 350,000 Haitians living in the US.
“We hope the Senate will take up our legislation, and Donald Trump will not have any excuses for the will of the people,” Clarke told FSUMC congregants.
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