OPINION
On Thursday, September 19, in a meeting with Black clergy, Jack Ciattarelli responded to a question about the erasure of Black history by asserting — then lecturing us — on Columbus Day being “the first civil rights holiday.”
The audacity.
To invoke Columbus—a man who initiated the transatlantic slave trade, who captured and sold Indigenous people into bondage, and whose voyages laid the foundation for centuries of racial terror—as a symbol of civil rights is not just historically inaccurate—it is morally bankrupt. During that same conversation, Jack stated that he would roll back the scope of the Amistad mandate to teach Black History in schools. His comments are a slap in the face to every ancestor who died for freedom, every child who still suffers under the weight of systemic injustice, and every preacher who dares to speak truth to power.
Jack shakes our hands, but he will not honor our lives. He will sit in our meetings, but he will not rebuke white Christian nationalism—because, as he told us, it won’t win him the election. Let’s be honest: he is counting on a part of his base that harbors deep resentment and hatred toward Black people. That is not strategy. That is surrender to racism.
On Sunday, September 21, as he stood before the people of New Jersey at the gubernatorial debate, Jack bragged about attending a Black church earlier that day. Then, minutes later during the debate, when Dr. King’s name was raised in the context of Charlie Kirk, Jack refused to denounce Kirk’s anti-Black rhetoric.
Jack has used our churches as pawns. And will continue to do so, if we let him.
Jack will stand in our pulpits, but not with our people. He will quote our prophets, but not confront the forces that killed them. Dr. King was assassinated by political violence, and now, in the same breath that his name is lifted, we are told to honor Charlie Kirk—a man who called King “awful,” who mocked the Civil Rights Act, and who trafficked in anti-Black rhetoric.
Now, don’t be confused, we abhor the votes of Mikie Sherrill, Cory Booker, Andy Kim, Josh Gottheimer, Nellie Pou, and Frank Pallone—members of New Jersey’s delegation who voted in favor of the resolution honoring Kirk. However, we affirm the statements acknowledging the harm Kirk caused. We can value life and condemn political violence without affirming hatred.
And political violence is not new to us. It is our inheritance. From Emmett Till to Medgar Evers, from church bombings to lynchings, from George Floyd to the threats we receive today for preaching justice—Black people have always paid the price for America’s sins. This is why we can’t allow a candidate like Jack to enter our pulpits to condone them.
Adding insult to injury, Jack doubles-down on his anti-Black agenda by advocating to roll back the Mount Laurel Doctrine—the very legal framework that made affordable housing possible in New Jersey. Let us not forget that it was at Jacob’s Chapel AME Church in Mount Laurel that Ethel Lawrence and others organized to fight exclusionary zoning. That doctrine was born from the Black church. To attack it is to attack our legacy.
Jack’s ringleader in the White House has already gutted many of these successful programs. Even more disturbing, during that same Sunday debate, Jack publicly vowed to never sue the Trump Administration—making it abundantly clear that they will never be held accountable. The firewall we desperately need to protect us, will be turned into a Trump ‘welcome mat’ with Jack at the helm.
Jesus said, “Whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.” Jack Ciattarelli has denied us—by refusing to reject white Christian nationalism, by refusing to affirm our dignity, and by refusing to stand with our people. And his dangerous agenda
So let it be made very clear: any self-respecting, God-fearing, people-loving Black person—especially those of faith—should reject Jack Ciattarelli on Election Day.
This letter was signed by Rev. Dr. Lester Taylor, Jr.; Rev. Dr. Charles F. Boyer; Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Slaughter; Rev. Dr. Semaj Vanzant, Sr.; Rev. Dr. Corey Jones; Rev. Dr. Deborah Blanks; Rev. George E. Britt; Rev. Dr. Lesly Devereaux; Rev. Dr. Darrell Armstrong; Bishop John Gandy; Rev. Crystal James; Pastor Barry Wise; Rev. Dr. Carol Lynn Patterson; Bishop Timothy L. Pernell Jr.; Rev. Ritney Castine; Rev. Dr. Douglas Williams III; Rev. Howard Jenkins; Rev. Richard F. Norris II; Rev. Weldon McWilliams IV, PHD; Rev. Dr. Calvin McKinney; Pastor Alfred Johnson; Pastor Amir Khan; Bishop R. Fulton Hargrove II; Rev. Dr. Pamela Jones; Rev. Dr. Toyin Laoye; Pastor Michael Ogunleye; Pastor, Dr. Femi Adegbonmire; Rev. Dr. James A. Dunkins; Rev. D. Deborah L. Stapleton; Rev. Dr. Olivia Stanard; Rev. John Maurice; Rev. Dr. Dorothy A. Patterson; Rev. Valencia B. Norman; Rev. Dr. John D. Givens, Rev. Dr. Cartina Blackmon; Rev. Quavon Newton; Rev. Dr. Kenneth Clayton, Sr.; and Rev. Dr. Randall Lassiter.
