the Substance Over Symbolism rally
The “Substance Over Symbolism Rally” seeks to send the message to those in Washington that there is broad-based support for the populist policy proposals related to jobs, health care, public education, and affordable housing gaining traction across the country. The rally seeks to reclaim the unfinished policy objectives of the Civil Rights Movement, which centered upon federal legislation designed to eliminate unemployment and provide universal health care in America. Guided by the sense that for too long policymakers have prioritized the needs of the special interests over the public interest, conveners of this rally gather to declare that symbolic political gestures that do not provide redress for the substantive economic needs of our community will no longer be acceptable. From a policy perspective, we demand “substance over symbolism.”
We stand in opposition to those in the political establishment who seek to frame support for Medicare for All, or a Federal Job Guarantee, or universal affordable housing as somehow “un-American.” Those who advance such a narrative are in fact the ones who are out of touch with the American public, especially with the poor, the working class, and the Black community. We refuse to be distracted by the political labels currently being debated in the public square.
What matters, as Dr. King said, is that we have “a better distribution of wealth for all of God’s children.”
On Thursday, September 17, 2026, clergy and congregations from across the region will gather outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, and then at the offices of the lobbying group
The Third Way, to show our support for public policies that are widely popular among the American people: a Federal Job Guarantee, Universal Health Care/Medicare for All, Universal Pre-K, tuition-free public college, universal affordable housing, and the For The People Act. As a nation, we have the resources to prioritize the policies that prioritize the American people. We believe these policies will provide greater economic sustainability for the public, and put the country on a path towards reducing many of the underlying factors that contribute to social unrest and racial tension in America.
At this critical time in our nation, we must play a role in shaping how those in Washington prepare for our political future. For too long, we have accepted symbolism and contented ourselves with images of social and political progress. But we cannot feed our families on rhetoric, images, and aspirational politics. The role of government is to deliver for the people, and that time is now!
For too long, we have not attached our voices and our votes to specific policy demands. That time is over. Short-term, we seek productive conversations with DNC leadership about the party platform, and how our voices get representation within the platform committee. Long-term, we want to see Medicare for All, a job guarantee, and the other policies mentioned above adopted as official planks of that platform.