Caribbean-American Democratic U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke on Sunday, April 19, lamented what she described as “trying times in our nation’s history.”
“We are living through difficult and uncertain moments that test our faith and our sense of purpose,” said Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, in addressing the congregation during the worship service at Fenimore Street United Methodist Church (FSUMC) in Brooklyn.
Clarke, who was born and raised in the neighborhood that surrounds the 136-year-old church, said 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 $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 $1 billion a day; one that this president has threatened to wipe out an entire civilization,” she added.
At the same time, the U.S. Rep. said communities are being targeted.
She said the U.S. 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,” Clarke said. “And we have a president who is tweeting out images depicting him as Jesus, which is absolutely detestable.
“All of this, happening at once,” she added. “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,” Clarke continued. “We have each other, and we have 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.”
She said part of that responsibility is making “our voices heard.”
“Voting is not just a civic duty — it is a moral responsibility,” the U.S. Rep. said. “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,” she added. “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.”
Clarke, who serves as co-chair of the Haiti Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, also applauded the House of Representatives’ passage last Thursday of an historic bipartisan action in advancing legislation to protect Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals living in the U.S.
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.
[FSUMC’s pastor, the Rev. Roger Jackson, has said that, though he allows elected officials and others seeking public office to address the congregation, the church is apolitical and, as such, does not endorse anyone for public office].
Clarke told Caribbean Life that Thursday’s historic vote “brings us closer than ever to extending TPS to Haitian nationals for three years–sending a powerful message and long-overdue victory for Haitian families and communities across this nation.
“I commend my fellow Haiti Caucus Co-Chair, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Rep. Laura Gillen for their unwavering leadership in securing this critical step forward, and for advancing essential legislation that would save lives, keep families together, and ensure the promise America has made to our Haitian neighbors is not broken,” she said.
“We can never turn a blind eye to the contributions Haitians make to our communities, nor shy away from the tragic consequences if they are taken from them,” she added. “As co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus, I have long stood alongside advocates and community leaders in the fight to protect Haitians from cruel and inhumane immigration policies, xenophobic ideologies, and deportation tactics–forcing individuals to return to conditions that remain dangerous and unstable.
“This vote was a matter of morality and humanity,” Clarke continued. “Its outcome represents a remarkable bipartisan achievement that demonstrated exactly what progress is possible when both sides of the aisle work together for a common goal.
“Now, the Senate must act with the same urgency to pass this common-sense legislation, and stand up for our Haitian brothers and sisters at this most pivotal moment,” she urged.
