By Rachel Marie Brooks Atkins
With the 2026 midterm elections behind us, many commentators and pundits have already begun pontificating about the agenda for the next Congress and making predictions about the 2028 presidential election. The speed with which our society prods us to immediately turn our attention toward what’s next has had a devastating effect on my nervous system. In light of this, I invite you to join me in taking a breath (no, seriously, close your eyes and take a deep breath in… hold it for three seconds…now exhale) as we reflect on the 2026 midterm election season together before we explore a healthy way to think about what lies ahead.
For many of us, the past year was exceedingly difficult, though I want to acknowledge that, for others in our church and broader communities, events of the past year exhibited what they voted for and expected to occur. In New York, we saw ICE agents descend on our city, rounding up workers at local Home Depot locations, detaining our neighbors at immigration court hearings, and even shooting into a car of an immigrant while his 5 year old son sat in the back seat. Though some in and around NYC voiced support for ICE’s increased enforcement activities, many of us were left shaken by their tactics, fearing for the safety of our immigrant neighbors, dreading the prospects of seeing their families separated, and worrying that violent confrontations could erupt in our neighborhoods. But rather than tearing our communities apart, their actions seemed to bring many of us together and to our knees, seeking the face of God. We gathered to pray for the immigrant community, marched in the streets on their behalf, and took faithful action by educating ourselves on historical and current immigration laws and policies while advocating for better legislation.
In addition to issues surrounding immigration, many in our communities were devastated and demoralized by the rollback of policies, programs, and laws designed to increase opportunity for women or racial minorities and protect our voting rights. We witnessed states gerrymandering district maps to dilute the vote in Black communities across the country while federal government layoffs and DEI cuts eliminated hundreds of Black women from their positions. Those spearheading the charge to eliminate equity programs claimed their actions were necessary to reinstate “merit” based systems in society. This led many people of color to believe that no matter how hard we worked or how much we achieved, our country would always assume we did not deserve the positions we attained. But on Tuesday, Nov 2nd, millions of Americans gave their vote of confidence to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Here in New York, the state elected its first Black female Lieutenant Governor. Voters across the country did likewise. As reported by PBS News:
“On Tuesday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the third one in the U.S. and the only current Black governor, won reelection, while Florida Republican Byron Donalds, Wisconsin Democrat David Crowley and Nevada's Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford were all elected as the first Black governor in their respective states. With Bottoms' victory in Georgia, there will be five Black governors serving simultaneously.”
While reading this paragraph, I began to cry.
Voters in New Mexico elected Deb Haaland, our nation’s first Native American woman, as governor, while voters in Texas elected Gina Hinojosa, their first Latina to its highest state office. The list of firsts for individuals from marginalized communities elected to statewide office goes on. It is difficult to explain the emotional whiplash many of us experienced because of these stunning election results. We feel seen and vindicated, yet we remain cautious in our optimism.
Voters refused to be suppressed. They rejected the politics of cruelty to immigrants or various “others” and chose peace over war. But as believers seeking to make God’s invisible justice visible, we know that voting is not the end; it's just the beginning. That is why, rather than turning our eyes to the 2028 presidential election, we revisit our pledge to love our neighbors through civic engagement, not just on election day but on every day in between.
Pray March Act established The 1459 Pledge in September of 2024 to encourage “churches, leaders, and congregants across the nation to approach the 1459 days between national election cycles as opportunities to obey Jesus’ command to love our neighbors.” By taking this pledge, we commit to:
Stay Engaged in public policy issues beyond Election Day
Remain Hopeful and trust in God, not political candidates or systems
Contend for Unity in the bond of peace and reject the divisions in the church that mirror the political tribalism of our society.
Focus Locally in our civic engagement efforts
Pursue Accuracy, seeking the truth in a time when deception and misinformation are used to sway the public.
We invite you to visit our website to take the pledge, then join us as we engage in each of its elements as a community. Keep up to date with all our prayer gatherings, marches, and opportunities to take action by following us on Instagram or YouTube, and by signing up for our newsletter.
*Rachel Marie Brooks Atkins serves as the director of Civic Education for Pray March Act. She is an Associate Professor of Economics and the Reed-McDermott Endowed Professor at St. John's University's Tobin College of Business, where she applies a stratification economics lens to examine the roots of economic inequality. Before joining St. John's University, she earned her Ph.D. in Public and Urban Policy from The New School then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at New York University. She is a member of Bridge Church in Brooklyn, where she resides with her husband and two sons.