FERGUSON, Mo. — Members of the Congressional Black Caucus visited Ferguson this weekend to attend a special church service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to express their support to residents who feel as though their concerns over some of the city’s deep-rooted issues have gone unheard.
Nine CBC members made a trip to Wellspring United Methodist Church on Sunday, just miles away from where protests erupted following the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in August. The leading black lawmakers emphasized that the purpose of their visit was to stand in solidarity with members of the community rooting for reform.
Church members took to the pulpit during the service to share their grief over Brown’s death and remind residents that the tragedy will not be forgotten. The legislators largely expressed support for Ferguson protesters.
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“We are still protesting in the spirit of the civil rights movement,” she said. “We are reclaiming Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and how our blackness is portrayed, so they don’t sanitize his legacy. There’s still important conversations that need to be made and work to be done.”
Despite the concerns, Butterfield spoke on behalf of the CBC and vowed that the group will focus on criminal justice reform:
“We promise Ferguson and we promise America that the issue of criminal justice reform is the centerpiece of the CBC agenda in the 114th Congress,” he said.
