Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Today a diverse group of Memphians stood together to resist fascism in our city and country! We refuse to eat the narrative of fascism, racism, and greed! This is what Democracy looks like!
What You Eat Won’t Make Me Quit!
Good people of Memphis, children of God, freedom fighters, neighbors, and friends:
I came to tell you today: what you eat won’t make me quit.
I will not swallow a lie just because it is served from a podium.
I will not digest propaganda just because it is wrapped in patriotism.
I will not consume a false narrative that says state-sanctioned terror against our neighbors makes us safe.
No, sir. No, ma’am.
What you eat won’t make me quit.
By now, you have heard that President Trump is coming to Memphis to celebrate what he calls the “success” of the Memphis Safe Task Force. But some of us know better. We know that a city is not made safe by fear. A neighborhood is not made whole by intimidation. A democracy is not strengthened when liberty and justice are reserved for the privileged few while Black folk, brown folk, poor folk, immigrant folk, and working folk are made to live under suspicion.
And let the church say: We know better.
Because the Bible already warned us about empty religion.
In Isaiah 58, God says, in effect: don’t come to Me with pious rituals while you keep oppressing people. Don’t bow your head in public worship while your hands help maintain injustice. God says the fast God chooses is this: loosen the chains of injustice, untie the cords of the yoke, set the oppressed free, share your bread with the hungry, shelter the unhoused, and stop pointing the finger.
That means if you are fasting during Lent, if you are observing Ramadan, if you are preparing for Passover, if you are in any sacred season of restraint and reflection, then hear me clearly:
We do not have time for weak religion.
We do not have time for decorative spirituality.
We do not have time for fasting with no freedom attached to it.
Because faith without works is dead.
Dead faith sings but won’t stand up.
Dead faith prays but won’t protest.
Dead faith quotes scripture but won’t protect children, won’t defend immigrants, won’t challenge racism, won’t confront fascism, and won’t tell the truth when power becomes predatory.
And Memphis, I came to say today: we need living faith.
Living faith does not eat from the table of demons.
I said living faith does not eat from the table of demons.
I refuse to eat a steady diet of hate.
I refuse to drink the poison of racism.
I refuse to feast on corporate greed while children go hungry and families live one traffic stop away from trauma.
I refuse to sit at a table where cruelty is called law and fear is called order.
No, the devil is a liar.
What you eat won’t make me quit.
You can feed this nation xenophobia — I still won’t quit.
You can feed the public division — I still won’t quit.
You can feed the airwaves with talking points and spin — I still won’t quit.
Because my soul has been fed by something deeper.
I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good.
I have eaten the bread of justice.
I have drunk from the cup of mercy.
I have been nourished by the prophets, strengthened by the ancestors, and sustained by a Savior who said whatever you do to the least of these, you do unto Me.
So no, Mr. President, with all due respect, you cannot make America safe by making America scared.
You cannot heal a nation by deepening its hatred.
You cannot save democracy by violating its spirit.
And instead of making America great again, this season has too often tried to make America hate again.
But we are here to say: not on our watch.
So let me be plain:
I denounce racism.
I denounce fascism.
I denounce gun violence.
I denounce the kidnapping and tearing apart of families.
I denounce the rollback of DEI and every attack on truth, equity, and human dignity.
I denounce unjust wars dressed up in noble language so the rich and powerful can dominate more Black and brown bodies across the globe.
And while I’m at it, let me tell you what I do affirm:
I affirm justice.
I affirm beloved community.
I affirm the sacred worth of immigrants.
I affirm the dignity of Black life.
I affirm democracy with accountability.
I affirm a Memphis where safety means more than sirens and surveillance.
Because true safety looks like good schools.
True safety looks like affordable housing.
True safety looks like jobs that pay a living wage.
True safety looks like mental health care.
True safety looks like conflict mediation.
True safety looks like children who can play outside without ducking bullets.
True safety looks like neighbors who don’t have to fear the people sworn to protect them.
True safety looks like justice rolling down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
That is how we make Memphis safer.
That is how we make America safer.
#fightthepower #Resist #NoJusticeNoPeace
Today a diverse group of Memphians stood together to resist fascism in our city and country! We refuse to eat the narrative of fascism, racism, and greed! This is what Democracy looks like!
What You Eat Won’t Make Me Quit!
Good people of Memphis, children of God, freedom fighters, neighbors, and friends:
I came to tell you today: what you eat won’t make me quit.
I will not swallow a lie just because it is served from a podium.
I will not digest propaganda just because it is wrapped in patriotism.
I will not consume a false narrative that says state-sanctioned terror against our neighbors makes us safe.
No, sir. No, ma’am.
What you eat won’t make me quit.
By now, you have heard that President Trump is coming to Memphis to celebrate what he calls the “success” of the Memphis Safe Task Force. But some of us know better. We know that a city is not made safe by fear. A neighborhood is not made whole by intimidation. A democracy is not strengthened when liberty and justice are reserved for the privileged few while Black folk, brown folk, poor folk, immigrant folk, and working folk are made to live under suspicion.
And let the church say: We know better.
Because the Bible already warned us about empty religion.
In Isaiah 58, God says, in effect: don’t come to Me with pious rituals while you keep oppressing people. Don’t bow your head in public worship while your hands help maintain injustice. God says the fast God chooses is this: loosen the chains of injustice, untie the cords of the yoke, set the oppressed free, share your bread with the hungry, shelter the unhoused, and stop pointing the finger.
That means if you are fasting during Lent, if you are observing Ramadan, if you are preparing for Passover, if you are in any sacred season of restraint and reflection, then hear me clearly:
We do not have time for weak religion.
We do not have time for decorative spirituality.
We do not have time for fasting with no freedom attached to it.
Because faith without works is dead.
Dead faith sings but won’t stand up.
Dead faith prays but won’t protest.
Dead faith quotes scripture but won’t protect children, won’t defend immigrants, won’t challenge racism, won’t confront fascism, and won’t tell the truth when power becomes predatory.
And Memphis, I came to say today: we need living faith.
Living faith does not eat from the table of demons.
I said living faith does not eat from the table of demons.
I refuse to eat a steady diet of hate.
I refuse to drink the poison of racism.
I refuse to feast on corporate greed while children go hungry and families live one traffic stop away from trauma.
I refuse to sit at a table where cruelty is called law and fear is called order.
No, the devil is a liar.
What you eat won’t make me quit.
You can feed this nation xenophobia — I still won’t quit.
You can feed the public division — I still won’t quit.
You can feed the airwaves with talking points and spin — I still won’t quit.
Because my soul has been fed by something deeper.
I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good.
I have eaten the bread of justice.
I have drunk from the cup of mercy.
I have been nourished by the prophets, strengthened by the ancestors, and sustained by a Savior who said whatever you do to the least of these, you do unto Me.
So no, Mr. President, with all due respect, you cannot make America safe by making America scared.
You cannot heal a nation by deepening its hatred.
You cannot save democracy by violating its spirit.
And instead of making America great again, this season has too often tried to make America hate again.
But we are here to say: not on our watch.
So let me be plain:
I denounce racism.
I denounce fascism.
I denounce gun violence.
I denounce the kidnapping and tearing apart of families.
I denounce the rollback of DEI and every attack on truth, equity, and human dignity.
I denounce unjust wars dressed up in noble language so the rich and powerful can dominate more Black and brown bodies across the globe.
And while I’m at it, let me tell you what I do affirm:
I affirm justice.
I affirm beloved community.
I affirm the sacred worth of immigrants.
I affirm the dignity of Black life.
I affirm democracy with accountability.
I affirm a Memphis where safety means more than sirens and surveillance.
Because true safety looks like good schools.
True safety looks like affordable housing.
True safety looks like jobs that pay a living wage.
True safety looks like mental health care.
True safety looks like conflict mediation.
True safety looks like children who can play outside without ducking bullets.
True safety looks like neighbors who don’t have to fear the people sworn to protect them.
True safety looks like justice rolling down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
That is how we make Memphis safer.
That is how we make America safer.
#fightthepower #Resist #NoJusticeNoPeace
