Black clergy and lay leaders from over 20 different congregations gathered at City Hall alongside members of City Council for a press conference to launch POWER Interfaith’s major, city-wide organizing campaign urging City Council to make the city stronger and more affordable. The We Make Philly Agenda calls on City Council to take immediate action to provide tax relief for homeowners, enact a freeze on gas bill rates, and pass a fair wealth tax that asks Philadelphia’s richest families to pay their fair share.
Local faith leaders and parishioners from some of the city’s largest Black churches representing POWER’s 20,000 members and 50 congregations laid out the campaign’s goals and present demands. Rev. Cean James, Senior Pastor of Salt and Light Church, Rev. Jay Broadnax, Senior Pastor of Mt. Pisgah AME Church, Rev. Carolyn Cavaness, Senior Pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church, and one of POWER’s lay leaders, Tanya Hendricks, shared personal stories and lived experiences, and explained why and how City Council should act now to both lessen the economic strain on Philadelphians and strengthen city schools and services.
Rev. Cean James started the press conference on a sobering note, “Right now, Philadelphia is not working for everyday people, and the decisions being made in Washington, Harrisburg, and on Wall Street are making it difficult for families to live here. They have cut taxes for the rich, taken money away from our city and schools, and made housing, food, and healthcare far too expensive.”
“I’ve seen this in my own congregation as we have faced an exponential increase in members and community members who are looking to us for help. But even with the struggles facing our members and neighbors, they are standing up and taking action. Hundreds of POWER Interfaith members across the city have been organizing after services every single week. They’re phone banking, collecting commitment cards, and filling neighborhood meetings. Philadelphians are tired of waiting for help from someone else. They make Philly work every single day. Now, we need our city to work for us.”
West Philadelphia pastor, Rev. Jay Broadnax added, “We believe City Council wants what’s best for Philadelphia. But wanting what’s best is no longer enough — we want action. The We Make Philly Agenda rests on three data-backed, reasonable demands that Council can do right now. First, we need homeowner tax relief so that we’re not driven out of our neighborhoods. Second, we need a five-year freeze on gas bill rates, so our people are not left in the cold. Lastly, we need to boost city schools and services with a fair wealth tax.”
In the months ahead, POWER Interfaith plans to organize hundreds of members to visit City Council offices in person and make the case for the We Make Philly Agenda.
POWER member and lifelong Philadelphia resident, Tanya Hendricks, had this to say: “If City Council passes the We Make Philly Agenda, it would lower my property taxes and freeze my bills. It would mean I wouldn’t have to rob Peter to pay Paul and choose what bills I pay and what bills I don’t pay each month. It would give me breathing room, and maybe I could actually start saving again. I know there are thousands of other Philadelphians like me, so I’m here telling my story because I want other people to get the chance to have a stable and secure life too.”
Hendricks, who described herself as a woman of faith, said she’s not only trusting God to make a way out of no way; she’s organizing her community to support POWER’s agenda, so Philadelphians can breathe again.
The We Make Philly Agenda has three demands; all three of which City Council has authority to act on without approval from other government bodies:
- Increase the Homestead Exemption on property taxes to the highest legal limit. That would give 200,000 families in Philadelphia a needed break on their taxes.
- Withhold approval of the Philadelphia Gas Works capital budget until PGW commits to freezing rates on gas bills for five years. That would help more than a million renters and homeowners keep their homes warm this winter. It would also help small businesses and congregations.
- Make Philadelphia stronger by making the richest people in the city pay their fair share. By restoring Philadelphia’s 0.4 percent tax on intangible wealth like stocks and bonds, the city could raise $200 million in revenue annually to boost schools and city services. Retirement funds, pensions, and college funds would be exempted.
At-large Councilmember and Majority Whip Isaiah Thomas committed his support for the agenda along with Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier, Nicolas O’Rourke, and Mark Squilla who were also in attendance.
“The We Make Philly recommendations are not just about filling the gaps that exist right now; the recommendations are about creating a sustainable future for our city,” stated Councilmember Thomas. “These are real problems that everyday Philadelphians have, and these are real Philadelphians who are stepping up to the plate and asking both City Council and the executive branch to do something.”
Thomas added, “We can’t control Harrisburg. We can’t control DC. But we can control City Hall. 1400 JFK, that’s our responsibility, and I’m here to place my support. I’m gonna do everything in my power—working with my colleagues in City Council—to get this aggressive agenda passed that we feel will change the economics for everyday Philadelphians, not just today but for their future.”
We Make Philly is a massive city-wide organizing campaign from POWER Interfaith that will continue over the next several months, including weekly organizing meetings at local churches, phonebanks and canvasses, and regular delegations to City Council to urge prompt action.
Click the links below for the news roundup!
