Black pastors urge followers to join Occupy fold Bay Area pastors urging African Americans to join Occupy movement

Reverend Dr. Harold R. Mayberry preaching at the First African Methodist Church in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, January 15, 2012. Nearly two dozen prominent African-American pastors in the Bay Area are going to try to connect the Occupy movement to the community through a new effort called Occupy the Dream. less Reverend Dr. Harold R. Mayberry preaching at the First African Methodist Church in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, January 15, 2012. Nearly two dozen prominent African-American pastors in the Bay Area are going to ... more Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Black pastors urge followers to join Occupy fold 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

The Rev. Harold Mayberry stood before his First African Methodist Episcopal Church congregation Sunday morning in Oakland and outlined how it was time for members to connect with the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Nationally, many African American leaders have acknowledged a disconnect between the Occupy Wall Street movement and the larger black community.

Mayberry is among nearly two dozen prominent African American Bay Area pastors trying to bridge that gap at the community level through a growing national effort that is ramping up today - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - called Occupy the Dream.

Nationally, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, former NAACP leader Benjamin Chavis and a host of black faith leaders are involved.

At 10 a.m. in San Francisco today, many from the local faith community will participate in a demonstration at the Federal Reserve Bank to highlight the growing inequity between rich and poor in the United States.

But before many in Mayberry's 2,800-member congregation at 27th Street and Telegraph Avenue would agree to get involved, he had to explain how the movement was relevant to their lives.

Remember, the pastor said, when civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white passenger on a Montgomery, Ala., bus 57 years ago, "she was the original mover and shaker of the movement because she had enough nerve to defy injustice."

"She said, 'My feets is tired, but my soul is rested,' " Mayberry told his congregation to shouts of "Amen!" "The original Occupy the Dream movement began right there. In a movement, there is no place for wimps."

Occupy Oakland activists have been involved in demonstrations at foreclosed properties and have protested at local banks, and many African Americans have participated in and led Occupy demonstrations.

Occupy Wall Street, Mayberry said, "had the right ideas, but it was without structure. People ask, 'Why the church?' No social movement in this country has succeeded without the involvement of the faith community."

'Joining the parade'

One challenge he will face, Mayberry admitted, is that unlike other local faith leaders, he does not have strong ties to the local Occupy communities. He hopes to develop them, and he said faith leaders are not trying to usurp any leadership.

"We are not here to be the new drum major for the Occupy movement," Mayberry said. "We are just joining the parade."

After Sunday's 8 a.m. service, some members of FAME Church, as it is known, said they would get involved in the Occupy movement now that their pastor had put it in context for them.

'No foolishness'

Until Sunday, many were turned off by images of demonstrators clashing with police and vandalizing local businesses during splinter protests at some Occupy events.

"There would be no foolishness at these demonstrations," Mayberry assured his congregation. "They will be peaceful."

"We know our pastor does his homework, so he's not going to steer us in the wrong direction," said Camisha Thomas-Garrett, an Oakland resident who plans to attend today's demonstration with her husband. "Until now, I didn't really know what they were about."

"I felt there was no leadership (of Occupy Wall Street), no plan," said Lorraine Johnson, 60. "Someone needed to give it a sense of purpose."

Nationally, Occupy the Dream is calling for a moratorium on foreclosures and an increase in funding for federal Pell Grants, which were cut in the recent federal budget. The movement is also asking large financial institutions to create a $100 billion fund toward job training and job creation.

In the Bay Area, some faith leaders in the fledging movement - which takes its name from Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech - are talking about other ideas, including asking "all those billionaires" who are participating in the upcoming America's Cup sailing race to contribute to a community fund that would help with job development, said the Rev. Daniel Buford, who works in the Prophetic Justice Ministry at Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland.

Analysts say faith leaders could be key in spreading the Occupy movement through the African American community.

'A sign of maturity'

"This is a great leap forward to involve local pastors," said James Taylor, an associate professor of political science at the University of San Francisco and an expert in African American studies. "The general critique of Occupy is that it has lacked a specific agenda. But this could be a sign of maturity for the movement."

In February, the pastors will ask their congregants to withdraw a small amount of money - at least $30 - from their bank accounts and deposit it in either a credit union or a minority-owned bank.

If that symbolic move doesn't get the attention of "Wall Street banks," as Mayberry described the nation's largest financial institutions, then in March, Occupy the Dream will ask larger African American-dominated institutions, churches and black professionals to begin transferring greater amounts to credit unions.

"I ain't got no problem with people becoming millionaires - I wouldn't mind joining the club myself," Mayberry told his congregation. "My problem is when you are so insensitive to people who have not been able to raise themselves up to the level where you are - and you snuff out their dreams."