FaithActs for Education

They could not silence it. They could not bury it. Freedom survived.

That is the testimony we carry.

June 19, 1865. Over 250,000 enslaved people in Texas finally heard the words they had been waiting years to receive. They did not wait to be told what to do next. They gathered. They prayed. They built. And they refused to let the world forget.

That is the spirit we move in.

Today, we pause to remember that Juneteenth is about more than freedom and headlines, it goes deeper. From the red foods on your table rooted in West African survival, to freed people who pooled $800 to buy land for celebration just one year after emancipation. From civil rights activists who chose this date for Solidarity Day in 1968, to Connecticut making it official in 2022.

Today we celebrate through our shared history. We honor every prayer., every gathering, and every act of preservation carried us here.

We stand tall and shout "Freedom was not handed over." It was demanded, preserved, purchased, and passed down to us. ✊🏾

We are the evidence that it worked. Now we keep going. 🖤❤️💚

Drop an AMEN below and share this with someone who needs to know this history.

This summer, history is being made in Connecticut — and FaithActs is at the center of it.

We are proud to invite you to the FaithActs Gubernatorial Candidate Forum, where the people who want to lead our state will come to engage directly with our communities.

FaithActs Gubernatorial Candidate Forum
📅 Tuesday, July 14, 2026 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
📍Cathedral of Faith | 2319 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport, CT
🎟️Free to attend. RSVP is required.
👉RSVP at tinyurl.com/faithactsforum26

Confirmed Candidates:
Governor Ned Lamont
Senator Ryan Fazio
Representative Josh Elliot

For years, FaithActs has been in the rooms where decisions get made. We've fought for our children's education, organized our congregations, and built real power across Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven. This election cycle is one of the most consequential of our lifetime — and it belongs to you.

On Tuesday, July 14, the candidates who want to lead Connecticut will come to our house, hear from our community, and answer our questions. We'll continue to share more details and updates, as the event approaches.

Seats are limited and this event is FREE, but you must RSVP to attend. Walk-ins are welcome as space allows, but we encourage you to register now to guarantee your seat.

Mark your calendar. Bring your family. Bring your neighbors. Bring anyone who deserves a voice in what happens next.

This is our moment. We'll see you there.

You were never meant to pray alone, and neither were your children.

Summer is at the door. As the school year ends, let’s come together and cover our children in prayer — and lift our voices against every force working to silence them at the ballot box. Join us for our monthly Prayer Call with Bishop John Diamond, Pastor Gabrielle Beam, and Pastor William McCullough.

This is a moment to declare protection, peace, and purpose over every child as they step into a new season — and to stand in faith against the attacks on our voting rights that threaten the future we’re building for them. Come expectant, come believing, and come ready to pray.

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026
8:00 AM
Zoom & Facebook Live

This honor belongs to all of us.

Last night, FaithActs received the NAACP Social Impact Award, and our own Bishop Danny Bland was named the 2026 NAACP Religious Leader. Every prayer, every late night, every act of organizing carried us here.

We’re pausing to celebrate. Then we’re getting right back to work.

Today, we launch POWER: To the People, our 2026 FaithVotes campaign. Because real social impact isn’t an award. It’s organized, informed, mobilized people showing up.

POWER is ours. It always has been. Now we use it.

Join us the movement. Commit to vote today at faithacts.org/vote. We need you with us as we head to the polls.

FaithActs celebrates the life of Sharon Mary Smith, a woman who showed up for this work with her whole heart. When Connecticut’s children needed advocates, Sharon answered the call, giving her time, her voice, and her spirit to the mission of education equity.

A devoted mother, lifelong servant, and quiet force, Sharon raised two pillars of our FaithActs family: Member Manager Tanya Smith-Long and Clergy Organizer Bishop Danny Bland. Her investment in this work was personal, and we see her in both of them every day.

We celebrate her life, honor her legacy, and surround her family with all of our love. 🕊️

📅 Saturday, May 16 | Viewing 10AM, Service 11AM

📍 Revival Church, 450 West Todd St., Hamden, CT