We Pray Freedom:
Prayers, Songs, and Organizing for Liberation

with Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Dr. Charon Hribar, and contributors Steff Reed, Rev. Dr. Andrew Wilkes, and ana lara lopez

You're invited to join The Word is Change and the Kairos Center for this in-person book event for We Pray Freedom: Liturgies and Rituals from the Freedom Church of the Poor. 

Together, we’ll gather for an evening of healing, remembrance, and collective action—lifting up the prayers, songs, and rituals that sustain our movements for justice.

A book of prayers, rituals, and liturgies that grows out of communities committed to abolishing poverty.

Prayer has long sustained movements for social change. Ritual gives shape to our desire for justice, and liturgy lends power to our work. In We Pray Freedom, we learn from activists and movement builders the songs, stories, and ritual practices that keep them going for the long haul. The Freedom Church of the Poor, called for by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has existed in many forms; today it includes laborers, poor folks, pastors, organizers, and others bound together by a conviction: It does not have to be this way.

Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis

is a theologian, pastor, author, and anti poverty activist. She is the Executive Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice and Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Rev. Dr. Theoharis has been organizing in poor and low-income communities for the past 30 years.

Dr. Charon Hribar

is a song leader, cultural organizer, and social ethicist. She serves as the director of cultural strategies for the Kairos Center and co-director of theomusicology and movement arts for the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Hribar empowers leaders to integrate rituals and arts into organizing efforts.

Steff Reed

is a musician, organizer, and scholar whose work bridges art, activism, and healing. A proud Black man and compassionate leader, he models emotional vulnerability as a form of strength and community power. With over 20 years of experience, Steff is a GRAMMY-nominated educator and Billboard-charting artist. Steff is currently a graduate student at Union Theological Seminary pursuing a Master of Sacred Theology (STM).

Dr. Rev. Andrew Wilkes

is the cofounding, colead pastor of Double Love Experience (DLE), a Brooklyn congregation dedicated to the liberating ministry of Jesus Christ. DLE advances God’s love and justice through worship, education, organizing, and radical discipleship. He is the author of Plenty Good Room and Psalms for Black Lives.

ana lara lopez

is the Coordinator of Freedom Church of the Poor Care & Engagement for the Kairos Center. Born in Antigua, Guatemala, Ana has lived in various places that shaped her worldview. She holds a BA in Sociology/Anthropology and an MDiv in Spiritual Care & Collective Liberation.