Adam Russell Taylor is president of

Sojourners ''Sojourners'' is a progressive monthly magazine and daily online publication of the American Christian social justice organization Sojourners, which arose out of the Sojourners Community. It was first published in 1971 under the original ti ...

, a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

focused on the biblical call to

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

. He is also the author of ''A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community'' and ''Mobilizing Hope: Faith-Inspired Activism for a Post Civil Rights Generation.'' Taylor is ordained in the

American Baptist Church The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline Protestant and Baptist Christian denomination. It is a reorganization from 1907 of the Triennial Convention. The Triennial Convention was renamed as the Northern Baptist Convention in 1 ...

and

Progressive National Baptist Convention The Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC), incorporated as the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., is a Baptist denomination emphasizing civil rights and social justice. The headquarters of the Progressive National Baptist Co ...

Early career and education

Taylor previously served as the vice president in charge of advocacy at World Vision U.S., as well as the executive director at Global Justice. He also led the Faith Initiative at the

World Bank Group The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Group ...

. From 2009 to 2010, Taylor was a

White House Fellow The White House Fellows program is a non-partisan fellowship established via Executive Order 11183 by President Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. The fellowship is one of the United States' most prestigious programs for leadership and public se ...

, serving in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, Intergovernmental Affairs, and Public Engagement. Taylor is also a member of the inaugural class of the Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellowship. Taylor is a graduate of

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

, the

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Kennedy School of Government, and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology.

Sojourners

Taylor has been president of

since November 2020. He is the first president since founder

Jim Wallis James E. Wallis Jr. (born June 4, 1948) is an American theologian, writer, teacher and political activist. He is best known as the founder and former editor of ''Sojourners'' magazine and as the founder of the Washington, D.C.–based Christi ...

, and the organization's first African-American president. He formerly served as the chair of the board and as the senior political director and executive director. As president of Sojourners, Taylor regularly appears as a speaker at colleges and universities, denominational meetings, faith conferences, and other gatherings.

Advocacy

Taylor's work largely focuses on issues such as

racial justice Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

economic justice Economic justice is a component of social justice and welfare economics. It is a set of moral and ethical principles for building economic institutions, where the ultimate goal is to create an opportunity for each person to establish a sufficie ...

voting rights Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in ...

global development International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic or human development on an international scale. It is the basis for international classification ...

and

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

, and

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

, as well as building

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

's and other civil rights leaders' vision of the Beloved Community. Taylor is involved with several advocacy groups, including the Circle of Protection, a coalition of church leaders working to address poverty and hunger through advocacy work. Together, the church bodies in the Circle of Protection have close to 100 million members. In February 2021, the Circle of Protection sent a letter to the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...

and members of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

calling for another round of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

relief legislation. When sending out that letter, Taylor said, "The moral obligation of this nation to combat the pandemic is a moral imperative for Christians." Taylor is also involved with the Faiths4Vaccines campaign, a multifaith coalition of religious leaders and medical professionals working to resolve gaps in vaccine outreach.

Black Lives Matter movement

Following the

murder of George Floyd On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...

, Taylor wrote, "As a father of two black sons, I can’t breathe today because I refuse to accept a law enforcement system that so often treats black bodies as being presumed guilty or an immediate danger." On June 2, 2020, he and Wallis criticized then-President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

for

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

sing peaceful protestors in order to take a picture holding a

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

in front of St. John's Episcopal Church. In July 2021, Taylor called for a "modern-day equivalent of the

Freedom Summer Freedom Summer, also known as Mississippi Freedom Summer (sometimes referred to as the Freedom Summer Project or the Mississippi Summer Project), was a campaign launched by civil rights movement, American civil rights activists in June 1964 to r ...

," arguing that

American democracy In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches share powers: Congress, which forms the legislative branch, a bicameral legis ...

was at stake.

2020 election and aftermath

Taylor helped to lead Sojourners' Lawyers & Collars initiative, which, through a partnership with the Skinner Leadership Institute and the National African-American Clergy Network, mobilized faith leaders to advocate for voting rights and act as a moral presence at voting sites across the country. On

Election Day Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ...

, he served as a poll

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. In response to the

2020 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...

results, Taylor said, "We look forward to working with the new Administration to boldly address the COVID pandemic, systematic racism, economic justice, and climate change as core matters of faith even as we work together to heal our nation from deep polarization." Following the

2021 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...

, Taylor said, "Jan. 6 was a wake-up moment for many within the church about the poisonous danger of

white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

and

Christian nationalism Christian nationalism is a form of religious nationalism that focuses on promoting the Christian views of its followers, in order to achieve prominence or Dominion theology, dominance in political, cultural, and social life. In countries with a ...

, including among many more

conservative Christians Conservative Christianity, also known as conservative theology, theological conservatism, traditional Christianity, or biblical orthodoxy is a grouping of overlapping and denominationally diverse theological movements within Christianity that se ...

." On January 7, 2021, he and Wallis called for Trump to be removed from office.

Personal life

Taylor is married to Sharee Mckenzie Taylor. Together, they have two children. Taylor is a member of

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...

fraternity and serves in ministry at the

Alfred Street Baptist Church Alfred Street Baptist Church's is a Baptist church in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. It is affiliated with the National Baptist Convention, USA. History In 1806, the colored members of the church Alexandria Baptist Society established t ...

Alexandria, VA Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Adam Russell American Christian writers Living people American human rights activists Virginia Union University alumni Emory University alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni Baptist ministers from the United States African-American Baptist ministers Year of birth missing (living people)