Dear friends in the movement,

“American history,” James Baldwin wrote in his 1963 essay Talk to Teachers, “is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.”

More beautiful and more terrible–these words perfectly capture the truth not just of our collective past, but also our present moment. In 2025, we’ve experienced so much terror: the razing of homeless encampments, worsening wars and mass atrocities, particularly in Gaza, immigrant families abducted off the streets, detained, and deported, vigilante violence, attacks on trans youth, sweeping cuts to Medicaid and SNAP that will hurt millions, the gutting of critical science, education, and medical infrastructure and environmental protections, and more. Amid this terror, though, we’ve witnessed an outpouring of beauty: historic nonviolent mobilizations in the streets, people joining together to defend their immigrant neighbors, the rapid growth of mutual-aid networks, faith leaders holding the moral line, artists and cultural workers bringing us together in song and spirit, and so many other ways everyday people are showing up for each other and the cause of justice.

YES, THIS IS A TIME FOR MOURNING AND SORROW. BUT IT IS ALSO A TIME FOR BEAUTIFUL DEFIANCE AND STEELY-EYED HOPE.

At Kairos, we have been holding onto and holding up such hope in hard times. This year, we are particularly proud of the work we’ve done with so many of you! We’ve lifted up the survival strategies that poor and dispossessed communities are compelled to develop to meet their material and spiritual needs. We’ve sounded the call to organize in new, massive, and creative ways amid the rise of authoritarianism and widening inequality, and have been heartened by how many people have joined us in this call. And we’ve drawn on the power of faith to cry out for justice and pray–with our words and our bodies–for freedom and a world in which everybody has a right to live.

Over the past few months, our team has traveled to nearly fifty communities across the country, sharing lessons from the past and trading notes about the hard work that lies ahead. In rural areas, small towns, mid-sized cities, and major metropolises, we’ve met some of our nation’s unsung “saints.” Although the news offers us only stories of doom and gloom, we’ve witnessed how many courageous and compassionate people are fighting everyday to protect and heal their communities. And together, with all of you, we’ve begun to build a larger and more unified movement that is strong and bold enough to fully meet this beautiful and terrible moment.

I’m pleased to share how Kairos has been on the move in 2025. I hope they leave you feeling inspired and re-energized to join us in 2026 as we continue to build a spiritual and political home for all who yearn to be free–and as we organize, organize, organize because our lives and the life of our democracy depend on it.

To a year filled with justice and joy,

–Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis

P.S. To learn more about the critical work the Kairos Center is engaged in, check out our digital 2025 Year in Review.

We Pray Freedom: Black Friday Prayer

This prayer was written by faith leaders in support of  Black Friday 2016 to back Walmart strikers and workers. Walmart workers and community leaders united to improve working conditions, raise wages, and demand respect and dignity. This prayer is suitable for sharing on Thanksgiving Day.

Spirit of Life/Most Divine/God/Beloved Community/Creator,

We give thanks. We give thanks for those of us gathered at the table. We give thanks to those who bring us this day our food. We give thanks for the food farmers and workers collected. We give thanks for the hands who helped set this table: factory workers, construction workers, truck drivers, mechanics, stock people, cashiers, managers.

This Black Friday, we remember that we are not replaceable, we are priceless. We remember community and compassion can see us through the coming winter, storms, and tribulations. We remember we are blessed to have each other after ages of struggle. You are a God of compassion and justice who has taught us to pursue a more just and sacred society, built upon foundations of fairness and love.

As we enjoy this delicious meal surrounded by loved ones and dear friends, we turn our hearts inward to you this Thanksgiving, oh God, with thanks for the blessings you have bestowed upon us, so evident here on this special day. And we lift up Walmart workers and other low wage workers in our nation all days, but especially tonight and tomorrow as they claim their voice. We join our voice to theirs; they remind us of all that we are and all that we fight for. We give them our thanks, our love, and our support.

Amen.

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