Popular show host, Oprah Winfrey will lead an interfaith prayer night alongside faith and community leaders.
“There’s tension and anticipation about the unknown. At times like these, I get still and turn to my faith,” Oprah said.
If you haven’t already heard, the U.S. presidential election is on Tuesday, November 3. And if you haven’t already voted, there’s still time to turn up to the polls. As Oprah previously said, “The only way to have a voice in moving yourself and our country forward is to vote. Every vote matters because you matter. Vote as if your life depended on it.”
Now, following a week of nonpartisan Town Hall events and initiatives to encourage voting, comes an event leading to the election. On November 2, Oprah will be joined by faith and community leaders for an interfaith prayer night.
“It has been a trying year—a lot of uncertainty as we step into a election which, no matter the outcome, will reveal the true nature of our country. I know there’s a lot of anxiety. There’s tension and anticipation about the unknown. At times like these, I get still and turn to my faith,” Oprah said while announcing the event.
Guests participating in the Night of Healing, Action, and Hope, the event’s official title, include CEO of Martin Luther King Jr. Center, Bernice King (whom was featured on OprahMag.com earlier this year); Reverends Gabriel and Jeanette Salguero; Rabbi Saperstein; Sister Simone Campbell; Prof. Najeeba Syeed; Bestselling author and host Iyanla Vanzant; U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo; and Rev. Dr. William Barber II.
“I am offering a sacred space for all of us,” Oprah said. “People of all faiths. A little faith. No faith. All colors and beliefs. A gathering in spirit, of the spirit, in a prayer for sound resolve and a better seat at the soul of our nation.”
Like Oprah’s virtual “Your Life in Focus” events, the National Faith Call will take place on Zoom, and will be free and open to the public. Registration is available in advance atzoomwithoprah.com.
The National Faith Call’s goal is to “pray for a peaceful election night,” a topic that is likely on many Americans’ minds as the impending presidential election is creating anxiety around the country. The New York Times reports that retailers are taking precautionary measures for potential civic unrest in the wake of the election.Over the weekend, election tensions played out on roadways as President Trump’s supporters blocked roadways in New York and surrounded and slowed a Biden-Harris campaign bus in Texas, leading to two cancelled events. Further, as results may be delayed due to mail-in ballots, the election—and its associate tensions—could be extended throughout the week.
Ahead of this potential turmoil, Oprah is offering a place to gather together. “My hope is that we’ll be able to lean into something much greater than all of our knowing to endure the current times, and go into this election day with hearts coated in reverence and hope,” Oprah said.
