Gov. Whitmer to Detroit pastors: Misogyny, racism and threats to democracy rising in Michigan

Speaking Tuesday to Baptist pastors inside a Detroit church, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said sexism and bigotry are on the rise in the state and country, lamenting what she described as threats to democracy, educational equality and abortion rights.

"There is no question that misogyny and racism and anti-Semitism ... is on the rise in our country and in our state," Whitmer said at a meeting of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity, one of the largest faith groups in Michigan. "There is still very high stakes and a lot we could lose in addition to the things we've lost already just within the last week."

The group was gathered at Liberty Temple Baptist Church on Greenfield Road in Detroit to discuss boosting voter participation during what Whitmer called "a tenuous moment for our state."

"They've got election deniers now on boards of canvassers who said they would not have certified the last election for which there was not a scintilla of evidence of fraud," the governor said. "... This is, I think, a really sobering moment when it comes to our democracy."

Whitmer spoke in a Q&A format led by the Rev. Steve Bland Jr., pastor at Liberty Temple and president of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity. Bland announced earlier to the pastors efforts to get out the vote for the 2022 midterm elections.

The council is non-partisan, but is made up of churches with predominantly Black congregations that lean Democratic. Whitmer and other statewide Democrats often depend on votes in cities like Detroit to win elections. Some Republicans in Michigan have been reaching out to conservative Christians in the Black community to peel away votes.

Bland was active in 2020 in encouraging Detroiters to vote in the presidential elections and was on the scene at the TCF Center - now Huntington Place - the day after the election when Republicans objected to the vote count.

"You have shown that you ain't - as we say in the streets - scurred of dealing with controversy," said Bland to Whitmer, using a slang term for "scared."

Earlier at a separate meeting, Bland and other pastors marked one year of helping Detroiters with COVID-19 vaccines and tests. Working with the state and National Guard, the Council's churches worked to encourage people to get vaccinated in a city with high levels of vaccine hesitancy because of historical racism by medical professionals.

Bland praised Whitmer's efforts during the pandemic, which have been criticized by Republicans for being too drastic. Whitmer is running for reelection and faces frequent attacks from Republicans for actions she took that they said hurt businesses and schools.

"We needed you in that leadership at the state level and you basically said, shut it down," Bland said.

"And if it had not been for that," it could have been worse, Bland said. We "wanted to thank you for being bold enough."

Whitmer claimed that her opponents are "also recruiting people to the polls who are intent on undermining Black and Brown voters, who are intent on intimidating voters."

Republicans have said their aim is not to intimidate voters or discriminate against minorities, but to ensure that elections are administered and tabulated fairly.

Whitmer also touched upon the issue of abortion, saying women who are poor and women of color will suffer more now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. She spoke of being assaulted when she was a freshman at Michigan State University.

"As a survivor of sexual assault ... it dawned on me that I could find myself pregnant with the fetus of my attacker," Whitmer said.

But if that were to happen, she would have had the option of abortion. Now, women who are assaulted may have that right taken from them, Whitmer said.

Also speaking at the Council's meetings were the Rev. Jim Holley, who recently retired as pastor of Historic Little Rock Baptist Church; State Sen. Adam Hollier, D-Detroit, and Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey. Hollier and Winfrey are running for Congress in the 13th and 12th House districts, respectively.

Bland and other pastors encouraged the crowd to urge their communities to vote.

Contact Niraj Warikoo:nwarikoo@freepress.com or Twitter @nwarikoo

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Governor Whitmer says racism and misogyny are rising in Michigan