Lansing resident Vinson, a choir member of Lansing’s Bethlehem Temple Church’s “The Bread House,” her love for God at the seventh annual Black Religion and Spirituality Conference, which this year focused on politics, religion and social justice.

“He’s able” was perhaps a sentiment that rang true on many levels at the conference, which focused on the intersection of politics and religion.

With the upcoming elections, the conference acted as a forum for members of the black community to discuss issues and, to some extent, consider who of the potential candidates is able to work on the issues of the community, said keynote speaker Honorable Bishop Charles H.
Ellis III.

“You have to look at who best is sensitized to your plight,” Ellis said.
“Who can best (help) to that place of hope and future success.”

Ellis said in a interview that it is President Barack Obama whose policies best align with that of the black community.

These thoughts were echoed by Residential College in the Arts and Humanities assistant professor Austin Jackson.

“Right-wing Republicans are engaged in concerted efforts to keep black people from voting in the upcoming elections,” Jackson said in an email, citing voter intimidation as a possible cause.

Jackson said major concerns for the black community in the upcoming elections include employment issues, access to education and issues of “racial crisis,” which he said include problems such as unarmed black individuals being shot by police officers.

Another member of “The Bread House” choir, Lansing resident Nicholas Singleton, also said he feels Obama would cater best to the concerns of the black community.

But the conference itself stepped away from matters of who to vote for and focused on that of the issues at the intersection of religion and politics.

Pastor of Bethlehem Temple Church Alfred Singleton II said the community leaders are not trying to tell people who to vote for, but simply to vote.

“Historically, religion and spirituality have been a very important factor in the lives of African Americans,” Lee June, a professor of psychology and former vice president for student affairs and services, said, explaining the importance of religion in the black community’s view of politics.

He added a specific issue that integrates both the community’s political and religious beliefs that will be important in the upcoming election is marriage equality.