What Do We Know About Kamala Harris’s Church?

An article published in August by the Washington Stand detailed eight facts about Vice President Kamala Harris’s church, Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, California.

“Third Baptist Church retains the look and feel that has come to be associated with black Baptist churches. At its most recent service, a church choir and organ led a lively time of worship, and a talented male soloist presented a prepared song,” Joshua Arnold wrote of the institution.

He focused on the strong connection to social engagement the church has, including low-cost weekly lunches for seniors, free lunches for the homeless and needy once a week, school programs, and more. (LEARN MORE: Things To Know About Kamala’s Wannabe VP Tim Walz)

Reverend Amos Brown

“Third Baptist Church of San Francisco called the Reverend Amos Cleophus Brown, Sr. as its pastor in June 1976, and he remains active there 48 years later. As its pastor, Brown has shaped the church’s social aspect, its community outreach, and its political engagement for nearly five decades,” Arnold continued.

“I know America. America is a racist country,” Brown said in 2021. He accused San Francisco of ongoing racism, saying the city “does not deserve the brand and image that it has of being liberal and progressive.” (LEARN MORE: Who Is J.D. Vance, Trump’s Vice Presidential Pick?)

He Opposed The Nomination Of Clarence Thomas

Brown apparently opposed the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. “His testimony criticized Thomas’s stances against minimum wage laws and welfare, which were based on Thomas’s convictions that these policies hindered black advancement more than they helped,” Arnold argued.

“At best, what he has produced is a barrage of speeches and writings in support of the right-wing conservative ideology,” Brown said of Thomas.

Brown Criticized The U.S. For Leaving An Anti-Semitic Conference

In September 2001, Brown represented the NAACP at the UN World Conference Against Racism in South Africa, which descended into attacks against Israel. American and Israeli delegations left in protest of the attacks. Later that month, following the attacks of 9/11, Brown used a public memorial service for the victims of the terror attacks to imply America was culpable for the attacks because they left the conference. (LEARN MORE: Christians Called To Shine ‘Light’ On ‘Dark Institutions’)

“America, what did you do in the global warming conference when you did not embrace the smaller nations? America, what did you do two weeks ago when I stood at the world conference on racism, when you wouldn’t show up?” he said.

He’s Pro-Same-Sex Marriage, Reparations, Harris For President

Brown has said that same-sex marriage was coming for years, “and I was one of the persons who for years have pushed for us to face this matter.”

“It would’ve been hypocritical for us in the face of these debates … to have, in the past, stood for the rights and equality of opportunity for blacks … and then to turn around and [not stood with] other people who are marginalized for whatever reason,” he explained. (LEARN MORE: Election Integrity Report Finds Issues In Nevada)

Brown is also pro-reparations, and alluded to Harris’s presidential campaign in an August 4 sermon. “We better stop this culture war that’s going on in America, about whether or not a woman can lead this nation,” he told his congregation. “This has got to stop, this culture war about where the woman belongs. For I heard Sojourner Truth said, a long time ago, ‘Ain’t I a woman? I can pick up a pail of water. I can move a log. I can do anything a man can do.’”

He Developed A Pulpit Exchange Program With Rabbis

“Rev. Brown introduced a pulpit exchange program bringing Rabbis to speak at Third Baptist and Black Pastors to speak in synagogues,” the program website states, according to the Washington Stand. “This is what the world needs to see. There’s too much division, too much hate, too much war,” Brown said of the program. “This dichotomous thinking of them against us and us against them has to stop. And we need to master that little pronoun ‘We.’ This is a ‘we’ thing tonight.”