Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis

Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis
Name	Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis
Alma mater	Union Theological Seminary
Occupation	Theologian, Activist, Organizer
Known for	Co-Chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
Title	Reverend Doctor

Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis is a theologian, ordained minister, and a leading anti-poverty organizer in the United States. As the Co-Chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, she is a pivotal figure in contemporary movements for economic justice, directly continuing the legacy of the US Civil Rights Movement. Her work focuses on building a broad, multiracial movement of the poor to challenge systemic inequality and advocate for a moral political agenda.

Early life and education

Liz Theoharis was raised in a family engaged in social justice and faith-based organizing. Her early exposure to activism and theology shaped her commitment to linking spiritual practice with the struggle for equity. She pursued higher education with a focus on these intersections, earning a Bachelor of Arts from Macalester College. She then completed both a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Philosophy in New Testament and Christian origins from Union Theological Seminary in New York, a historic institution known for its progressive theology and social engagement. Her doctoral dissertation examined poverty and social movements in the Bible, laying an academic foundation for her future activism.

Theological and activist foundations

Theoharis's theology is rooted in a tradition of liberation theology and the Social Gospel, emphasizing God's preferential option for the poor. She was deeply influenced by the work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., particularly his later focus on economic justice and the Poor People's Campaign of 1968. Before co-founding the modern campaign, she spent over two decades organizing with grassroots groups across the United States, including the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary, where she serves as Director. Her organizing philosophy centers on popular education and leadership development among low-income communities.

Leadership in the Poor People's Campaign

In 2018, Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis and Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II launched the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, resurrecting and expanding the unfinished work of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 effort. As National Co-Chair, Theoharis has been instrumental in building a national coalition that addresses the interlocking injustices of systemic poverty, racism, ecological devastation, the war economy, and religious nationalism. The campaign organizes moral marches and nonviolent direct action, including a major mobilization in Washington, D.C., to demand policy changes like living wages, universal healthcare, and voting rights protections. Her leadership emphasizes the campaign as a moral movement, not a partisan moment.

Advocacy and organizing work

Beyond the Poor People's Campaign, Theoharis's advocacy is extensive. She has organized with welfare rights groups, tenant unions, and workers' rights movements. She played a key role in the Moral Mondays movement in North Carolina and has been a vocal advocate for policies such as the Child Tax Credit expansion and pandemic relief for the poor. Her organizing consistently bridges urban and rural struggles, connecting issues like water poverty in communities like Flint, Michigan and Appalachia with broader calls for infrastructure justice. She works closely with organizations including the Repairers of the Breach and the National Welfare Rights Union.

Political engagement and public office

While not a career politician, Theoharis engages the political arena as a moral advocate and prophetic voice. She has testified before Congress and state legislatures on poverty and has been a delegate to the United Nations addressing human rights. In 2022, she mounted a progressive campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 10th congressional district, running on a platform of Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and housing justice. Although unsuccessful, her campaign amplified policy demands central to the poor people's movement within the electoral sphere.

Published works and public theology

Theoharis is a prolific author and public theologian. Her books include *Always with Us? What Jesus Really Said about the Poor* and *We Cry Justice: Reading the Bible with the Poor People's Campaign*. She co-edited the volume *Revive Us Again: Vision and Action in Moral Organizing*. Her writings and frequent contributions to outlets like Sojourners and The Nation articulate a theology of social transformation, arguing that poverty is a moral crisis and a direct result of policy failure. She uses Biblical hermeneutics to challenge narratives that blame the poor and to inspire collective action for a just society.

Recognition and legacy

Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis has received numerous awards for her justice work, including recognition from the Auburn Seminary and the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies. Her legacy is as a key architect of the 21st-century poor people's movement, effectively bridging the theological and the political to advance a new civil rights movement focused on economic human rights. She is recognized for training a new generation of moral leaders and shifting national discourse to confront the realities of poverty, racism, and ecological justice. Her leadership continues to shape the ongoing struggle for a more equitable and inclusive democracy.

[Category:American activists Category:Christian theologians Category:American Civil Rights Movement activists