Last Monday, as our nation celebrated Presidents' Day, a holiday originally established to recognize George Washington and more recently observed to honor all US presidents, a group of civic-minded citizens bundled up against the cold and hit the street outside Mitch McConnell's office, which was closed for the holiday, to protest. Among those who gathered was Reverend Leah Eubanks, a Pastor with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), who had penned a letter to Senator McConnell for the occasion.
During the event, Reverend Eubanks spoke her piece by reading the letter aloud to those gathered. When asked what moved her to write to the senator and to participate in the protest, she replied, "If Christians are to be serious about our call to serve Christ by following his ways, then we must advocate and stand in solidarity with the poor, marginalized, and oppressed. This is what Jesus did as well as speak out against practices that harmed and oppressed the poor. We are seeing more oppressive behavior every day from this administration. The individuals this administration is targeting are our neighbors. We must continue to care for others and work together to serve our neighbors with commitment and compassion." Below is her letter in its entirety.
Rev. Leah Eubanks reads her letter to fellow protestors during the recent Mondays with Mitch Presidents' Day Edition event, organized by Four Rivers Indivisible.
Senator Mitch McConnell317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
February 17, 2025
Dear Senator Mitch McConnell,
Where have all the leaders gone? Leaders are important. Leaders provide direction, vision, and motivation to their teams. They help create positive work environments by fostering communication, collaboration, and a sense of purpose, ultimately driving success by reminding others of their shared values and encouraging individual strengths. Leaders are important. So, where have all the leaders gone?
I imagine the prophets asked a similar question. Like the prophet Amos who accuses the leaders of hatred and retaliation against those who speak on behalf of the poor. See, the powerful were taking bribes, afflicting the righteous and in turn setting aside justice so they could line their pockets. I know this sounds familiar, but this was ancient Israel. Amos accuses the rich and wealthy of trampling on the poor by taking their grain and in turn building houses and vineyards on their land. The prophet Amos says, Where have all the leaders gone?
God speaks through Isaiah and condemns the wealthy for changing the laws that will hurt small farmers by distributing their land in ways that favored their business dealings. This not only hurt the small farmers, but primarily the widows and orphans who could not claim land without a male protector. Isaiah says, “you have blood on your hands” (Isaiah 59:3). Where have all the leaders gone?
Jeremiah speaks against the false prophets that were using the name of God to prophesy lies so that people would be driven from their own land and perish. Jeremiah says, Where have all the leaders gone?
I’m reminded on this President’s Day of the Leaders who have gone before us. The leaders that have championed the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Civil Rights Movement. Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “We have faith that future generations will know here, that there came a time when men of good will found a way to unite, and produce, and fight to destroy the forces of ignorance, and intolerance, and slavery, and war.” Jimmy Carter said, “History teaches that aggression, unopposed, comes a contagious disease.” Where have all the leaders gone?
I believe that Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg address reminded us of who the real leaders are. “And this government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” The leaders are the people. The leaders are the relief workers at USAID who give food and medicine to starving children. The leaders are the teachers and the Department of Education that supports our teachers as they build up the next generation. The leaders are those at the Treasury working modest jobs of civil service for the good of the people. The leaders are those at the FBI and CIA who bravely serve their neighbors and their country through good times and bad.
In our most trying times when we’ve asked, “Where have all the leaders gone?” The leaders are the people. It is time that we the people rise up, to persist when things seem tough, to keep going and keep living to what we know is good, and loving, and true.
So today we call on our representatives to lead. Stop Elon Musk and DOGE. Stop the dismantling of our civil services. Stop ceding Ukraine to our enemies and taking over Gaza. Stop the tariff wars and the pretentious, strong man posturing against our allies. We call on our representatives to lead because your constituents demand it, and because we will not stop leading and speaking truth to your power.
Where have all the leaders gone? We’re right here.
The Reverend Leah Eubanks
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)