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Jehovah’s Witnesses Pivot Their Public Ministry During COVID-19 Lockdown

According to Hendriks, nearly 51,000 people in the United States last year made a request for a Witness to contact them, either through a local congregation or jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since the pandemic, the Witnesses have followed up on these requests via letters and phone calls instead of in-person visits.

Published

4 years ago

July 1, 2021

Isabelle Price

Andrena Morris of Oakland, California, transitions from knocking on doors to making phone calls during the pandemic. Photo by Hannah Long.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are known worldwide for their door-to-door public witnessing. Due to the pandemic, this hallmark method of sharing comfort and hope from the Scriptures has been curtailed for more than a year. Historically, Jehovah’s Witnesses were seen in Oakland regularly engaging in the door-to-door ministry. The pandemic has necessitated a strategic pivot in their methods.
Long-time Oakland resident and local Jehovah’s Witness Andrena Morris is still sharing Bible truths but has found a different avenue of preaching.

“Before COVID-19, I volunteered my time by walking door to door in West Oakland, sharing a positive message from the Bible. Now, I use the telephone, texting, and letter writing to share the same comforting message as if we were face to face. I also use our website, jw.org, as a great resource for sending video links and articles that help people cope in this pandemic.

“The response to my new witnessing methods has been exciting,” Morris said.

In March 2020, some 1.3 million Witnesses in the United States suspended their in-person preaching activities. This was a significant change for Jehovah’s Witnesses, from meeting together and speaking with community members face to face to attending Zoom meetings and conducting outreach through phone calls and letter writing.

“The pandemic has been a cloud with several silver linings,” said David Cohen, who helps organize the ministry in the Bay Area. “Congregation meeting attendance is up 25% or more in various parts of the Bay Area. Friends and families of Witnesses have also been joining our meetings.”

Cohen continued, “It was amazing to see how quickly, within a week or two, we pivoted to virtual meetings and ministry. The enthusiastic response was immediate among our local Witnesses, including those with severe health limitations. A number seized this opportunity to do more. It actually has helped many become more involved.”

“It has been a very deliberate decision based on two principles: our respect for life and love of neighbor, but we are still witnesses and, as such, we must testify about our faith. So, it was inevitable that we would find a way to continue our work,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“Our love for our neighbors is stronger than ever,” said Hendriks. “In fact, I think we have needed each other more than ever. We are finding that people are perplexed, stressed, and feeling isolated. Our work has helped many regain a sense of footing – even normalcy – at a very unsettled time.”

Witnesses have also made a concerted effort to check on distant friends and family—sometimes texting links to Bible-based articles on jw.org that cover timely topics, such as isolation, depression, and how to beat pandemic fatigue.

For more information on the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses, visit their website jw.org, with content available in more than 1,033 languages.

Isabelle Price

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Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

6 hours ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

Published

3 days ago

May 30, 2025

Oakland Post

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Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

Published

3 days ago

May 30, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”