Thoughts and Prayers Won’t Save Us

 By LaDawn Sullivan

In the wake of tragedy—gun violence, deportation raids, the brutalization of Black bodies on the streets or behind bars, and the devastation of war overseas—what do we hear? The chorus of “thoughts and prayers.” Now, don’t get me wrong, I know the ancestors prayed us through slavery, Jim Crow, and a thousand indignities in between. Prayer has power. But prayer without policy? That’s like trying to fix a leaky roof with a Hallmark card—it might feel comforting in the moment, but in the end, you’re still getting rained on.

The reality is this: what we’re facing isn’t just spiritual warfare, but also political, economic, and structural battles. Gun violence doesn’t end because we post sad emojis. It ends when policies make guns harder to get than Beyoncé tickets. Deportations don't stop because we tweet “love is love.” It stops when we dismantle laws and practices that dehumanize immigrants and people because of their race. Mass incarcerations don't shrink because we hold candle vigils. It shrinks when we refuse to let prison profits outweigh people’s futures. And police brutality doesn’t disappear because we chant our anger in unison. It disappears when accountability is not a press release but a practice—when badges protect rather than harm.

And let’s not forget racism, oppression, and economic disparity. These beasts don’t die because we whisper affirmations into the universe. They die when we make budgets, boardrooms, and ballots reflect humanity and justice. They die when we move from platitudes to policies, from sympathy to solidarity, from slogans to systemic change.

I’ve seen it in the community: liberation doesn’t come gift-wrapped. It comes brick by BRIC, step by step, vote by vote, and yes—sometimes tear by tear. It comes when we decide that “all communities” really means all, not just the ones that fit neatly into our comfort zones.

So, by all means, keep the prayers. Keep the hope. But please—don’t leave it there. Pair it with policy. Couple it with action. Marry it to humanity. Because until we do, “thoughts and prayers” will remain what they’ve always been: a quiet excuse for inaction in a world that is screaming for change.