Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC)

History

The Progressive National Baptist Convention was formed due to conflict within the National Baptist Convention over support for the Civil Rights Movement. PNBC aligned itself with leaders and organizations advocating nonviolent action and racial equality. It became the denominational affiliation for Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent Black church leaders. ^{3  4}

In subsequent decades the PNBC has taken positions on major political and social issues, including opposition to the Vietnam War and the Iraq War. ^{5  6}

Advocacy
The Progressive National Baptist Convention operates a Social Justice Commission that focuses on issues including race, education, economic inequality, the environment, and criminal justice reform through advocacy, education, and mobilization efforts. ⁵ It works closely with the NAACP and advocates for policies including affirmative action and racial issues. ⁷

In 2023, at PNBC’s annual session in St. Louis, there was a focus shift toward voter engagement and voting legislation, and criminal justice reform, including allowing felons the right to vote. The PNBC announced a partnership with Amnesty International USA to support gun control measures. Another partnership was announced with the Faith Leaders of Color Coalition to advocate to end the death penalty. ⁸ While at the session, attendees traveled to Ferguson, Missouri to celebrate the life of Michael Brown, whose death in a police-involved shooting in 2014 sparked protests and invigorated the Black Lives Matter movement. ⁸

Trump Administrations

During the 2025 annual session of the Progressive National Baptist Convention in Chicago, denomination leaders and speakers criticized actions by the second Trump administration, stating that reduced funding to social programs and denouncing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives disproportionately harmed Black communities. Willie D. Francois III, the co-chair of the PNBC Social Justice Commission, claimed that there was an “all-out assault on Black life … and Black freedoms.” During this session it was encouraged that there be a “push back” through civil disobedience and to boycott companies that removed DEI practices. ⁹

Frederick D. Haynes III, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, a member of the PNBC, and the National Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s former president, ¹⁰ said at a press conference that it was “white Christian nationalists who helped fuel Trump’s MAGA movement.” ¹¹

During the 2023 annual session, Francois said that “what it means to be a Christian has been co-opted by white nationalists.” Haynes said that white Christians are aligning with President Donald Trump because they are “more white than Christian.” PNBC delegates adopted a resolution that denounced anyone who refused to support the results of the 2020 presidential election. ⁸

Target Boycott

On February 1, 2025, Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Minnesota activist and founder of the Racial Justice Network, ¹² launched a Target boycott. The boycott, known as the Target Blackout, was publicized by Jamal-Harrison Bryant, a member of the Progressive National Baptist Convention. He preached to members of the Black faith community to participate. ¹³ Bryant stated that this boycott was a civil rights movement “capable of hitting white companies in the wallet.” The boycott was praised during the 2025 PNBC annual session by each of the preachers who spoke, with the PNBC president David Peoples saying that Black people should not shop or work at companies who have removed DEI policies. ⁹

In 2025, after the Target Blackout began, Target donated $300,000 to the National Baptist Convention. ¹² The PNBC, during its 2025 annual session, officially joined the boycott and demanded that the National Baptist Convention return the donation from Target. As part of the boycott campaign against Target, the PNBC promotes Black-owned businesses by “showcasing their products and services to church members” and encourages members to shop these businesses. ¹¹

Funding

In November 2022, the Progressive National Baptist Convention received $1,000,000 from the Lilly Endowment for its invitational round of the Compelling Preaching Initiative to focus on preaching the gospel to audiences in new ways. ¹⁴