Black pastors in Chicago unite in support of Mayor Brandon Johnson during Department of Justice hiring probe

CHICAGO (WLS) — Dozens of Black pastors gathered Friday in a show of solidarity with Mayor Brandon Johnson after his hiring practices came under fire.

The U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation earlier this week after Johnson bragged about how many Blacks he has hired in his administration.

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The pastors gathered at the historic Quinn Chapel to rally to Johnson’s defense in a coordinated event designed to present a unified message.

It was a carefully controlled gathering of dozens of Black pastors from across the city.

“We have all of this lined up; we have all of this already prepared,” said Pastor Walter Turner, with New Spiritual Light MB Church.

The objective was to defend Johnson and his hiring practices, which are now under scrutiny by President Donald Trump’s DOJ, which is looking to see if they are discriminatory in favor of Blacks.

“We stand today as a collective group of faith leaders to say, ‘enough is enough.’ The harassment has to stop,” said Pastor Torrey Barrett, with Life Center Church.

It all started last Sunday, when Johnson bragged in another church about all the Blacks he had hired, drawing the attention of the White House.

The mayor’s office responded that his staff is diverse, with 36% of them Black, 32% white and 25% Hispanic.

“This is not the mathematics of discrimination. This is the arithmetic of democracy, finally functioning,” said Pastor Stephan Thurston, with New Covenant Baptist Church.

The mayor had a ribbon cutting, and was not at the pastors’ press conference, but his political director was, and speakers frequently offered messaging very similar to what the mayor said on Tuesday.

“Whereas my administration reflects the country, reflects the city, his administration reflects the country club,” Johnson said.

“This appears to more represent the country, not a country club,” said Pastor Michael Eaddy, with People’s Church of the Harvest.

This gathering appeared to be an attempt to help shore up the mayor’s political base, but it could be a risky strategy.

“So he’s focusing very heavily on getting the message out to African American voters that he’s there for them. The message, though, is backfiring because it’s making it appear as though he is taking racial sides, that he is supporting African Americans and not supporting the entire city,” ABC7 Chicago political analyst Laura Washington said.

The pastors defended their message.

“This is not about Black Chicago; this is about Chicago being inclusive,” Turner said.

The pastors made it clear that this is just the beginning of a mobilization effort to stand up not just for Mayor Johnson, but for Black leaders everywhere.