Faith, Freedom, and the Call to Close Rikers: An Interfaith Witness for Human Rights

On International Human Rights Day, faith leaders, community organizers, and New Yorkers directly impacted by incarceration came together for a powerful interfaith gathering calling for the closure of Rikers Island. Hosted with partners including the Interfaith Center of New York, Freedom Agenda, Union Theological Seminary, and the Campaign to Close Rikers, the event blended prayer, testimony, and a shared moral urgency.

Testimonies and Collective Resolve

Representing Hindus for Human Rights, Sunita Viswanath offered a Hindu prayer grounded in the ethical principles of nonviolence and compassion. In her reflections, she underscored how Rikers stands as a profound moral, ethical, and spiritual failure in our city. The conditions there—overcrowding, the racial injustice reflected in the disproportionate incarceration of Black and Latine New Yorkers, the rampant physical and sexual violence, and the inability of people to access family or court due to its isolation—illustrate a system that harms rather than heals. The rising number of deaths, including suicides, reflects a worsening crisis of mental health and abandonment.

Sunita drew from Hindu theology to remind the gathering that divinity resides in every person, including those behind bars. The story of Lord Krishna’s birth in a prison cell became a spiritual grounding: if a divine child was once born into captivity, then the lives of those incarcerated today must be treated with reverence and care. This framework strengthens our commitment to close Rikers and to ensure compassionate alternatives that honor the humanity of all our city’s residents, especially those struggling with mental and physical illness.

Formerly incarcerated activists shared searing experiences of violence, isolation, and dehumanization on Rikers. Representatives of the mayor-elect’s team joined the room, listening as organizers outlined the path forward.

A panel moderated by Rev. Dr. Rashad Moore brought together leaders working in youth advocacy, re-entry, justice policy, and community organizing. Their message was unified: Rikers must close, and a humane system rooted in dignity must replace it.

Faith Grounded in Action

This work is part of a spiritual lineage that insists on recognizing the divine spark in every human being. The interfaith witness reinforced a shared understanding across traditions:

Closing Rikers is not only a political necessity — it is a moral and spiritual obligation.

The gathering ended with renewed determination:
Close Rikers. Build compassionate care. Restore our city’s humanity.