I appreciate the hard work of the city council. I appreciate that other city council presidents have invited diverse groups. I hope that future city council presidents won’t follow the example of City Council Chaplain Doyle Carter as he followed a discriminatory policy during his 2017-2018 reign as chaplain. There should be an open and transparent and non discriminatory policy of inviting invocation speakers. Everyone needs to be included and be given the chance to pray or give an inspirational invocation OR else they should quit doing them.
Please consider writing the new city council president. Perhaps you’d say something like this (I copied it from someone else):
Past Council Presidents, through their designated Council Chaplains, have gotten this practice right. For example, the diversity of the invocation speakers was very appropriate, and affirming of all people, during the time your colleague, Council Member Joyce Morgan, served as Chaplain. However, her sterling example served as a tremendous contrast to the invocation speakers selected by her successor, Council Member Doyle Carter. Unfortunately, despite repeated requests made to Council President Anna Brosche and Council Member Carter, there was very little diversity among the invocation speakers selected to deliver remarks in the current Council year.
We are asking you today, before your term as Council President begins, to be thoughtful about your selection of Chaplain. We especially are asking that the faith and thought leaders chosen to give the invocation at future Council meetings is as representative as possible of the diversity of our City. As a world-class City, we hope to see men and women, racial and ethnic diversity, and theists and non-theists represented.
Unite Us Do Not Divide Us 