Pastor Brooks’s Walk Across America frames faith at the center of national political debate
Chicago pastor’s 3,000-mile journey links faith, merit and the American Dream to New York’s mayoral race and broader U.S. politics
A Chicago pastor known as the Rooftop Pastor has launched a 3,000-mile Walk Across America to rekindle faith, merit and the American Dream, with the journey beginning in Times Square, New York. Pastor Corey Brooks, founder of Project H.O.O.D. in Chicago’s South Side, says the trek is intended to rebuild the country’s moral footing by foregrounding faith and personal responsibility as civic foundations.
In the opening stretch, Brooks describes New York as a city that once built the modern economy and embodied the American Dream, but now appears to have drifted from its founding principles. He points to a landscape of aging churches and declining religious engagement as evidence that faith has receded from public life and policy debates. The walk takes him past iconic houses of worship—St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Trinity Church near Wall Street, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine—and through neighborhoods where some congregations are thriving while others sit largely empty. Brooks says faith should inform public life and policy, arguing that scripture and moral anchors are increasingly absent from discussions that shape the city’s future.
Brooks ties this spiritual drift to the political arena, framing the New York mayoral race as a reflection of a broader national decline. He criticizes Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani—who had won the primary and entered the race as the party’s nominee—for proposals such as rent freezes, wealth taxes and expansive government intervention. The column notes Mamdani’s appearance at a Bronx news conference where he was endorsed by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Sept. 17, 2025, highlighting what the piece views as a mainstreaming of a more interventionist policy agenda. Brooks argues that such policies substitute a political creed for the free-enterprise ethos that once underpinned the city’s growth. He contends that faith traditions should anchor political life rather than government programs, and he casts activism and identity politics as forces that foster division rather than unity.
The author frames the debate as a national crisis, saying faith has receded from public life from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., and that crime, family strain and cultural shifts trace back to a lack of moral direction. The piece argues that a renewal of religious and ethical commitments could help heal divisions and restore a sense of purpose to public life, while cautioning against a political system that treats policy victories as spiritual salvation.
Brooks’s message extends beyond critique. He invokes his own nonprofit work on Chicago’s South Side, Project H.O.O.D., which he runs alongside his role as senior pastor of New Beginnings Church. His rooftop vigils—long-running demonstrations designed to transform violence-plagued blocks into community hubs—are cited as a model of faith-led service intended to rebuild neighborhoods from the ground up. The organization emphasizes mentorship, opportunity, and community uplift, aiming to channel faith-driven action into tangible outcomes for at-risk youth and families. The walk, he says, is meant to mobilize Americans to reclaim churches not as tourist destinations but as living centers of faith, service and civic responsibility.
The national scope of the discussion, Brooks suggests, requires a return to foundational ideals that emphasize individual responsibility, charitable engagement and the role of faith communities in shaping a just society. He urges people to participate in the journey, to support faith-based community centers and to reject what he calls false gods of socialism and identity politics. The walk, he says, is about rekindling a sense of purpose and opportunity that, in his view, has been eroded by a trend toward larger government and a secular political religion.
As the trek continues, Brooks intends to broaden the conversation about how faith and civic life intersect in the nation’s cities and towns. He envisions a future in which churches serve as anchors for neighborhoods, schools and families, helping to restore faith in the possibility of upward mobility and a shared American dream. The movement remains a focal point for supporters who see the walk as a call to action for faith communities and concerned citizens alike. For readers following the journey, supporters can engage with Brooks’s efforts through his nonprofit and related outreach programs, which aim to sustain long-term community rebuilding rooted in faith and service.
The Walk Across America remains ongoing as Brooks travels toward other communities, inviting Americans to reexamine the role of faith in public life and to participate in rebuilding efforts that prioritize character, opportunity and community well-being. In his view, a renewed reliance on faith and personal responsibility can help restore the vitality of the American Dream and the nation’s political and civic life for years to come.