INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Pastors, ministers, and community leaders come together to discuss key topics like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), education, and health care.

They’re concerned about legislation moving through the Indiana General Assembly.

Among the top concerns is the future of DEI and how it affects jobs, education and Medicaid.

“The message is getting out, and we’re doing our best to galvanize our state because Hoosiers are going to need some help in the very near future,” said Wayne Moore, senior pastor at Olivet Missionary Baptist Church.

Rev. David Greene Sr., senior pastor of Purpose of Life Ministries, says the point of the meeting is for leaders to create a strategy to fight back against what he says are damaging executive orders. He said it feels like they’re fighting for Civil Rights 2.0.

“It’s going to require us to be engaged, be consistent, and demand what is rightfully ours,” Greene said.

But to do that, the leaders first want input from members of their community. Organizers passed out comment cards for participants to contribute their ideas. Ideas from the meeting will be reviewed and a plan of action will be made at the next few meetings. Greene says he wants to build a community where people feel welcome.

“We need to create an environment where Black business and Black people feel like they have an opportunity for success,” Greene said. “You can’t do that as it’s constituted right now, so we’ve got to do better as a Hoosier state to be more welcoming, and also to keep our young people and our young talent.”

Moore hopes the discussion leads to more engagement with lawmakers and policies that will reflect the needs of all people.

“I would like to see it reinstituted from a governmental standpoint here in Indiana, and I’d like to see it refunded to where we can get the best results,” Moore said.