Individuals of multiple faiths and ethnicities stood and spoke as one voice Sunday night in The Fountains Methodist Church in support of interdependence, equality and unity in diversity.

Pastor David Felten described the rally as uniting faith traditions and no-faith followers so that “we can be a beacon of hope for what the future can be like.”

About 200 local residents and several from nearby communities joined together to denounce racial, religious and gender hatred during the one-hour service.

A grassroots effort organized the event in less than a week in response to the violent march in Charlottesville, VA, said Felten.

Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone joined the gathering. No protesters attended.

New Journey Lutheran Church Rev. Adele Resmer remarked that the events of the last week “awakened us to the reality that our neighbors who are Jewish, Muslim and people of color have long known. Our work is not done.

“Whether it is the challenge of a society where everyone is free and without fear to worship or to not worship, or if it’s all people, regardless of the color of their skin, can access and reap the benefits of our democracy and contribute to our common good, our work is not done.

“For the sake of people who come here from around the globe to build homes and raise families in safety and harmony, our work is not done.

“Perhaps we had hoped it was, or deeply wished that this hard work was behind us; but it is not.”

Pastor Resmer said it is time to “pick up the mantle” of those who pushed for religious inclusion and racial parity. Among those she mentioned were President Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. Martin Luther King.

“Let us say again that there is no place for racial hatred or anti-Semitism in our town, in this state, in this country,” she said. “Because none are free until all are free.”

Dean Hosni, a Muslim, spoke about individuals being equal but different.

“God looks at us and sees our commonality. He sees that we come from the same place, that we are his creation. But we’re different in our abilities, our potential, social standing, and color of our skin,” said Hosni. “In Islam, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that God sees our goodness, the choices we make when we are here.”\

“When we are identical, what’s the point? Our differences are what make us interesting.

“We are all equal before God. Not just Muslims, every person. Every human. The message of Islam is simple. Living up to it is hard.”

Rabbi Emily Langowitz of Temple Solel, Paradise Valley, compared the power of Arizonans to the sun.

As a recent transplant from Boston by way of New York City, she arrived earlier this summer during a heat wave of 115-plus temperatures.

“We are stronger than a force which melts mailboxes and recycling bins,” she said. “We are stronger together than the force that keeps planes on the ground. And if we together are stronger than the sun, then we are definitely stronger than racism.

“If we are stronger than the sun, we are definitely stronger than xenophobia. If we are stronger than the sun, we are definitely stronger than misogyny, anti-Semitism, white supremacy.”

Other speakers included Tory Roberg, director of government affairs for the Secular Coalition for Arizona, and Ahmad Daniels, a Muslim.