Archive
2024 Shurden Lectures: Whose Country Is It Anyways?
Watch 2024 Shurden Lectures: “Whose Country Is It Anyway?” The Rev. Dr. Joseph Evans and the Rev. Dr. Christopher The brought their unique experiences and expertise to a conversation on religious and …
Compelling Preaching Conference
The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture hosted the Compelling Preaching Initiative Conference, a one-day exploration of transformative preaching in today’s ever-changing social and cultural landscape, in February 15, 2024. Apply …
Sister Networks Building Hope at the US/Mexico Border
Catholic sisters are working together across congregations and across the US/Mexico border to better serve people in need of housing, food, health care and immigration services. This video highlights the work of …
Women of Integrity: Celebrating 175 Years of the Immaculate Heart Community
On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, the exhibition “Women of Integrity: Celebrating 175 Years of the Immaculate Heart Community” opened in USC’s Doheny Memorial Library. It tells the remarkable story of the Immaculate …
Imam Muhsin Hendricks: Promoting an Inclusive Islam for LGBTQ+ Muslims
Imam Muhsin Hendricks is one of the world’s first openly queer Muslim prayer leaders. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Hendricks heads the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation, an international organization that helps LGBTQ+ Muslims …
Marguerite Brankitse: Forgiveness Is Key to Overcoming Genocide
This article was originally published on National Catholic Reporter, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. This year marks 30 years since violence exploded between Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups …
Layli Miller Muro: Protecting the Rights of Migrants
As a lawyer and a member of the Baha’i faith, Layli Miller-Muro believes the pursuit of justice is a divine calling. When she was in law school in 1996, Miller-Muro successfully helped …
Sister Norma Pimentel: The Hands and Voice of God for Migrants at the US/Mexico Border
Sister Norma Pimentel is one of the nation’s leading voices calling for new and more just immigration policies. As executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, she …
Why They Cross the Mediterranean: Italy’s ‘Guardian Angel of Refugees’ in Conversation with a Survivor of the 2013 Lampedusa Shipwreck
For nearly 20 years, Eritrean Catholic Priest Mussie Zerai has fielded thousands of distress calls from refugees and migrants on shipwrecked vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. “I’ve heard the voices. I’ve heard …
Father Mussie Zerai: The Migrant Priest
Father Mussie Zerai (born in Asmara, 1975) is an Eritrean Roman Catholic priest and refugees’ rights advocate. Referred to as “the migrant priest,” “guardian angel of the refugees,” and “refugees’ first responder,” …
ABC7: Najuma Smith-Pollard on Black History Month
CRCC’s Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard was interviewed on ABC7 News about Black History Month. “It’s about having the mindset of we and us, not just me and myself alone,” Smith-Pollard said. “Black …
For Covering and Joy: A Prayer for Black History Month
Najuma Smith-Pollard helped University of Southern California kick off Black History Month with a prayer for the university-wide event, “Black Joy: Embracing Health and Vitality.” Watch the prayer or read the full …
Community Storytelling for Policy Change: 30th anniversary of LA Civil Unrest
In times of turmoil, storytelling can be a catalyst for policy change as well as a symbol for healing and resistance. As we recognize the 30th anniversary of the Los Angeles Uprising, …
Unwrapping Christmas Traditions in US and Around the World – Dornsife Dialogues
Christmas is so popular that it’s celebrated by 85% of Americans and approximately 2 billion Christians and non-Christians in 160 countries. But what is the origin of this holiday and how is …
Celebrate AMCLI Videos – Founders and Fellows
The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture celebrates 15 years since AMCLI began as a seed of an idea. The American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute builds the capacity of emerging Muslim …
Hate Crimes & Civil Rights: A Critical Conversation with the FBI & US Attorney’s Office
In response to the rise of hate crimes nationally, the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement invited faith leaders and community activists to join a critical conversation with the FBI and …
Sexual Abuse, Whiteness and Patriarchy in Buddhist Sanghas
North American Buddhist communities have been and continue to be sites of sexual violations and power abuses. “Sexual Abuse, Whiteness and Patriarchy” is the first in a series of conversations that brings …
An Interfaith Dialogue on the Crisis Care Needs of Faith Communities
Faith leaders share about the behavioral health crises affecting diverse faith communities and the critical role they play as a support system during times of crisis. This panel was a part of …
Technology, Innovation, and Thriving Congregations: Changing our Mindset
The COVID pandemic has highlighted the contingent nature of the ability of the local congregation to survive, let alone thrive. As limitations on meeting in person have been instituted, most congregations have …
Election Dissection: Understanding Faith and Politics in the 2020 Presidential Election
The November 2020 US Presidential election marked the end of the Trump presidency. The election also revealed new shifts in the way that Americans vote and self-identify in electoral politics. What does …