Archive
Sonia Tinoco García: Responding to Muslim Asylum Seekers at the US-Mexico Border
This article was originally published on New Lines Magazine, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. It’s late afternoon in Tijuana, and the air is hot and thick. Hamza — …
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 …
John Orr: Religion professor’s long career at USC helped launch some of the university’s most distinctive programs
Professor Emeritus of Religion John Orr was a continuous presence on the USC campus for nearly 30 years. He helped usher in a number of programs that define the university’s commitment to …
L.A. Times: Najuma Smith on the LAPD Civilian Review Process
The Los Angeles Times interviewed CRCC’s Najuma Smith about her decision to volunteer for Los Angeles Police Department civilian review process. The Times investigation found that some reviewers have been chosen repeatedly …
Thriving (or Just Surviving): 2023 Trends to Watch in Religion and Society
If CRCC’s annual trends to watch have been growing more ominous in recent years, then 2023 feels like a pivotal year for many of the issues we’ve been tracking: Like our final …
Huda Abu Arqoub: Building the Land Her Grandfather Knew
Peacebuilder Huda Abu Arqoub has a spiritual vision for Israel/Palestine rooted in the past. A truly holy land, she says, is one in which all can live together. When Huda Abu Arqoub …
Jenifer Colpas Fernández: Young Colombian activist brings light to the displaced communities
This article was originally published on Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. CARTAGENA, Colombia (RNS) — In Isla de León, an hour’s drive through traffic-choked streets …
Remembering Edmund Kaszibuloh Koroma: A Savior and Peace Builder
He was many things rolled into one: A committed community peace builder, a passionate promoter of religious tolerance and a tireless advocate of free education for children. Above all, Edmund Kaszibuloh Koroma …
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,” …
Stones that Have Weathered Many Storms: A Reporter’s Notebook from a Human Rights Defender’s Place of Solace
In the rugged landscape of the Kotayk Province of Armenia, Geghard Monastery rises from an amphitheater of steep cliffs like a revelation. Even the long trek to the monastery complex, surrounded by …
Lara Aharonian: Advocating for Armenia’s Vulnerable Women
This article was originally published by Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. YEREVAN, Armenia (RNS) — Home for Lara Aharonian is this capital city whose architecture …
RNS: Gajaweera on Buddhism and Sri Lanka’s Recent Protest Movement
Protests that led to Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resignation have raised questions about the role of Buddhism in the country’s politics. Religion News Service interviewed CRCC’s Nalika Gajaweera about the Buddhist …
Sister Agatha Chikelue: Committed to Building Peace in Nigeria
This article was originally published by Global Sisters Report, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. When she was an infant, Agatha Chikelue became gravely ill. Her parents took her to …
Tom Catena: Choosing Joy Over Happiness
This article was originally published by Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. GIDEL, Sudan — The media is filled with articles on how to achieve happiness, including in …
Sri Lanka’s Dual Crisis: Ethnic Conflict & the Debt Economy
This article was originally published by Jamhoor. “Except for the home crowd cheering for our national team at an international cricket match, it was the first time I was seeing Sri Lankans …
Media on the 30 Years after LA’s 1992 Civil Unrest
As the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture reflected on the 1992 Civil Unrest, the words and efforts of the Rev. Dr. Cecil Murray following the unrest continued to be highlighted …
Communality: A Possible Solution to Environmental Protection
“An individual does not exist,” Jaime Martínez Luna, a Zapotec intellectual (pictured in yellow jacket), told me as we shared coffee in his kitchen in the small mountain village of San Pablo …
Why Activism Thrives in L.A.’s Black Churches
This article was originally published by Trojan Family Magazine. by Eric Lindberg; Photos by Gus Ruelas Many members of the Rev. Najuma Smith-Pollard’s church near downtown Los Angeles struggled for food during the …
Student Reflection: Researching Healing Justice with Dignity and Power Now
By Addison Baker Addison Baker is an undergraduate student at The University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. Addison spent time researching the Black Lives Matter movement, along with healing modalities and …