USC Dornsife College Of Letters Arts and Sciences

University of Southern California

Archive

Archive

Memories of the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray – 1929-2024

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, who died April 5, 2024 at age 94, trained 1,000 faith leaders in community development and civic engagement at USC, building on an illustrious career …

2024 Shurden Lectures: Whose Country Is It Anyway?

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 …

God’s Resistance: Mobilizing Faith to Defend Immigrants

Watch a discussion about the power of faith to drive resistance to anti-immigration policies in the United States. This event was hosted by the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture on …

A Year of Crisis and Opportunity: 2024 Trends in Religion and Society

In CRCC’s annual trends post last year, we wrote about surviving, if not thriving. We write this year’s trends with a special place in our hearts for CRCC’s senior editor Nick Street, …

Black woman in glasses and long dreads stands in front of a green trees and a pond.

Konda Mason: Growing rice in Louisiana is a path to justice for Black farmers

This article was originally published on The Christian Science Monitor, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  It’s past daybreak on a muggy July morning when Konda Mason reaches the farm, a …

Fouzia Azizi: A Helping Hand for Afghan Refugees

Fouzia Azizi vividly recalls the night her family fled Afghanistan nearly 30 years ago. Fearing for their lives, they crossed the border into Pakistan. They traveled lightly, expecting to return soon. “I …

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 …

David Raimundo dos Santos: Without this Black Catholic Priest, Affirmative Action Wouldn’t Be Alive and Thriving in Brazil.

This article was originally published on Black Catholic Messenger, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  Sometimes the truth hits so hard that it changes your life forever. For the …

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 …

CapRadio: Najuma Smith on Solidarity within Black and Asian American Communities

What does racial solidarity look like among communities of color? CRCC’s Rev. Najuma Smith was interviewed on CapRadio’s Mid Pacific about the complex relationship the Black community has with the Asian American …

Mai Nguyen: A Grain Farmer Applies Buddhist Principles to Preserve the Land — and Maximize Taste

This article was originally published on Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  The first time Mai Nguyen tried bread made with hard Red Fife wheat, it …

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 …

Holistic Resilience: Why Some Spiritual Exemplars Question Suffering as a Path to Resilience

When CRCC’s “Spiritual Exemplars Project” team was invited to present about “resilience,” it was easy to think of many examples within our sample of 100+ spiritually engaged humanitarians who had endured and …

Dr. Nikia S. Robert: The Birth Of The Abolitionist Sanctuary

This article was originally published on The Christian Recorder, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  On a late spring Sunday in May, the Rev. Dr. Nikia S. Robert, an …

Los Angeles City Hall building rises into a blue sky, with sun shining from the right. American flags hang off the edge of city hall.

Finding Accountability and a Moral Agenda After Revelations of Racism in City Hall

Politicians are elected to represent all of their constituents, not just those who voted for or supported them. They should be fair-minded and not traffic in exclusionary or discriminatory practices, or promote …

KPCC: Najuma Smith-Pollard on LA Council Members’ Racist Remarks

Faith leaders are among those calling for accountability after the revelations of racist comments in a conversation between some of Los Angeles’ top Latino political leaders. The Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard spoke …

Kumu Hina and Walter Ritte: ‘A very Hawaiian place’

This article was originally published by Indian Country Today, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. HONOLULU, Hawai’i — It’s a weekday evening rush-hour in Honolulu, and Hina Wong-Kalu is driving us …

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 …

Thirty Years Later: Remembering LA’s 1992 Civil Unrest and Reimagining Social Action

Like the tectonic fault lines that can suddenly release pent-up geological pressures, shaking the literal bedrock of Southern California, the cultural fault lines between groups with unequal political and economic power periodically …