Archive
Rev. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray: A Life of Faith and Service
Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray served for 27 years as pastor of the historic First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles and guided Angelenos through the trauma of and …
Sonic Fields of Protection in Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 Pandemic
In a piece for the Asia Research Institute, CRCC’s Nalika Gajaweera and fellow anthropologist Neena Mahadev examine how for Sinhala Buddhists, pirit recitations serve to channel Dharmic energies and intentions during the COVID-19 …
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 …
It’s Black History Month, But Do Black Families Feel Like Celebrating?
This interview was originally published in USC News. As a program manager for the USC’s Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement, the Rev. Najuma Smith-Pollard combines her experience as a pastor and …
Nestor Castro: Better Red Than Dead
Nester Castro (left), professor of anthropology at the University of the Philippines, holding an English-language Filipino newspaper from 1972, when Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in order to secure his grip on …
Nica Aquino: Searching for Home
Ironically, hope for the Kalinga way of life may be found far from Lubuagan and the Chico River, in the outposts of the Filipino diaspora. For example, one of Cirilo “Sapi” Bawer’s …
Aisha al-Adawiya: Making Space For Women In Mosques
This radio documentary was produced by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Listen to it on The Spiritual Edge’s website. To hear this and other profiles, subscribe …
Sarah Byrne-Martelli: A Hospital Chaplain Finds Joyful Sorrow For COVID-19 Patients Facing Death
This radio documentary was produced by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. To hear this and other profiles, subscribe to The Spiritual Edge podcast in your …
Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe: A Skeptic’s Take On A Nun’s Vocation To Serve The Poor Regardless Of Risks
This article was originally published by Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. ATIAK, Uganda— Studying religion all of my academic career has made me into a bit of …
Heline Babiene Eweni: In Cameroon, A 24-Year-Old Youth Pastor Is Helping Hundreds Displaced By Conflict
This article was originally published by Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. KUMBA, Cameroon — At precisely 10 p.m. every day, she locks herself in the silence of …
Sapi’s Struggle: Indigenous Resistance to Cultural Assimilation in the Philippines
This article was published with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. The buoyant chatter of children drifted down from a wooded ridge as we pulled up to the teaching …
Predictions 2021: An Uphill Struggle
As we do around this time each new year, we at the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) are going to make some predictions for 2021. Even though the world …
Transforming the American Sangha: Race, Racism and Diversity in North American Insight Meditation
North American Insight Meditation institutions, rooted in the Vipassana tradition of Theravada Buddhism, are often seen as liberal, inclusive multicultural spaces committed to welcoming diverse constituencies into their communities. The research undertaken …
Mindfulness in a time of Dis-ease: Breathing through Cancer, COVID & Climate Change
This article was originally published in Mindfully Speaking, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. My mind was racing. I couldn’t sleep despite the fatigue of the first trimester …
How Self-Proclaimed Christian ‘Prophets’ Provided Religious Motivation for the Jan. 6 Events at the US Capitol
This article was originally published by The Conversation. In addition to symbols of white supremacy, many of the rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6 carried signs bearing religious messages, such as …
Sister Mary Catherine Redmond: Connection, Compassion and Care in a Bronx COVID-19 Ward
This article was originally published in Global Sisters Report, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. NEW YORK — In the first three months of the pandemic, Sr. Mary Catherine Redmond …
AMCLI Advisory Council 2021-2022
In 2006, a group of Muslim civic leaders came together and shared ideas, stories, disappointments, and triumphs. They developed a renewed sense of community and cultivated a shared belief that their civic …
Rev. Anand Mathew: A Catholic Priest Takes on Interfaith Fight Against COVID-19 in India
This article was originally published in Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. VARANASI, India — Wearing a lilac tunic with a coarse cotton towel around his neck, …
Scott Warren and Emily Saunders: Facing Decades in Prison for Helping Migrants
This radio documentary was produced by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Listen to it on The Spiritual Edge’s website. To hear this and other …
Spiritual Leadership in Myanmar
I visited Yangon for the first time in January 2020, and from the airport tarmac into its downtown, the city had been signposted with billboards of Aung Sang Suu Kyi’s face. She …