Archive
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 …
The Special Report: Smith-Pollard looks back on Rodney King Beating
The Special Report with Areva Martin hosted Najuma Smith-Pollard for a conversation on the impact of the Rodney King beating on Los Angeles and the country 30 years later, along with Lora …
New York Times: Najuma Smith-Pollard on Police Funding
As part of its coverage of the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, the New York Times wrote about the debate over funding for the …
CBS2: Smith-Pollard on MLK’s impact in Los Angeles
The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. found both support and opposition in Los Angeles. Najuma Smith-Pollard of the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement spoke with CBS-LA about the legacy of …
The LAist: Smith-Pollard on Gascón’s Parole Reforms
L.A. District Attorney George Gascón prohibited his prosecutors from opposing parole or attending parole hearings in a reform meant to encourage the release of those with low risk of committing another crime. …
In Wake of Chauvin Trial, What Can Faith Leaders Learn From the Rodney King LA Civil Unrest?
This article was originally published in Religion News Service and The Washington Post. As the U.S. reacts to the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, many are wary of violence …
Faith Leadership Engagement with the FBI
On Wednesday, April 21, 2021, the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s Critical Conversation series focused on the FBI’s relationship with communities. Pastor Najuma Smith Pollard, program manager of the Cecil …
Showing Up! Female Faith Leadership in the COVID-19 Pandemic
This post was originally published on the Berkley Forum, as part of a series on Gender, Religion and COVID-19. As a female pastor and community faith leader, I found myself called to …
Black Female Leadership within LAPD: Untold Stories!
High-ranking African-American female leadership in the Los Angeles Police Department share untold stories of issues around racial equity, internal culture and politics of the LAPD, and being a Black woman in law …
Conversation 2: The Realities of Good Intentions
In our work at CRCC, we often interact with faith leaders who have wonderful plans for publicly engaged ministries and outreach programs. Indeed, our definition of a thriving congregation includes the twin …
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 …
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 …
Critical Conversations: Public Transportation in a Pandemic
The USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement presents Phillip A. Washington, CEO of Metro, in conversation with the Murray Center’s Najuma Smith-Pollard and Frank Jackson, Jr. Find out how Washington has …
Politics, Divisions, Elections and Thriving Congregations
We often hear that politics and religion should never be broached in polite conversation. We beg to differ, and instead believe that both politics and religion tell us much about our personal …
Fatal Intersections of Black Women and the Law: The Case of Breonna Taylor
This article was originally published by the Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion. I live in Los Angeles, California, near what seems to me to be one of the …
How Congregations Can Heal and Grow in the Face of Trauma
Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis (Pepperdine University) speaks about how pastors, congregational leaders and members can think about facing trauma. She talks about how people can heal and grow in response to traumatic life …
How Congregations Can Build and Nurture Relationships in Digital Spaces
Amanda Quraishi (Institute for Digital Civic Culture) provides insights on developing new and nurturing established relationships in a digital context when most are physically distanced. This was recorded as part of the …
Adaptive Approaches to Congregational Leadership
Quentin P. Kinnison (Fresno Pacific University) speaks on reimagining congregational leadership from a problem-solving approach to an adaptive approach that partners with congregants as together they face challenges and pursue new opportunities. …
From Competition to Collaboration – Creating Thriving Congregations
Eric Marsh (Long Beach Church Collective) has been successful in developing multiple collaborative initiatives among churches, other religious organizations, and the public sector in Long Beach, California. He provides some thoughts on …