Archive
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 …
Donald E. Miller: ‘Spiritual exemplars’ change the media narrative about religion
This article was originally published on Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Media stories about religion often focus on corruption in religious institutions, politicians’ alliances with conservative Christians and …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Student Reflection: Curating Religion: Pluralistically, Singularly, or Not At All?
By Caris White Caris White is a student at Dartmouth College studying religion and art history. The following blog post was an independent project she worked on during a summer internship with …
Sister Teresa Forcades: Meet a Catholic Nun Who Smashes the ‘Pro-life’ Patriarchy
This article was originally published on Smashboard, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. “All women should have the ‘morning-after’ pill in their purses”. It’s a compelling statement, especially since …
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 …
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 …
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,” …
Passing on the Kindness: A Conversation on Faith and Social Entrepreneurship
The Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard hosted a conversation with Ida Puliwa, a social entrepreneur and community organizer from Malawi and a “Spiritual Exemplar,” profiled as part of the Center for Religion and …
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 …
Caroline Bundy: Finding Grace for Homeless Youth and LGBTQ+ in Alabama
This article was originally published by Alabama Political Reporter, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Alabama’s governor recently signed a pair of bills—one criminalizing gender-affirming care for transgender youth and …