Archive
Kushil Gunasekera: ‘The More You Give, the More Will Be Yours to Give’
This article was originally published by The Arrow Journal, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. “I want to be one of the nicest human beings that this earth …
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 …
Rev. Najuma Smith-Pollard on Chauvin Trial
Religious leaders anticipated and responded to the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. Rev. Najuma Smith-Pollard, program manager for the USC Cecil Murray Center …
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 …
Religion in Los Angeles: Religious Activism, Innovation and Diversity in the Global City
Religion in Los Angeles: Religious Activism, Innovation and Diversity in the Global City Edited by Richard Flory and Diane Winston (Routledge, 2021) Why has Los Angeles been a hotspot for religious activism, …
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 …
VOANews Features Disasters & Religion App
Religious groups play a critical role in responding to wildfires, hurricanes and other disasters, VOA News notes in a piece about the Disasters & Religions app. The app helps disaster professional and …
Sojourners Magazine: Can Churches Earn the Trust of Young Racial Justice Activists?
Religious adherence may be on the decline among young people, but activists in the racial justice movement remain animated by spiritual practices, Sojourners magazine reported. The article quotes CRCC’s Hebah Farrag and …
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 …
Voices of Women and People of Color Must Be Part of Catholic Social Teaching Discussion
This article was originally published in the National Catholic Reporter. In a recent essay, Francis X. Rocca of the Wall Street Journal argued that Catholic social teaching presents a framework for uniting America, noting …
White Christian nationalism and the next wave of political violence
This article was originally published by The Hill. There was a brief period when Republicans appeared to reject Trumpism. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) condemned the insurrectionists as “terrorists, not patriots,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the seditionists were …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
Azza Karam: The Role Of Women In Faith And Diplomacy
This article was originally published in Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. LINDAU— Azza Karam was just about to step up to the podium at the Inselhalle in …
Sunita Viswanath: A New Kind of Allyship with Black Lives Matter
This article was originally published in The Juggernaut, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. When restaurant owner Ruhel Islam said “let my building burn” last month in Minneapolis, he instantly …