The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture is a research and training center that explores how religions change and make change in Southern California and the world. This video tells the story of how the center came to be and the role it plays today in the university, Los Angeles and beyond.
The center developed in the wake of the 1992 L.A. uprising, in which the state violence and inequalities experienced by people of color in South L.A. came to a head after the acquittal of white police officers in the beating of Rodney King. An initial study on the role of religious actors in rebuilding after the L.A. riots led to the founding of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California in 1996. Today, CRCC conducts interdisciplinary research on the future of religion, and provides training, evaluation and strategic consulting to help faith communities and parties work together to address important social issues.
