Current Events
Want to understand Black experience? Learn about African American faith, survey finds
Half of Black church attendees — defined in the study as African Americans who attend a majority Black church — agree “strongly” that faith is a crucial dimension of the Black experience. Additionally, almost 4 in 10 (38%) agree “somewhat” about that.
UMI Mourns the Loss of Founder, Dr. Melvin E. Banks
Dr. Banks died on Saturday, February 13, 2021, at age 86.
Rev. Suzan Johnson Cook’s Black women in ministry program gains $1 million grant
The grant is part of Lilly Endowment’s Thriving in Ministry emphasis that supports U.S. religious organizations starting or enhancing programs that help experienced clergy mentor newer pastors as they lead congregations.
At Amanda Gorman’s Black Catholic LA parish, ‘it’s like everybody here is a freedom fighter’
Gorman, who graduated from Harvard University last year, captivated Americans with the recent recitation of her poem on national unity at President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Biden revives plan to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill
Although millions voted to put her face on the bill in an online poll, many still don’t know the story of her life and the role faith played in it.
Kamala Harris’ swearing-in will feature other trailblazers
The first woman, African American and South Asian to become vice president will be sworn in on two Bibles with personal resonance.
James Clyburn to propose designating ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ as the national hymn
“To make ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ a national hymn, would be an act of bringing the country together,” reads a Tuesday (Jan. 12) tweet from @WhipClyburn.
We want to save children, but distressed and vulnerable parents need help, too
How should we respond when confronted with the fact that thousands of families were separated this year not because parents failed their children but because broken systems did?
Urban Faith News Roundup
Around the Web: Critical Race Theory still stirring emotions; Pastor Warnock misunderstood; Obama responds that he didn’t do enough for Blacks, and more…
Cookies, hot cocoa, pick-me-up notes: ‘Sparks’ of kindness
Sparks of Kindness is an online community of people going out of their way to put a smile on the faces of others through small but touching good deeds, especially in tumultuous times of pandemic, protests and political division.
Black Christian News Roundup
What’s New: Post-election conversations on race; Church leaders address racial injustices with book study; Black leaders overcoming resistance to participating in COVID trials, and more…
The pandemic has left mothers struggling to feed their kids
Data on food insecurity among families shows dramatic racial gaps exist, with Black and Latinx families suffering in higher numbers. It’s almost a secondary pandemic.
Guard chaplains reflect on Floyd protests, lessons learned
Minnesota National Guard chaplains focus on building bridges within tense communities and bringing faith-grounded calm and comfort to the front lines whenever they may be mobilized again.
Black Christian News Roundup
What’s New: Pharrell Williams and a new gospel choir; a Black Trump voter no longer feels alone; a quest to unearth one of the oldest Black churches, and more.
How faith leaders organized to win two major environmental victories in Louisiana
A company plans to build a giant plastics manufacturing facility on a site in St. James Parish where evidence suggests enslaved African Americans were buried. Churches — particularly Black churches — have played a role in the environmental justice movement since its inception.
Five faith facts about former President Barack Obama’s new book: ‘A Promised Land’
A Promised Land,” only mentions four pages in its index under the category “faith and.” But the title of the book by the 44th U.S. president invokes biblical imagery — a land promised by God to his people — and Obama includes the role of religious institutions, faith leaders and personal traditions.
Homeless Shelters Grapple With COVID Safety as Cold Creeps In
As winter weather moves in, there’s less room at the shelters for those in need — threatening to leave many, literally, out in the cold. Shelters and churches are stepping up in the face of a challenging situation.
‘We’ve worked for it:’ Barbara Lee on the future of Black women in leadership
California Rep. Barbara Lee talks about Kamala Harris’ Senate seat and House leadership in 2021.