Current Events
Ahead of Andrew Brown Jr’s funeral, North Carolina clergy cry out for justice
Many of North Carolina’s prominent clergy have called for police reform and accountability in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.
But the killing of Andrew Brown Jr., a 42-year-old man shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies in eastern North Carolina’s Elizabeth City, a town of 18,000 people on the bend of the Pasquotank River, is personal for Rev. William Barber and others.
“America Is Not Racist”-A Prophetic Reflection
For African Americans who watched the two addresses of President Joe Biden and Senator Tim Scott, their discussions of racism stood out.
Faith leaders across US join in decrying voting restrictions
In numerous states, voting rights activism is being led by multifaith coalitions that include Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups. Here is what some of the faith leaders are saying.
Why some Christians want Target to stop carrying a bestselling book of prayers
The backlash against a prayer in the book called “Prayer of a Weary Black Woman,” by clinical psychologist and womanist theologian Chanequa Walker-Barnes, is mainly about one controversial line.
Gospel singer Deitrick Haddon commemorates pandemic’s ‘year of loss’ in new song
‘Man, we can’t stand to lose anybody else. I mean, how much more can we take?’ said the singer about his lyrics for ‘Sick World.’
Faith groups celebrate Virginia’s death penalty ban
The move is considered to be a victory for religious opposition to capital punishment.
Prison Fellowship joins campaign to reform cocaine sentencing guidelines
Prison Fellowship has joined forces with criminal justice and prosecutorial organizations to support bipartisan efforts to reduce disparities in sentences that punish Black Americans more harshly than white Americans.
Faith leaders push back against proposed ‘Souls to the Polls’ voting restrictions
Many leaders believe lawmakers are focused on reducing effective strategies Black churches have historically employed to mobilize voters.
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.