Current Events
Bob Moses, civil rights leader, led us to imagine the end of racism
The death of Bob Moses on Sunday (July 25) at age 86 should make anyone who dares meddle with Americans’ voting rights in this country pause. The life of the great educator and civil rights leader in Mississippi during the turbulent and violent 1960s reminds us that there may be no more noble cause and that it attracts powerful champions.
Sparked by pandemic fallout, homeschooling surges across US
Although the pandemic disrupted family life across the U.S. since taking hold in spring 2020, some parents are grateful for one consequence: They’re now opting to homeschool their children, even as schools plan to resume in-person classes.
With more than a million children orphaned by COVID, faith-based groups look to mobilize support
More than a million children around the world may have been orphaned by COVID-19, losing one or both parents to the disease or related causes.
Tunisia’s president orders military to manage virus crisis
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia's president ordered the military Wednesday to take over managing the national COVID-19 pandemic response, as the country fights one of Africa's worst outbreaks. The military health service will be assigned the task, Tunisian President...
Retiring Bishop Vashti McKenzie, first AME Church woman prelate, reflects on a groundbreaking career
(RNS) — Just-retired Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie is an apologist for an adaptive style of leadership. It's what has helped her succeed as the first woman to hold many roles in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. And it's a style of leadership she said was needed...
With Harris and Hannah-Jones, Howard University is on a roll
With the surprise twin hiring of two of the country’s most prominent writers on race, Howard University is positioning itself as one of the primary centers of Black academic thought just as America struggles through a painful crossroads over historic racial injustice.
SLAIN HAITIAN PRESIDENT FACED CALLS FOR RESIGNATION, SUSTAINED MASS PROTESTS BEFORE KILLING
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in the early morning hours of July 7, 2021, in a brazen attack on his private home outside Port-au-Prince, the capital.
Mega Move: An Interview with Hillsong Atlanta Pastor Sam Collier
In the midst of racial unrest, a global pandemic, and economic uncertainty, Hillsong church has not had an African American in leadership…until now. UrbanFaith contributor Maina Mwaura sat down to interview Pastor Sam Collier about his decision, the challenges, and his hopes in his role as the first black pastor in one of the largest most recognized church movements in the world.
In Kenya, faith groups work to resettle youth returning from al-Shabab
In Kenya’s coastal region, interfaith efforts to slow down or end youth recruitment into the militant Islamist group al-Shabab are gaining progress, with some recruits abandoning the extremist group’s training grounds in Southern Somalia to return home.
States want to prevent schools from telling the truth about racism in America. Here’s what educators can do about it.
At least half a dozen states have introduced legislation to prevent the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools. So what is the solution?
Slave-built infrastructure still creates wealth in US, suggesting reparations should cover past harms and current value of slavery
The fact that centuries-old relics of slavery still support the economy of the United States suggests that reparations for slavery would need to go beyond government payments to the ancestors of enslaved people to account for profit-generating, slave-built infrastructure.
NIH director: We asked God for help with COVID-19, and vaccines are the ‘answer to that prayer’
To help explain the role of faith groups in the national vaccine push, Religion News Service spoke with Francis Collins, an evangelical Christian who also serves as director of the National Institutes of Health. Collins discussed the program, as well as his faith and how he views the intersection of religion and science. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
US prisons hold more than 550,000 people with intellectual disabilities – they face exploitation, harsh treatment
Prison life in the U.S. is tough. But when you have an intellectual, developmental or cognitive disability – as hundreds of thousands of Americans behind bars do – it can make you especially vulnerable.
Trying to Avoid Racist Health Care, Black Women Seek Out Black Obstetricians
In addition to shared culture and values, a Black physician can offer Black patients a sense of safety, validation and trust. Research has shown that racism, discrimination and unconscious bias continue to plague the U.S. health care system and can cause unequal treatment of racial and ethnic minorities.
Wilberforce University, AME Church school, cancels debt for 2020, 2021 grads
There are usually lots of cheers and applause at university commencements. But 2020 and 2021 graduates of Wilberforce University, a school affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, had an extra reason to celebrate during their ceremony on Saturday (May 29) in Wilberforce, Ohio.
Racism Derails Black Men’s Health, Even as Education Levels Rise
More education typically leads to better health, yet Black men in the U.S. are not getting the same benefit as other groups, research suggests. The reasons for the gap are vexing, experts said, but may provide an important window into unique challenges faced by Black men as they try to gain not only good health but also an equal footing in the U.S.
100 years later, Black church leaders seek reparations for Tulsa massacre
(RNS) — On the first Wednesday in May, as the centennial of the Tulsa massacre approached, the Rev. Robert R.A. Turner stood outside Tulsa City Hall with his megaphone, as he does every week. "Tulsa, you will reap what you sow and that which you have done unto the...
Tennessee State University offers coding classes in Africa
Tennessee State University announced on Wednesday that it will begin offering an online app design and coding class in two African countries this fall.