RNS Updated Budget — Friday, June 19, 2020

Thousands of people came out for a faith community-led march celebrating Juneteenth on Friday afternoon (June 19) through downtown Chicago’s Grant Park, home to some of the city’s most iconic landmarks and attractions. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 1,350 words. […]

NEWS STORY
RNS-Chicago-Juneteenth: Chicago celebrates Juneteenth with interfaith march through iconic Grant Park
CHICAGO (RNS) — Thousands of people came out for a faith community-led march celebrating Juneteenth on Friday afternoon (June 19) through downtown Chicago’s Grant Park, home to some of the city’s most iconic landmarks and attractions. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 1,350 words. (category: a)

NEWS STORY
RNS-Vischer-Video: Veggie Tales creator Phil Vischer releases viral video on race in America 
(RNS) — Bob the Tomato wants you to care about racism. Veggie Tales creator and voice of Bob the Tomato, Phil Vischer’s viral video “Race In America” has over 2.8 million views and helps answer the question: “Why are people so angry?” By Kathryn Post. 649 words. (category: a)

NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Cemetery-Lawsuit: Justice Department sues Virginia county for blocking Muslim cemetery
(RNS) — The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against a Virginia county for “imposing restrictive zoning requirements” that blocked an Islamic nonprofit from building a Muslim cemetery. The suit, filed Friday (June 19), argues that Stafford County violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act by imposing overly restrictive regulations on the religious practice of All Muslim Association of America Inc. By Aysha Khan. 396 words. (category: a)


NEWS STORY
RNS-Togo-Nun: In Togo, a Catholic nun fights COVID-19 for the sake of her AIDS patients
(RNS) — “Here, people won’t die from COVID-19 but mostly from its consequences,” said Sister Marie Stella Kouak, a Catholic nun whose nonprofit in Togo, on Africa’s west coast, is on the front line against the pandemic and also facing unforeseen hardship. By Clément Girardot. 800 words. (category: i)

NEWS STORY
RNS-Pandemic-Bris: Pandemic forces Jews to be flexible on ritual circumcisions
(RNS) — Finding someone to perform a bris during the coronavirus pandemic is a challenge. Some Jewish mohels say they are busier than ever; others have shut down their work. by Menachem Wecker. 688 words. (category: a)

COMMENTARY
RNS-Ecklund-Oped: How white churches can work for racial justice
(RNS) — Racism and anti-blackness have been shown by social science to be part of the very fabric of our organizations, including religious communities. Being part of the problem means we can be part of the solution. By Elaine Howard Ecklund and Rachel Schneider. 1,040 words. (category: k)

COMMENTARY
RNS-Wallis-Oped: A kairos moment
(RNS) — The conversation about “changing the culture” of law enforcement and the broader structural realities — poverty, housing, mental health, addiction, education, and economics — is necessary. But we must also realize the culture of America is already changed, as white people now see they must stop and learn the meaning and consequences of 401 years of racism and slavery. By Jim Wallis. 1,350 words. (category: k)

COMMENTARY
RNS-Cross-Oped: Rethinking white privilege and how we are really blessed
(RNS) — Pastor Louie Giglio apologized for inelegantly trying to explain white privilege in terms of ‘white blessings.’ But there is something more fundamentally wrong with how he, and many Christians, identify ‘blessing’ with the American sense of material wealth and power. By Alan Cross. 960 words. (category: k)