Race & Religion
In new book, James Baldwin emerges as a prophet for our time
By Yonat Shimron — October 12, 2023
(RNS) — Greg Garrett, a professor at Baylor University, wants to introduce a new generation of readers to the writer of short stories, novels and plays who believed America can do better.
Black churches play a key role in connecting communities to broadband internet
By Adelle M. Banks and Yonat Shimron — October 6, 2023
(RNS) — ‘There are churches near, and people near, places where there are no internet carriers at all,’ said the Rev. Barbara Williams-Skinner.
National Association of Evangelicals launches test to assess, foster racial justice
By Adelle M. Banks — September 25, 2023
(RNS) — ‘We didn't really want to recreate the wheel,’ said NAE’s new racial justice and reconciliation expert. ‘We wanted to bridge a gap that was existing.’
National Cathedral windows shift from themes of Confederacy to racial justice
By Adelle M. Banks — September 23, 2023
WASHINGTON (RNS) — 'There is a lot of work yet to be done to confront systemic racism,' said cathedral Dean Randy Hollerith.
From ‘Nights on Broadway’ to ‘1963’: Candi Staton recalls 16th St. Baptist bombing
By Adelle M. Banks — September 15, 2023
(RNS) — ‘I was thinking about trying to protect my children. And we had to drive right through the worst part of the riots — downtown Birmingham,’ she said.
The story of Emmett Till is the story of America
By Robert P. Jones — August 29, 2023
(RNS) — If we trace the historical stream further back, we can see, in Emmett Till’s story, America’s oldest struggles. Indeed, the land itself testifies to the cultural world in which Till’s murder was conceivable.
Churches must lead development in Black communities — if they want it to get done
By Quintin E. Primo — August 18, 2023
(RNS) — Black churches are primed to lead a new kind of movement, one centered on economic development and closing the staggering racial wealth gap.
Women at the first March on Washington: a secretary, a future bishop and a marshal
By Adelle M. Banks — August 17, 2023
(RNS) — ‘You wanted to present your best selves,’ recalled Bishop Vashti McKenzie, who was 16 at the time. ‘There was no one in jeans and T-shirts that I recall.’
Progressive National Baptists gain partners to address voting rights, gun violence
By Adelle M. Banks — August 10, 2023
(RNS) — Members of the historically Black Protestant denomination also marked the ninth anniversary of the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, in nearby Ferguson, Missouri.
For some Black faith leaders, Ohio’s Issue 1 is bigger than abortion
By Kathryn Post — August 8, 2023
CLEVELAND (RNS) — ‘I think our faith community is waking up to the fact that there are various attacks on our voting rights and our ability to let our voices be heard,’ said Lesley Jones, a Cincinnati-based pastor and organizer.
For Bisi Gbadamosi, fighting racism began with going to therapy
By Bob Smietana — August 2, 2023
(RNS) — The combination of spiritual and racial trauma can be overwhelming, said Bisi Gbadamosi, a Florida counselor and Christian speaker.
Vice President Harris critiques Florida’s slavery view at AME churchwomen’s meeting
By Adelle M. Banks — August 1, 2023
(RNS) — Harris said she felt ‘at home’ among the African Methodist Episcopal Church members as she recalled her own Christian upbringing in Oakland, California.
He made it out of prison. Now he’s helping others do the same.
By Yonat Shimron — July 27, 2023
(RNS) — Reentry is a huge challenge for many formerly incarcerated, who encounter a combination of laws and rules that block them from jobs, housing and voting. Stanley Frankart is there to help.
Emmett Till memorialized in monument that includes Chicago church
By Adelle M. Banks — July 25, 2023
(RNS) — ‘At a time when there are those who seek to ban books, bury history, we're making it clear — crystal, crystal clear,’ said President Joe Biden.
Frederick D. Haynes III on succeeding Jesse Jackson, marching and ‘woke preaching’
By Adelle M. Banks — July 21, 2023
(RNS) — ‘Jesse Jackson has been a mentor for quite some time, so I can't say there's a singular piece of advice because he has given me so much,’ said Haynes.
