Martin Luther King Jr.
James Clyburn to propose designating ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ as the national hymn
By Adelle M. Banks — January 13, 2021
(RNS) — The Democratic congressman from South Carolina said elevating the hymn — often described as the unofficial 'Black national anthem' — could be an act of healing.
Senate race thrusts ‘Black America’s church’ into spotlight
By Aaron Morrison — January 3, 2021
(AP) — A high-stakes Senate race and a Trump-era cultural debate have thrust Ebenezer Baptist Church into the center of the current political debate.
Why Indian activist Faisal Khan should matter to all Americans
By Timothy Dobe — December 11, 2020
(RNS) — An Indian Muslim's imprisonment may seem an unlikely cause to draw Hindus and Christians together.
Robert Putnam thinks religion could play a role in healing divisions
By Yonat Shimron — November 24, 2020
(RNS) — The renowned political scientist and his co-author say the reforms enacted in response to the Social Gospel movement of the Progressive Era might provide a lesson.
Evangelical Christians once were saved. After Trump, they’re lost.
By Michael O. Emerson and Joel Edward Goza — November 24, 2020
(RNS) — Trump did more than capture white evangelical Christians’ votes: He in many ways became the face of white evangelicalism.
Rev. Raphael Warnock considers vote sacred as pastor and Senate candidate
By Adelle M. Banks — November 13, 2020
(RNS) — Warnock is promoting his plans to address issues of the poor that he recalls from his days growing up as the 11th of 12 children of Pentecostal preachers in public housing in Savannah.
Raphael Warnock, heir to MLK’s pulpit, heads for runoff for Georgia Senate seat
By Paul O'Donnell and Adelle M. Banks — November 3, 2020
(RNS) — The pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, once co-pastored by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., now faces incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler.
Is Judge Barrett’s ‘kingdom of God’ different from Obama’s?
By Charles C. Camosy — September 22, 2020
(RNS) — Almost no one suggests today that Ginsburg, King and Obama were acting as theocrats when they invoked their faith in the pursuit of public policy.
Robert Graetz, a white Lutheran minister who supported Montgomery bus boycott, has died
By Bob Smietana — September 21, 2020
(RNS) — Rev. Robert Graetz faced death threats and derision for his support of the Montgomery bus boycott and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Rev. Gil Caldwell, United Methodist civil rights and gay rights activist, dead at 86
By Adelle M. Banks — September 8, 2020
(RNS) — Caldwell said his application to Duke Divinity School was rejected in the mid-1950s because of his race. He visited the campus some 60 years later.
Rev. Al Sharpton, families of police shooting victims join march on Washington
By Adelle M. Banks — August 28, 2020
(RNS) — ‘I want this country to know that even with your brutality you can’t rob us of our dreams,’ the civil rights activist said.
March on Washington events to focus on racial justice, police brutality, voting
By Adelle M. Banks — August 25, 2020
(RNS) — The 1963 event about economic empowerment and civic engagement is being echoed amid a new political climate.
From King to Gandhi, racial justice brings faiths together
By Eboo Patel — July 16, 2020
(RNS) — Racial equity is a movement where people from different faiths meet, are inspired by one another and advance a cause that we view as a sacred command.
From civil rights to no nukes: A look at historic protest photos
By RNS staff — June 11, 2020
(RNS) — Clergy and faith leaders have a long history of involvement in protests. Here’s a look back at some religious engagement in historic demonstrations.
My generation failed to deal with racism
By Thomas Reese — June 1, 2020
(RNS) — We cheered for black athletes, we welcomed a few blacks to our schools and workplaces, but we still live separate lives in our gated communities.
