“Joy Comes in the Morning” is a workbook with 14 sermons delivered by the Rev. Dr. Cecil “Chip” Murray at First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles. Read More
Protests that led to Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resignation have raised questions about the role of Buddhism in the country's politics. Religion News Service interviewed CRCC's Nalika Gajaweera about the Buddhist monks who have supported the former president as well as those supporting the movement to take him out of power. Read More
Sri Lankan protesters and activists are appealing for solidarity as a nation, proclaiming a new found unity that transcends race, ethnicity, religion and language. Read More
As the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture reflected on the 1992 Civil Unrest, the words and efforts of the Rev. Dr. Cecil Murray following the unrest continued to be highlighted in media stories. CRCC's Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard, the spiritual daughter of Rev. Murray, was interviewed for multiple stories. FOX 11 LA looked back at 1992 and highlighted the way that Rev. Murray has passed along his legacy of community development and civic engagement work to others at the University of Southern California. Read More
In times of turmoil, storytelling can be a catalyst for policy change as well as a symbol for healing and resistance. As we recognize the 30th anniversary of the Los Angeles Uprising, a defining moment in our history, Lora King, Shinese Harlins-Kilgore, the Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard and Dr. Allissa V. Richardson for a vibrant discussion on the intergenerational impact of storytelling and its symbiotic relationship with public policy. Dr. Erroll Southers moderated the discussion. Read More
Since 2016, CRCC has shared the trends in religion and society that we see shaping the coming year. What started as light-hearted predictions has grown more ominous over the years. Read More
Religious leaders anticipated and responded to the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. Rev. Najuma Smith-Pollard, program manager for the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement, was part of a group of faith and community leaders that gathered for the reading of the verdict. Read More
As the U.S. reacts to the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, many are wary of violence breaking out as people celebrate and continue to cry for justice for other deaths at the hands of police. Against this backdrop, faith leaders in cities around the country are trying to prepare for what might happen in the days to come. Read More
Religious adherence may be on the decline among young people, but activists in the racial justice movement remain animated by spiritual practices, Sojourners magazine reported. The article quotes CRCC's Hebah Farrag and her research on the spirituality on Black Lives Matter. Read More
Images such as a flag that said “Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president” seem new, but this mix of white, right-wing identity politics and nationalist Christianity has been stirring for many years. It’s hard to say exactly when this version of white supremacist Christianity — embedded within and supported by the Republican Party — began, but one important turning point was President Nixon’s commitment to the GOP’s Southern strategy to attract Dixiecrats disaffected by the Democratic Party’s commitment to the civil rights movement. Read More
