Posts in North America
Flagship S.C. Church Makes Statement of Contrition on Slavery and Race

First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in America. The church released a statement against racism, and will remove the names of former pro-slavery pastors from its buildings.

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John Lewis Knew Desegregation Wasn’t Enough

(OPINION) A simple removal of the “Whites Only” signs from water fountains, restrooms and waiting rooms missed the larger problem of segregation. The era of legalized racial segregation and discrimination was marked by the economic exploitation, political disfranchisement and social subordination of African Americans.

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Hosting an annual conference online this year will change the Jehovah's Witnesses forever

Amid rising COVID-19 cases and ongoing restrictions, the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ annual convention will not meet in person for the first time since 1897. The new adaptations designed for the pandemic have provided increased accessibility for Witnesses normally unable to attend, changes that will long outlive social-distancing guidelines.

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Rev. C.T. Vivian Remembered As Fearless Civil Rights Veteran, Loving Family Man

The voice and legacy of Rev. C.T. Vivian was memorialized at the Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta July 23 during a funeral that captured the faith and spirit of one of the most courageous veterans of the Civil Rights movement. Watch the full recording here.

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Bevelyn Beatty, Black Paint, And BLM: Courageous Act Or Cowardice Vandalism?

(OPINION) Over the weekend, African-American activists were arrested in New York for pouring black paint over a Black Lives Matter mural. Some have lauded it as a courageous act, and others have dismissed it as no more than vandalism of public art.

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Catholic churches vandalized: Where's the national press coverage?

(OPINION) As Americans go from the racial reckoning that has engulfed America for the past two months to the start of the general election season, vandalism involving the burning of a church or the decapitation of a Jesus statue can become highly symbolic and significant.

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Remembering Rep. John Lewis As A Man Of Faith Who Inspired Others

(OPINION) What stood out to me most in regard to Lewis was that he put principles over politics and for that he was respected by Republicans and Democrats. At the height of the 2008 Presidential campaign I learned during a gathering President George W. Bush hosted at the White House it wasn’t certain that Lewis was going to endorse Hillary Clinton for president.

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Navajo Nation, a COVID-19 hotbed, is facing extreme isolation, loss of tradition

The Navajo Nation is seeing an abrupt change to their way of life. Burial rituals are changing. Food insecurity is growing. Traditional ceremonies and religious services are cancelled, and without Internet (and without electricity in some homes), no virtual experiences can even attempt to break the isolation.

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Worship services continue despite COVID-19 threat

From the Bahamas to the Midwest, South and East Coast of the U.S, here’s how different houses of worship are handling the decision to reopen safely during the coronavirus pandemic or reach their communities online amid concerns of rising mental health problems during a lockdown and high unemployment.

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Catholic Church says its payroll loans are keeping thousands employed to serve millions in need

Thousands of Catholic organizations in the U.S. received over $1.4 billion in small business paycheck protection loans under a religious exemption that qualifies them. The church says the loans have protected more hundreds of thousands of jobs in the social services sector, in which the church is the largest non-government employer.

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