Anti-Racism as a Spiritual Practice: Season Two

Religion News Service (RNS) announces the launch of the second season of Anti-Racism as a Spiritual Practice with Simran Jeet Singh.

Religion News Service (RNS) announces the launch of the second season of Anti-Racism as a Spiritual Practice with Simran Jeet Singh.

The first season, originally titled Becoming Less Racist: Lighting the Path to Anti-Racism, launched in June 2020 given the protests against police brutality and racial discrimination in the U.S. As Singh wrote in 2020, “There are moments in history where societies reach breaking points, no longer able to ignore the ills that plague them. We are living in one of those moments currently, and it feels as exciting as it does scary. We have the opportunity to confront our errors and reform our structures, but we better get it right.” All episodes from season one can be found here.

Speakers in season two will continue focusing on “how to get it right,” probing the intersection of faith, justice, and politics, and trying to both ask and answer the hard questions. Their conversations will be either live or pre-taped. The pre-taped interviews were live lectures at Trinity College and Columbia University. Live interviews will first appear on RNS’s Facebook page. All full-length interviews will be made available on RNS’s website and YouTube page. The calendar for season two is below. All episodes are scheduled for 3:00 pm EST on a Wednesday.  Bios for each interviewee is included in their links.


JANUARY: During our first episode, on Wednesday, January 27, 2020, we will hear from Lance Allred, the first legally deaf person to play in the NBA. He’s also a Mexican national with a Mormon background. Join us as we explore how his unique experiences inform his commitment to racial justice. 

FEBRUARY

  • 3rd: Kaitlin Curtice – What does it look like for an indigenous, Christian woman to explore her native identity, decolonize her own Christian faith, and still remain committed to both? 
  • 10th: Lisa Sharon Harper – We will be talking Blackness, Christianity, and what we can all learn from The Gospel. 
  • 17th: Rabbi Angela Buchdahl – What do you know about Jews of Color? And what must it feel like to experience both Anti-Semitism and racism in one body?
  • 24th: Anand Venkatkrishnan – We often talk about race and caste in one breath. How do they differ? How are they alike? What can we learn from them both?

MARCH

  • 3rd: Wil Gafney – As a Black woman and scholar of the Torah, Dr. Gafney often is asked if she even knows Hebrew. Learn more about her experiences and lessons learned along the way. 
  • 10th: Omid Safi – One of the most prominent scholars of Islam talks about what it’s like to be Muslim in America today, and how his tradition nourishes him through many challenges. 
  • 17th: Mark Charles – It’s not possible to understand American racism without understanding its roots in religious doctrine. Join us as we learn about the Doctrine of Discovery with Mark Charles. 
  • 24th: Judith Weisenfeld – Weisenfeld is one of the most prominent scholars of race, religion, and African American history — and she shares with us her personal journey and professional work. 
  • 31th: Najeeba Syeed – Xenophobia and immigration are two of the most urgent issues of our time. How do they tie in with racism? What can we do to support immigrant and racial justice?

APRIL

  • 7thChris Stedman – Chris Steadman’s first book, Faitheist, catapulted him to national prominence. Now he has a new book, In Real Life, in which he talks about relationships and communities in our digital age. We’ll talk about humanism, sexuality, and faith — and how all of that fits with an anti-racist practice.
  • 14thIlyse Morgenstein-Fuerst – Being Jewish has fueled Ilyse’s work in addressing race and religion, but not in the way you might think. She’s a scholar of Islam and helped created the Certificate for Religious Literacy in the Professions at UVM. Come learn why she thinks that matters. 
  • 21st: Sandi Villarreal – Sandi Villareal is a San Antonio native who now serves as Editor-in-Chief for Sojourners Magazine, a publication long devoted to Christian faith and justice. Join our conversation as she discusses being a Latina in a leadership role and how her faith drives her focus on justice.

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About Religion News Service

Religion News Service is an independent, nonprofit source of global news on religion, spirituality, culture and ethics, reported by a staff of professional journalists. Founded in 1934, RNS informs readers with objective reporting and insightful commentary, and is relied upon by readers, listeners and viewers in the United States and around the world. Visit ReligionNews.com.

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