Faith and Race in Building Local Coalitions for Justice

Rev. Michael Crosby of First Mennonite Church and the Interfaith Alliance of Champaign County and Rev. Terrance Thomas of Bethel AME Church and the Ministerial Alliance of Champaign-Urbana discussed building multiracial, multifaith coalitions for justice. They traced the racialization of American Christianity, analyzed power and decision-making as the substance of politics, and recounted local efforts: a 48-hour prayer-for-peace service, a gun-violence coalition, and a RAW Tools event converting firearms into garden tools, including how a Black History Month prayer service was co-opted. Audience questions addressed school-district attendance plans, a national Poor People's Campaign action, Christian privilege within interfaith work, and state violence. Fall 2022 series.