Officials across the Southland and the U.S. issued statements expressing outrage and condemnation over the video depicting the beating and murder of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis, Tennessee police officers.
Cheers, applause, fond memories and best wishes were constantly repeated during the celebration for the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, who retired from the University of Southern California after 17 years. Scores of people filled the University Club patio on October 20 for a reception saluting Murray’s tenure as an instructor, lecturer, and namesake of the USC Cecil L. Murray Center for Community Engagement. The array of genders, ethnicities and professions on hand attested to Murray’s wide-ranging impact. At USC, Murray was a senior fellow of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture and held the John R. Tansey
Taking ministry to the next level, especially after the pandemic, could prove to be daunting, but the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture shared a blueprint for clergy to succeed.
Danny J. Bakewell, Jr., Wilma Pinder, Lloyd T. McKinney Jr, Diamonté “Saweetie” Harper and Jaya Hinton were honored at the 46th Annual Scholarship Benefit sponsored by the USC Black Alumni Association (BAA).
Clergy for Black Lives, a collective of clergy members from throughout Southern California, sent a letter to California State University, Los Angeles (CSU Los Angeles) President, William Covino, on July 11, 2020 to inquire as to his reasoning for not appointing Dr. Melina Abdullah as the Inaugural Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies, the second College of Ethnic Studies in the nation. President Covino responded on July 13, 2020, stating that he was not on campus and could not address personnel matters.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District is reaching out to the faith-based community to support the agency’s ongoing campaign for clean air.
Hundreds of people from throughout the country descended on L.A. to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray. A joyous birthday worship service, hosted by Pastor Rethis Murry and the members of Holy Trinity AME Church in Long Beach, was held on Sept. 20, followed by a reception in Dr. Murray’s honor at USC on Sept. 26. Both occasions attracted overflowing crowds expressing their love and respect for Murray’s legacy. The legendary theologian, who served 27 years as pastor of the historic First AME Church of Los Angeles, led thousands to Christ and guided Angelenos
Pastor Mark E. Whitlock, Jr. of Christ Our Redeemer AME Church invited the faith community to join him in fasting for spiritual renewal and an end to gun violence. Through the fast, which started Nov. 11 and continues until Jan. 21, Whitlock believes God will heal “our lives, our land, our churches, our communities, our nation and world.” Among the incidents spurring Whitlock to action are the mass killings in Pittsburgh and Thousand Oaks as well as the recent murder in Las Vegas of the 25-year-old son of the Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard, pastor of Word of Encouragement Community Church
In Dr. Martin Luther King’s posthumously published essay, “A Testament of Hope,” he wrote, “It is forcing America to face all its interrelated flaws-racism, poverty, militarism and materialism”. In the past seven years, like it or not, our nation has had to face all its interrelated flaws – racism, poverty, militarism and materialism; and sexism, as represented by the wave of #’s from #TrayvonMartin to #Metoo. Those who have used their privilege to silence, repress and even oppress black and brown men and women, immigrants, LGBTQ, and other vulnerable people groups, are feeling the pinch and pressure from activists and everyday
This season, sisters and brothers, is not just one of fun, food and fellowship. It is not just one of parties, gifts, and toys. This season is the season of great joy. This was the prophetic pronouncement made by the angel of the Lord that ancient night to the shepherds; “I bring you good tidings of great joy.” It was a pronouncement worth singing, shouting and dancing about. This joy by which the shepherds were apprehended that night wasn’t just for them, this pronouncement of great joy was for all people. The joy of this season is for everybody.
Agape Church of Los Angeles offers a weekend focused on uplifting women starting Friday, October 13, at 7 p.m., and continuing on Saturday, October 14, at 10:30 a.m. and Sunday, October 15, at 11 a.m. “The Well Experience Women’s Symposium” will be held at the Consolidated Plaza, 3725 Don Felipe Drive in Los Angeles. The theme is “Women Made Whole Through Love and Liberation” based on John 4, said Bishop Craig A. Worsham, founder and pastor. “Women throughout the L.A. community will benefit from this event. Supervisor Barbara Bryant of the Church of God in Christ Southern California First Jurisdiction will
“We must learn that passively to accept an unjust system is to cooperate with that system, and thereby to become a participant in its evil.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. I was excited when asked to contribute a piece in celebration and reflection of African American History Month. I spent some time thinking through who or what contribution to write about in this piece, which figure or person, would be the focus of this commentary as an appropriate symbol and embodiment of all things beautifully African-American. However, I was led away from the focus being on a person, but about an
I was not quite ready for the personal challenge posed by “Birth of a Nation,” the new film by Nate Parker. The lead character, Nat Turner—a slave preacher turned revolutionary—faces internal moral conflict when the politics of slavery forces him preach to slaves about being obedient to their brutally violent slave masters. The pulpit of the black church has always been a sacred place for the black prophetic tradition, but in this film we learn how it was also used to promote complicity with evil. As a black preacher, I began to wonder if I had ever been guilty, even
Whether or not you agree he is a rapist; agree or disagree with the 55 women who have come forward with their truth; or whether you feel we should stand with Bill Cosby or be a part of the deconstruction of the icon, one thing that is undeniable. This story provides a great opportunity for the world, especially the Black church, to tackle the larger discussion around prevailing sexual violence and rape culture in America. In 2013, I wrote my dissertation on the role of the Black preacher to “Lift the Veil of Sacred Silence around Sexual Violence Through Prophetic