Faith, Community + Justice: An NCCJ Interfaith Program

February 26, 2021
Category: Program
Tags: Community-Building, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Interfaith, Virtual Program,

As we stay physically distanced for a little while longer, it’s essential that we remain socially connected.

We’re thrilled to invite you to Faith, Community + Justice, a brand-new NCCJ interfaith program that we’re offering in two parts through webinars on the evenings of March 11 and 25.

Faith in Action: A Panel Discussion will take place on Thursday, March 11 from 6 – 7:30 PM (click here to register), followed by Faith and Social Justice: An Interfaith Conversation on Thursday, March 25 from 6 – 7:30 PM (click here to register).

(Keep reading for more information about these programs, our panelists and moderators, and the topics they’ll discuss.)

We hope you’ll join us for one or both of these virtual community events to keep having conversations about issues that matter to all of us – no matter how (or if) we worship.

Faith in Action: A Panel Discussion | Thursday, March 11, 6 – 7:30 PM (click to register)

Join us for a conversation about intersection of social justice, community action and faith between panelists Doha Medani, Rev. CJ Brinson, and Paul Ringel. NCCJ’s program director Michael Robinson will moderate their discussion, which will be followed by a Q&A.

Topics they’ll discuss will include:

How the national awakening to systemic racism has impacted their work
How their faith, beliefs and values guide their actions in the community
What it takes to transform inequitable systems

Meet Our Panelists for Faith in Action (March 11)

Rev CJ Brinson was born in the little city of Rocky Mount, NC and raised in Greensboro, NC. CJ graduated from Ragsdale High School and earned a B.A. in political science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He also received a Master’s in divinity from Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, North Carolina. CJ has worked with organizations such as the Beloved Community Center, Democracy NC, Black Lives Matter, Gate City Guardians, and Greensboro Operation Transparency, and the State Conference of the NAACP. His work includes fighting for police accountability, voter registration, and transparency from elected officials. Currently, CJ works as a Faith Based Director and Regional Organizer at NC Black Alliance/ Advance NC. His work there is rooted in empowering Black faith spaces to become politically engaged, while helping Black people develop Black political infrastructure in their local communities. He enjoys reading, listening to music, and spending time with his wife DraShonta, two daughters Jaelle and Neema, and toddler son Kanu. CJ has a passion for working in his community, and his ultimate desire in life is to serve God’s people, both in the Church and amongst the “Least of These” to the best of his ability.

Doha Medani (she/her) is a compassionate health advocate and digital organizer who is deeply rooted in her identities as a Sudanese American, Black Muslim woman. She holds a B.S. in Nutrition Science from NC State University. She is an Ignite NC alum and a Re:Power Digital Organizing School graduate. Additionally, she has served as a political education trainer for the Youth Organizing Institute Freedom School for high school youth in her hometown, Greensboro, NC. Currently, she facilitates the Southern Organizers Healing Collective, amongst other wellness initiatives. Doha is committed to the work of critically engaging with our histories, building community, sharing stories, personal empowerment, and black liberation within all that she does. Her hobbies include building her personal library, supporting local arts events and discussing the literary & cultural relevance of her favorite R&B and rap records.

Paul Ringel is an associate professor of history at High Point University who teaches a variety of courses on the 19th and 20th-century United States, with a particular focus on race, sports, and popular culture. He is the author of Commercializing Childhood: Children’s Magazines, Urban Gentility, and the Ideal of the Child Consumer in the United States, 1823-1918 (2015) and numerous scholarly and magazine articles about American youth, children’s literature, race, and consumer cultures. His work includes The William Penn Project, a public history project on a segregated black high school in High Point, NC, and a new partnership to revitalize Schoolhouse Rock in order to share stories of Black history.

Faith and Social Justice: An Interfaith Conversation | Thursday, March 25, 6 – 7:30 PM (click to register)

Join a diverse group of faith leaders from across the Triad for an interfaith conversation co-facilitated by Sam Perkins (Pastor for Formation at Westminster Presbyterian Church) and Michael Robinson (NCCJ’s program director.)

Our participating faith leaders are Naijla Faizi (Associate Chaplain for Muslim Life at Wake Forest University); Rabbi Fred Guttman (Temple Emanuel); Alan Sherouse (Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church Greensboro); Bishop Adrian Starks (World Victory International Christian Center); Pastor Shandi Starks (World Victory International Christian Center); and Rev. Dr. Frank K. Thomas (Mount Zion Baptist Church of High Point).

Topics will include:

The impact that the heightened awareness of systemic racism across our nation and in our communities is having on how they show up in their roles
How they’re addressing systemic racism within their membership and congregation, and the challenges they’ve faced
What they believe it will take for our nation and our communities to heal and transform the divisions that seem to be ripping us apart

Bring your curiosity and your questions for what is sure to be an enlightening and bridge-building interfaith experience.

Will you help us build community?

We have a favor to ask of you. Can you help NCCJ and our interfaith program panelists build community by spreading the word about these programs and encouraging others to join us? For example, you could share this blog post with friends – or the folks in leadership at your house of worship – or with your book club or civic club. Click here for a flyer you can print or attach to emails.