Race and Justice in Interfaith Spaces June 5, 2020 By Collegeville Institute 1 Comment How can religious institutions fight against racism? Why do many avoid talking about race in their faith communities? In this episode, Fardosa Hassan and Genjo Conway – young faith leaders in the Muslim and Zen Buddhist communities respectively – have a frank conversation about race in interfaith spaces. This episode was recorded before the racist murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, but the themes speak prophetically to this moment. Fardosa and Genjo were participants in the first cohort of the Collegeville Institute’s Multi-Religious Fellows program. Topics discussed in this episode: Police violence and racism in Minnesota What Islam and Buddhist religious teachings say about injustice The call for faith leaders to engage in justice work Bios Rev. Genjo Conway is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest at Clouds in Water Zen Center. He was ordained in 2016 by Byakuren Judith Ragir-roshi. Genjo holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College in Anarchist Theology and Poetry and a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from St. Cloud State University. He has served as Chaplain at the St. Cloud Children’s Home and as a psychotherapist at Clara’s House. He was the translator and co-editor of Our Only Weapon Our Spirit, a collection of Bobby Sands’ prison writing. Fardosa Hassan is Muslim Student Program Associate at Augsburg University. She graduated from Augsburg in 2012 with a degree in sociology and international relations. She was very active in interfaith work while she was a student and received the University’s Courageous Woman’s Award. She was recognized by President Barack Obama and invited to the White House to take part in the Interfaith Campus Challenge. Fardosa also works as the Interfaith Youth Connection Program Coordinator at Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul. Ellie Roscher is a writer, theology teacher, and host of the Unlikely Conversations podcast. She is a board member at the Collegeville Institute and the author of 12 Tiny Things, Play Like a Girl, and How Coffee Saved My Life. Ellie holds an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and an MA in Theology from Luther Seminary. She lives in Minneapolis with her spouse and sons. Find out more about Ellie on her website and follow her on social media at @ellieroscher [Twitter, Instagram, Facebook]. Matthew Ian Fleming edited the audio for this podcast. You can find Matthew on Instagram at @matthewianfleming and his other podcasts at www.alterguild.org. Next Steps Follow the work of the Collegeville Institute on social media at @collegevilleins [Twitter, Instagram, Facebook] and subscribe to our email newsletter Share the podcast and use the following discussion questions with your small group for further conversation Further Conversation What parts of your identity are central to who you are and how you are perceived in the world? What tough issues do you wish your faith leaders took on more often? What is something you can do right now to work toward racial justice? After listening to Genjo and Fardosa, what are you curious to learn more about? Happy Tangents Minnesota Congresswoman IIhan Omar talks about why she wears the hijab. We focus on our difference between us, but Dr. Grace Wolf Chase reminds us we are all made of stars. We are probably not alone. We should not put the divine or science in a small box. Like this post? Subscribe to have new posts sent to you by email the same day they are posted.
