From Rev. Terrance M. McKinley, Director of Racial Justice and Mobilizing, Sojourners:
Communities of color are under threat today as black men and women are disproportionately targeted by a broken criminal justice system, which is the product of a centuries-long historical process of institutional racism. Police shootings of unarmed people of color have created a crisis in this nation.
This is one of the most pressing civil rights issues of our time, and we believe the church must respond.
Sojourners and its partners are launching a Theology and Racialized Policing Cohort Program, which will engage, equip, and mobilize clergy and next-generation faith leaders in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to lead more effectively and become agents of change, as we continue the unfinished work of the civil rights movement today.
Beginning Thursday, Oct. 24, and running until May 2020, this Cohort Program, created in collaboration with the Howard University School of Divinity and Christian Community Development Association, will equip participants to respond to the crisis of racialized policing. A Certificate in Theology and Racialized Policing will be granted upon completion. This cohort will:
Provide a theological framework for justice based in the creation narratives and their implication for human dignity, justice, and equity today
Provide an overview of the criminal justice system as it is now—from policing to detention, prosecution to sentencing, and confinement to release
Equip participants with Practical Theology tools that will help them construct a strategic message concerning social justice and criminal justice reform, using preaching, teaching, and other aspects of corporate worship to nurture thriving communities and congregations
Explore the role of faith leaders as relevant and effective agents of change, as we discern what our work is to do now and advocate for a better tomorrow
We invite senior leaders, social justice ministers, executive ministers, clergy, and next-generation faith leaders in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to register online today at sojo.net/cohort.
The Cohort Program is free, but space is limited. The deadline to apply is Oct. 20. We look forward to hearing from you!