REACH AND IMPACT: Fort Worth Pastor Kyev Tatum has been selected to participate in the Racial Justice & Religion Collective with the Aspen Institute in Washington DC. | Website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/religion-society-program/ | Racial Justice and Religion Concept: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/RRJ-2022-Concept-Note_Abridged_Version.docx-1.pdf
WASHINGTON, DC- Prominent Fort Worth Pastor Kyev Tatum of the New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church of Fort Worth and the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas has been selected to participate in the Racial Justice & Religion Collective with The Religion & Society Program of the Aspen Institute in Washington DC.
Over the past two years, our nation’s attention has focused on racial justice. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic exposed how health and economic inequities disproportionately affect people of color. People around the country watched videos of police officers murdering George Floyd. Race and racism have returned to the center of our cultural discussions, driving change in corporate, civic, and educational institutions. While we appreciate this cultural shift, we are also aware that most analysis and organizing on racism overlooks the critical role of religion and faith.
Given our embeddedness within the Aspen Institute and our commitment to addressing inequities on the basis of religious difference, we understand our unique position to usher these conversations forward and to help cultivate the next generation of leaders who work at the intersection of racial justice and religion. Our hope is that investing in these leaders will have long-term impact, both for those already engaged in this work and for the general public.
The Racial Justice & Religion (RJR) Initiative will focus on strengthening the capacity of entities working on behalf of marginalized communities through: (1) leadership development that will equip practitioners in this field, (2) partnerships that will create outputs for public engagement and offer new resources and skills for members, (3) media engagement and public programming that contributes to enhanced dialogue and public knowledge, and (4) sub-grants to further the work–or even seed new work–of Collective members or relevant organizations.