PreviousEvents

April 2022: B.U.I.L.D. – Build a United Interfaith Lexington through Direct Action

Matt Huffman, the Organizer and Executive Director for the Lexington chapter of B.U.I.L.D., spoke about how residents can influence social justice issues in the Lexington area. You’ll find B.U.I.L.D. on the web at https://www.facebook.com/BUILDlex. B.U.I.L.D is a community group that selects important issues in the community and works to keep attention on these issues.

https://youtu.be/VZ5Ew48Umck

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March 2022: Afghan Resettlement in Kentucky – How Four Kentucky Organizations Are Helping New Arrivals

Representatives of four local Kentucky organizations spoke about their efforts to assist Afghan refugees as they move to Kentucky.

Nadia Rasheed, M.D., is a human rights activist and community leader. She has served on the executive committee of Masjid Bilal, the Mayors International Affairs Advisory commission, and on the Advisory board of KRM Kentucky refugee ministries. She is a member of the Steering Committee of Christian Muslim Dialogue.

Mary Cobb is Director of Kentucky Refugee Ministries, a role she began in 2016. KRM is central KY’s only refugee resettlement agency, but also offers a variety of services to a range of other vulnerable immigrants.

Dominique Olbert is the President of the Community Response Coalition of Kentucky (CRCKY), a nonprofit program that helps immigrants negatively impacted by immigration issues.

Marilyn S. Daniel, an attorney in the Lexington area for 45 years, has served on the Mayor’s Immigration Commission (LFUCG-2007) and the Mayor’s International Affairs Advisory Commission (2015-present).

A recording of the Zoom program can be found here: https://youtu.be/rXJzAxGdgaI

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January 2022: A Spiritual Response to Religious Extremism: How Religion and Race Have Shaped U.S. Public Education

From desegregation to the school-to-prison pipeline to critical race theory, race has defined twentieth- and twenty-first-century public education. In this talk, Dr. Leslie Ribovich, Assistant Professor of Religion at Transylvania University, spoke about her research on mid-twentieth-century New York City and contemporary conversations to show how religion has, too.

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November 2021: Division, Hatred, and Danger: Modern-day Threats to Religions in America

Dr. Salah Shakir, Chairman of the Kentucky Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Rabbi Shlomo Litvin, together with his wife Shoshi, serve as Director of Chabad of the Bluegrass, and The Reverend Carol Ruthven, an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Lexington, spoke about increasing violence against houses of worship.

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August 2021 – Exploring Extremism in Kentucky and Beyond

Presenters were: Andrew Boone, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Kentucky where he also serves as the Anti-Terrorism Coordinator.
Michael Brown, Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Hydee R. Hawkins, Civil Rights Coordinator in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Kentucky.

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April 2021: A Pentecostal pastor looks at interfaith dialogue

Paul Prather is probably best-known in Central Kentucky as a contributing columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader, where he currently writes about faith and values, and previously served as a staff writer for nine years in the 1980s and 1990s. Mr. Prather is also the pastor of a rural, charismatic/Pentecostal congregation in Montgomery County. He’s been a part-time or full-time minister for more than 40 years.

Here is a link to his article about his experience talking to us, posted April 29, 2021. It is behind a pay wall. https://www.kentucky.com/article250999354.html

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February 2021: Ecological Grief and Divine Reason; and, Living out our Faith

Dr. Bella Mukonyora from WKU spoke on “Ecological Grief and Divine Reason.” Modern humanity has a disruptive relationship with our planet and the environment. Dr. Mukonyora spoke about ecological grief, a human response to the loss caused by environmental destruction or climate change.
The Rev Carol Devine spoke on “Living out our Faith.” and provided guidance and resources on how our houses and communities of worship can move toward carbon neutrality.

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February 2020: Why Be An Interfaith Activist

Dr. Jamil Farooqui spoke about grass roots level promotion of free speech, religious harmony and tolerance. He currently serves as the Medical Director of the SHARE Center Free Charity Clinic, Board of Trustees of Bilal Mosque, Board of the Islamic Society of Central Kentucky, Board of CAIR, KY Chapter and Board of Directors of Lexington Universal Academy [Islamic School]. He is also an active member of Bluegrass Interfaith and United Interfaith Encounter groups.

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October 2019: Embracing Christian-Muslim Dialogue

A panel of ordained and lay Christians from several different Christian denominations shared how they became involved in interfaith dialogue with their Muslim friends and neighbors, how they remain active in Christian-Muslim dialogue and events, and how it has enriched their own lives and broadened their understanding of what it means to be a faithful person.

The Reverend Carol Ruthven moderated a panel, consisting of Mark Sloss, Pastor at Faith Lutheran Church; Kory Wilcoxson, Senior Minister at Crestwood Christian Church; Alan Fryar, professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Nancy Jo Kemper, past Executive Director of the Kentucky Council of Churches ; and Jim Smith, DVM, retired from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute.

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March 2019: Andalusia

Dr. Oliver Leaman, professor of philosophy at UK, spoke about Andalusia – Christian, Jews and Muslims in the medieval Iberian peninsula. The long period when three different religious communities lived in what is today Spain and Portugal has been described very differently by historians.

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January 2017: Supporting the Rights of Immigrants and Refugees

Panelists: Isabel Taylor, Multicultural Affairs Coordinator for Lexington Fayette Govt; the Rev. Kenneth Golphin, Pastor, Quinn Chapel AME Church; and Dr. Nadia Rasheed, member of CMD Steering Committee and civic activist. They spoke on understanding their human and civil rights and be able to advocate on their behalf for the protection of those rights.

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March 2016: Lexington Kentucky government initiates on intercultural dialogue

A panel consisting of Sgt.. Rahsaan Berry, Lexington Police Officer; Mr. Andres Cruz, editor of La Voz, Lexington’s bilingual newspaper; and Mr. Charlie Lanter, Director of the LFUCG Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention., spoke to us about Lexington initiatives to keep dialogue open, welcoming, and friendly between peoples of different cultures.

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