This week on the Huskie Conversation Cafe, your host J Pappas (they/them/theirs) is joined by Pastor Joe Mitchell (he/him/his), Senior Pastor at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in DeKalb, IL!
J and Joe discuss religious practice, the intersections of racial and religious communities, the role of gender in religion and faith, and how religious communities can be a central force in healing and reconciliation. They reference chapters 1 and 3 in this episode of the podcast.

Find more about New Hope Missionary Baptist Church here: http://www.newhopeofdekalb.org/
Join in a community discussion on public safety at New Hope on September 8th, 2021, from 6:30-8:00pm. Be a part of the conversation on how to make our communities more inclusive and safe!

Debrief Questions
What communities are you a part of that make you feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself? What makes you feel that way?
How do you see religion and spiritual practice being accepted or not accepted in your communities?
In what ways can religious communities support work for social justice and community uplift?
In what ways can we make an impact in our religious communities against racism, violence, and oppression?

Episode Sources
https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/african-traditional-religion
https://web.archive.org/web/20180612163044/https://www.ipsosglobaltrends.com/importance-of-religion-or-faith/
https://www.gcis.gov.za/sites/www.gcis.gov.za/files/docs/resourcecentre/pocketguide/004_saspeople.pdf
https://crlcommission.org.za/
http://www.africana.ru/biblio/afrocentrism/12_Harnischfeger.htm
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/major-religions-in-south-africa.html
http://www.ips.org/africa/library/publications/ips_culture_religion_and_genderhandbook.pdf
http://countrystudies.us/south-africa/53.htm
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/religion-by-country

Continue Engaging!
Find other programming from Academic Diversity Equity, and Inclusion here: https://calendar.niu.edu/department/academic_diversity_equity_and_inclusion
Register for a CODE workshop here: https://www.niu.edu/diversity/education-training/code-workshops/index.shtml

Music:
Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the use of his music as the intro and outro of this podcast.
Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/