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CENTER FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION (CSJR)

OUR NEXT EVENT

Poisoned Land, Poisoned Water: A Legacy of Environmental Injustice and Racism in a NC Company Town

March 9, 2023 and March 20, 2023 at 7:00 pm ET

Join the Reimagining America Project’s Environmental Justice group for two virtual events: “Poisoned Land, Poisoned Water: A Legacy of Environmental Injustice and Racism in a North Carolina Company Town”
Join us virtually for a pair of forums on the poisoning of land and water around Badin, North Carolina by the giant aluminum company, Alcoa. Alcoa purchased the town of Badin shortly after the town was founded. They built a large aluminum production facility at the site using electricity generated from a dam on the Yadkin River. There are hazardous wastes associated with the production of aluminum. Over the years these wastes have been mishandled producing risk to the town, to Badin Lake, and in particular to the African American residents of what is known as West Badin. Although Alcoa closed the plant in 2007, they are still responsible for managing the waste and the related contamination. Please join us as people from various groups working on this problem discuss the situation and the path forward. Organizations include the Yadkin Riverkeeper’s office, the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, the Southern Environmental Law Center, local citizens, and others.

Register for March 9th here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QWO6FeHKShyHJNCC2L7mZA

Register for March 20th here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_leG92Z3tT3ykD5LWydXHnA

CSJR RESOURCES

About the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation

The Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation operates from the seminary’s Charlotte campus and is directed by Associate Professor of Bible Rodney S. Sadler Jr. Grounded in a ministry that is mandated in scripture, its two main goals are to remind people in seminary of the significance of social justice work as part of ministry and to bring the activist community into the seminary.

CSJR is governed and guided by an Advisory Board, which meets at least quarterly. The Board is comprised of sixteen members who, through diversity of race, cultural background, denomination, experience, and area of expertise, bring a range of insight, critical thought, and creativity to the Center. These members also give voice to the Center in the wider community, promote Center events, and connect the Center with key thought leaders and organizers to create opportunities for partnership and collaboration in local, regional, and national social justice work. Current Board members include:
• The Reverend Dr. Richard Boyce, Former Vice President and Academic Dean, Union Presbyterian Seminary – Charlotte and Former Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Leadership
• The Reverend Veronica Cannon, Stated Supply Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Waxhaw, NC
• The Reverend Dr. John Cleghorn, Pastor of Caldwell Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC
• The Reverend Dr. Joe Clifford, Pastor, Myers Park Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC
• The Reverend Dr. de’Angelo Dia, Director of Admissions, Union Presbyterian Seminary, Charlotte, NC
• The Reverend Jimmie Hawkins, Director, Office of Public Witness, Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
• The Reverend Sally Herlong, Charlotte Chaplain, Union Presbyterian Seminary, Charlotte, NC
• The Reverend Phanta Lansden, Senior Pastor, St. James Presbyterian Church, Greensboro, NC
• The Reverend Luke Maybry, Pastor, Matthews Presbyterian Church, Matthews, NC
• Erin Mills, Program Associate, Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation
• The Reverend Dr. Tim Moore, Director of Donor Development, Union Presbyterian Seminary – Charlotte
• The Reverend Leslie Oliver, Pastor, Sanctuary Outreach Ministries, Charlotte, NC
• The Reverend Lori Raible, Pastor, Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC, and member, Board of Trustees at Union Presbyterian Seminary
• The Reverend Dr. Rodney Sadler, Jr, Director, Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation and Associate Professor of Bible, Union Presbyterian Seminary – Charlotte
• The Reverend Dr. Sheldon Shipman, Pastor, Greenville Memorial AME Zion Church, Charlotte, NC
• The Reverend Dr. Dwayne Walker, Pastor, Little Rock A.M.E. Zion Church, Charlotte, NC
• The Reverend Dr. Peter Wherry, Pastor, Mayfield Memorial Missionary Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC
• The Reverend Dr. Ricky Woods, Senior Minister, First Baptist Church – West, Charlotte, NC

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CSJR Events

Partner Events

Community Events

Past Events

  • Dr. James Forbes - Just ACTivate

    The Recruitment of God’s Dream Team, September 15, 2020

    Youtube

  • Dr. James Forbes- Just ACTivate

    George Floyd Protests: Temporary Uprising, Movement, or Miracle? September 15, 2020

    Youtube

  • The White Manifesto by the Rev. Dr. James Forbes

    A Plea and Petition Suggested by a Black Brother in the Spirit of Love

    pdf

  • The Reverend Dr. Eileen Lindner - Be Made Well

    Be Made Well: Seeking Wholeness of Life Sunday, October 20, 2019

    test

Latest Event

Dr. James Forbes - Just ACTivate

COVID-19: A Parable of Plagues before Deliverance September 14, 2020

Youtube

Past Events

  • Just Preach!

    On January 10, 2022, the Rev. Dr. William C. Turner, Jr of Durham, NC explored the intricacies and imperatives of social justice preaching in "Just Preach!".

    Watch this event:

  • Just Act!

    On January 12, 2022, the Rev. Nelson and Mrs. Joyce Johnson of Greensboro, NC discussed their life’s work together in social activism and their sponsorship of our nation’s first Truth and Reconciliation Commission in a session entitled “Just Act!”

    Watch event here:

  • Standing With God: Civil Rights Then and Now

    On January 13, 2020 at CN Jenkins Memorial Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr. and Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III discussed civil rights and social justice with the Union Presbyterian Seminary Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation.

    Watch this event

Photos & Videos

  • Standing with God: Civil Rights Then and Now

Latest Event

Just Preach / Just Act!

On January 10th and 12th, 2022 the CSJR hosted three webinars for the 2022 African American Social Justice Preaching Series. The world today is in a tumultuous state as we recover from a global pandemic in a time of racial unrest and political division. Is there a word from the Lord for this moment? What are people of faith called to do as we confront these and other challenges? On January 12th, a lunch conversation was held with Reverend Nelson and Mrs. Joyce Johnson and the Rev. Dr. William Turner where faith leaders were able to engage them on issues of social justice proclamation and activism.

Watch event here:

Past Events

  • Why We Need to Have Them

  • Race: America's Original Sin

  • Human Trafficking

  • Holy People, Holy Sex

  • Thy Will Be Done...Justice on Earth

    Reverend Jimmie Hawkins, Director of the Office for Public Witness of the PC(USA), discusses the work of his office as they bear witness to God's call for social justice in our nation's capital. Located in an office directly across the street from the Capitol Building and the Supreme Court, this long-term social justice advocate, who helped birth the Moral Monday's Movement with Dr. William Barber, daily works to bring the Gospel message to bear on our political leaders by advocating for justice on public policy issues and coordinating with interfaith and ecumenical partners to present God's alternative vision for what is right.

    Watch on YouTube

Student Resources

  • Black History Month Booklist (curated by Seminarian and Womanist Scholar, Dana Purdom)

    Download

Student-led Events

  • Theopoetics and Theological Imagination, hosted by Reverend d'Angelo Dia

    Spiritual formation is strongly shaped by visual and performance art, music, dance, play, and storytelling. The intersection of justice, spirituality, imagination, embodiment and the arts, is sometimes referred to as theopoetics–which combines elements of poetry, process thought, narrative theology, and postmodern philosophy.

    Watch event here:

  • A Faithful Call to Juvenile Justice

    Webinar - August 20, 2020 (Click image to watch this event)

    Watch on YouTube

Seminarians for Social Justice

The Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation formally welcomes 2021/22 CSJR Student Ambassadors, Ryan Atkinson, Evan Bille, DiAndra Brooks, and Kirk Louis. These students have shown extraordinary commitment to the Center since its inception and are dedicated to the critical social justice work we are called to as disciples of Christ. Ryan, Evan, DiAndra, and Kirk will lead and coordinate the Seminarians for Social Justice, organize quarterly student-led panel discussions, assist the Center with events throughout the year, and serve as student liaisons. Interested students are encouraged reach out to our Student Ambassadors with ideas, questions, and concerns – we would love to hear from you!

Student Ambassadors

Ryan Atkinson

Ryan Atkinson

Student Ambassador

Ryan Atkinson is a third year dual-degree student at Union Presbyterian Seminary. He has lived in Charlotte for 13 years with his wife, golden retriever “Biscuit”, and tabby cat “Reina.” He is an Elder at Statesville Avenue Presbyterian where he also volunteers for Loaves & Fishes, which strives not only to address the direct hunger needs of the community, but to address hunger from a systematic approach as well.

Evan Bille

Evan Bille

Student Ambassador

Evan Bille is second year MDiv student at Union Presbyterian Seminary and is originally from Upstate New York. He came to Charlotte for college and fell in love with the city through summer jobs at the emergency men’s shelter. Now, he does community education and advocacy work at Roof Above, the newly merged organization of the Men’s Shelter and Urban Ministry Center. He has a passion for applying moral responses to public policy, and is so excited to learn and work with the Union community.

DiAndra Brooks

DiAndra Brooks

Student Ambassador

DiAndra Brooks is from Spartanburg, South Carolina and is married with five sons. She graduated from MUSC pharmacy school in 2002 and served in the U.S. Air Force as an active-duty Captain and pharmacist. She is passionate about service with the CSJR as a student ambassador because it allows her to advocate for people who are excluded or who do not have access to quality necessities of life.

Kirk Louis

Kirk Louis

Student Ambassador

Kirk Louis is a third year dual-degree student. He is a candidate under the care of the Presbytery of Southern New England. He is focused on justice and the blackness perspective of the Bible. Kirk is a military vet and the spouse of the Reverend Shavon Starling-Louis. He is also the parent of two children and a rescue puppy.

Past Events

  • Just Talk/Talk Just Forum: Movements for Black Lives Across Generations and Genders

    Many have considered the Black Lives Matter Movement of today to be the lineal descendant of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-60s. While there is clearly a connection, BLM has a distinctive origin with its own concerns that are consistent with the contemporary concerns of African American communities of this era. In addition, there may be differences in the two movements’ perspective on nonviolence, moral vision, strategy, gender, and sexual orientational issues, that often manifest as a generational divide. Please join our first conversation of 2021 as we explore the relationships between these two successful Black social movements; one that laid to rest Jim Crow and inspired global movements for change for half a century and the other which has proven to be the largest movement for human rights in the history of the world. Sponsored by Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation and Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29yyAL2lIJw

    Watch on YouTube

  • Just Talk/Talk Just Forum: The Prison Industrial Complex

    The racialization of incarceration is not just a problem for individuals who have been caged. It has far greater implications for their families, their neighborhoods, their health, their access to the polls, their employability ... such disproportionate representation in the criminal justice system is wholly consequential for the entire black community. Sponsored by Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation and Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdxWEObBavs

    Watch on YouTube

  • The Neuroscience of White Fragility

    There has been a great deal of conversation of late about differences in the brain formation of liberals and conservatives, of ideological partisans, of xenophiles and xenophobes. Here we engage in conversation about “The Neuroscience of White Fragility” where our special guest, Dr. Sarah Peyton explains the scientific dynamics of this phenomenon.

    Watch on YouTube

  • Just Talk/Talk Just Forum: Racial Implications of the 2020 Election

    Tuesday was one of the most contentious and consequential elections in America's history. Certainly, this is not the way elections are supposed to occur in a nation that prides itself on the peaceful exchange of executive power and non-violent revolutions at the polls. Please join us for a "Just Talk/ Talk Just" biblical and theological conversation that will explore the outcome of the election and its implications for social justice, voter participation, and race relations in our nation. Sponsored by Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation and Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3icoaO3UBLA&t=2048s

    Watch on YouTube

  • Just Talk/Talk Just Forum- Breonna Taylor and American Domestic Terrorism

    March 13, 2020, marked a day of reckoning for Americans who could no longer evade a national shutdown in the wake of COVID-19 as stay-at-home orders loomed from federal, state, and local governance. For Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African American woman, March 13 marked a fatal ending as Louisville police barged into her home under a no-knock warrant and fired several rounds which resulted in her untimely demise. The case raises significant questions about the value of Black life and the protection, or lack thereof, of Black women, particularly as Black feminists and womanists call for intersectional activism through counter-movements such as #sayhername in the quest for Black freedom. Unprecedented protests have spawned in Louisville and throughout the country as Taylor's story shows there is no safe space for the vulnerable, even in their own home. Moreover, a grand jury decision did not charge the officers in her death. Where is justice? How might people of faith cultivate a theology of liberation when home is a dangerous place? Sponsored by Union Presbyterian Seminary's Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation and Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePVy2ejqTHg

    Watch on YouTube

  • Just Talk/Talk Just Forum: What Can White Christians Do About Racism?

    In response to the arrest and homicide of George Floyd while in Minnesota police custody, there is a new sense of resolve in cities around our nation and world to address racial disparity and systemic racialized oppression. But what should the white church do? Sponsored by Union Presbyterian Seminary's Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation and Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/MdbJZqXmSGc

    Watch on YouTube

  • Just Talk/Talk Just Forum: Why Do Racist Symbols Have to Go?

    The removal of statues honoring Confederate heroes and Christopher Columbus, and the Confederate flag has long been viewed by some as an infringement upon freedom of speech and erasing history. But what happens when that same freedom of speech is not afforded equally to all? What happens when such freedom of speech incites violence against others? What does it mean for monuments and markers that bear witness to America’s tragic racial history to remain in public places and sacred spaces? How do these symbols continue to shape the identity of our national and local communities? How are they still speaking to us? Why should they go? What should replace them? Sponsored by Union Presbyterian Seminary's Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation and Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/BauKfHF01ps

    Watch on YouTube

  • Just Talk/Talk Just Forum: How Can Christians Respond to Unjust Policing?

    The police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans have reignited debate about policing in the United States. How can the Bible and theology speak to questions of immorality and racism in law enforcement? How can people of faith bear witness to an unjust system and advocate for change? Sponsored by Union Presbyterian Seminary's Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation and Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/MdbJZqXmSGc

    Watch on YouTube

  • Just Talk/Talk Just Forum: Reimagining Community and Public Safety

    A conversation, which is designed to acknowledge and move us beyond the current broken law enforcement system. You will be challenged, along with us, to step outside political echo chambers and be uncomfortable. This is not a debate. We are pondering, “What might God have to say about community and public safety?” Sponsored by Union Presbyterian Seminary's Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation and Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/f5cF-1g91OE

    Watch on YouTube

  • Just Talk/Talk Just: Back to School? Race, Faith, and COVID-19

    The global coronavirus pandemic sheds a blacklight on the need for educational reform. In response to the stay-at-home orders in early March, schools, colleges, and universities across the nation shifted instruction to virtual platforms, thus exposing unequal access to the internet and computers in marginalized communities and school segregation. As federal, state, and local governments, school boards, administrators, and teachers make essential decisions about virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning for the upcoming school year, parents and students face the ethical dilemma of balancing safety with the most effective modes of instruction. This conversation will engage these questions: How does COVID-19 unveil the racial disparities in our current educational system? How might this crisis moment impact the spirituality and faith of children and youth? What is the faithful response to pandemic learning? Sponsored by Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation and Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBhYh6Lxz24

    Watch on YouTube

JUSTACT

JustAct is the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation’s ongoing conversation of justice, faith, and society. Resources are posted on the digital newsletter throughout the month. Sign up to receive our email newsletter to see the latest posts.

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Dr. Rodney Sadler

CSJR Director

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Erin Mills

CSJR Coordinator

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