Law, Christianity, and Racial Justice
By Rachael Orbeta & John Bernau | Emory Law | Jul 26, 2023 7:07:00 AM
On March 29, 2023, the Center for the Study of Law and Religion hosted a small group of leading scholars for “Law, Christianity, and Racial Justice: Shaping the Future.” The symposium roundtable discussion featured an address by Rev. Dr. Bernice King 90L, a response from Dr. Cornel West (joining via Zoom), and a Q&A session from the audience of invited guests. This symposium project was led by two of the center’s McDonald Distinguished Fellows, Professor Terri Montague (Emory Law, Center for the Study of Law and Religion) and Professor Brandon Paradise (Rutgers Law) and made possible by the generous support of the McDonald Agape Foundation.
Montague dedicated the symposium to social and racial change, highlighting the importance of cross-disciplinary studies — the intersections of law, religion, and sociology, among other fields — as necessary for socialchange. The goal of this symposium, in part, was to bring together both Dr. King, Dr. West, the symposium scholars, and guests for a discussion that promotes racial justice and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Montague raised several questions regarding social change in the twenty-first century, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s methodology, and the King Center’s role in promoting racial justice: What does non-violence look like today? What is the locus of the movement now that coalition-building and community organizing increasingly happens in a more decentralized manner away from religious institutions and the Black church?
Stay tuned for the forthcoming story in the Emory Magazine!