The Center for Religion and Cities (CRC) at Morgan State University,
with generous support from the Henry Luce Foundation, helps to nurture
collaborative solutions for improving the quality of life in our Cities.
We are a collective of community partners, academics, students, and supporters working collaboratively to learn about and critically engage unjust structures in our cities and to support and grow innovative solutions to more equitable futures through mentorships for BIPOC students and emerging leaders, deep listening practices, collaborative projects, public programming, and funding opportunities.
Responding to ICE Enforcement in Sacred Spaces: We Protect Us
We are grateful to share this article and action steps, co-authored by CRC Advisory Board Member, LauraMcTighe, and scholars Lloyd D. Barba, Jennifer Scheper Hughes, Bethany E. Moreton, and Pamela Voekel.
Responding to ICE enforcement in sacred spaces has become an urgent issue as immigration agents increasingly target houses of worship and community centers across the United States. Despite the longstanding tradition of religious communities serving as sanctuaries, recent policy changes and escalated enforcement have led to arrests and threats on sacred grounds, undermining spiritual and community safety.
In response, organizations like the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature have issued statements of solidarity and convened emergency panels to coordinate rapid responses and support networks. This article explores the ongoing crisis, the legal and community actions underway, and provides practical steps for individuals and institutions to actively resist and protect vulnerable community members. To learn more about how you can stand with faith communities and promote sanctuary efforts, read the full article linked above.
4 Questions from Abolitionist Educator Mariame Kaba:
What resources exist so I can better educate myself?
Who is already doing work around this injustice?
Do I have the capacity to offer concrete support and help to them?
How can I be constructive?
The Center for Religion and Cities (CRC) honors the Susquehannock and Piscataway whose ancestral lands include Baltimore and the Chumash, Tataviam, and Tongva whose ancestral homelands include Los Angeles. We acknowledge that every city is built upon Indigenous homelands. As an organization, the CRC is exploring how the histories of colonialism and legacies of Indigenous resistance, survival, and sovereignty shape our scholarship and community work. We also acknowledge that the physical and economic development of many cities in the US was built upon the unpaid labor, enslavement, and exploitation of Africans and their descendants. We invite you to learn more about our work on Land Acknowledgments here.
