Imagining Justice in Baltimore

Launched in 2016, Imagining Justice in Baltimore is an ICJS program recognizing that “the sacred can speak to the secular.” Anchored in our understanding that religious traditions other than our own can inspire us, we invite Baltimore to consider how an interreligious understanding of justice can enrich civic life.

This program is supported in part by the Henry Luce Foundation in partnership with Morgan State University’s Center for the Study of Religion in the City, with additional funding from the David and Barbara B. Hirschhorn Foundation.

Imagining Justice in Baltimore (IJB) is a multi-program year-long exploration of how interreligious conversations and coalitions can serve as a force for good in Baltimore City. IJB was developed by the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish studies (ICJS) with input from various community leaders. IJB  brings together people from across the city, across religious and socio-economic divides to read, reflect, and speak about religion, justice, and (in?) Baltimore. This yearlong fellowshipbrings together 24 local leaders for sustained interreligious study.  ICJS hosts four citywide public dialogues that engage religious difference in the public square. The fellows facilitate small table discussions at the community conversations.

The influence of religion and ethics is not confined to  institutions nor to particular communities. religious and ethical texts and traditions inform every aspect of civic discourse. Religious communities can play a constructive and a powerful role in creating anetwork of people who know how to address complex and divisive issues. The long-term goal of the initiative is that the city of Baltimore will serve as a model of how interreligious learning can influence vital conversations and shape public life. IJB is currently comprised of two components: (1) the Fellows Cohort/Mini-Course and (2) the City-Wide Community Conversations.

The Center for the Study of Religion and the City (CSRC) is honored to partner with the ICJS. The Center for the Study of Religion and the City (CSRC) director and postdoctoral fellow serves as members of the IJB organizing committee and provide feedback on how to further develop the IJB and a member of the ICJS serves on the CSRC’s advisory board and provides feedback on how to further develop the CSRC. Through this collaborative partnership, we hope to develop and put in to practice models for justice in Baltimore in conversation with its religious communities.