Ready to Build Interfaith America? Here are Some Helpful Resources
May 10, 2022
Interfaith America in Action: Emory University, Atlanta
Interfaith groups of students from Emory University came together to address their communities’ COVID-19 vaccination needs as part of Interfaith America’s Faith in the Vaccine initiative. They partnered with local community and health care organizations to bring multiple vaccine clinics to a food pantry pick-up and a center for individuals experiencing homelessness. Their outreach included weeks of trust-building conversations, surveys to understand local needs, and bilingual resources. The work resulted in hundreds of vaccinations, new interfaith bonds, and skills for future leadership.
Interfaith America in Action: Wiley College, Marshall, Texas
Wiley College and neighboring Jarvis Christian College are only 58 miles apart. However, historical dynamics have kept their students from engaging in conversation across the institutions’ differences. To bridge this gap, Wiley College plans to bring the campuses together for meaning-making experiences facilitated by campus faith leadership. The initiative will equip students to foster mutual care and curiosity across geographic and denominational differences to form a more expansive, respectful, and inclusive community. Following this pilot, Wiley College hopes to convene students across all nine of Texas’ historically Black colleges and universities to engage in caring community.
Interfaith America in Action: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
At UIUC, a religious studies professor and the Vice President of Diversity partnered with the Veterinary Medicine Faculty to create a course on religious diversity in veterinary medicine using real-life case studies to build interfaith competencies. As students discussed Hindu sacred cows and Indigenous non-ownership of animals, they interrogated important questions regarding animals, the environment, and different worldview’s perspectives around human responsibilities for each of these. The course provided essential information for work in a quickly diversifying field and enabled students to consider their own worldviews in the context of their future profession.
