WHAT THE FENCE? LITTLE ROCK CONGREGATIONS STUDY RELEASES RESOURCE GUIDE TO PROMOTE FAITH-BASED RACIAL JUSTICE WORK

The outcome of the construction to Trojan Way will result in a path that will run throughout the campus starting from 28th Street to University Drive creating enhanced walkways, seating areas and gathering spaces for all of us students, the faculty and staff to make use of.

The other projects you can read about on the website provided are the Library Plaza, Alumni Patio, and the Campus Grove. There is also information about the demolition of the Education building that was located between Dickinson and Ross Hall and the removal of the old Earth Science building.

We should all look forward to seeing the creation of additional green spaces to enjoy in the places where those vacant and unused buildings stood. So, with all that being said (or written) I would say that it will be well worth the trouble of walking the distance around campus for a while, and let’s all keep in mind during this time that patience is a virtue!

BY VAL BELL

The Little Rock Congregations Study (LRCS) is a community study here on campus at UA Little Rock.

The LRCS is composed of Dr. Rebecca Glazier and her team of Dr. Gerald Driskill, from the Mass Communications Department; Engineering and Information Technology graduate student Sai Charan Machavarapu; and Political Science undergraduate students Jack Schlotter, Yvonne Rodriguez and Owen Haynes.

LRCS keeps contact and relations with all the religious congregations within Little Rock city limits to collect data on religious attitudes and practices, and observe how those attitudes and practices can be applied to create themes of worship and accumulate impact on the community.

As a part of the latest installment in the decade-long study, the LRCS team invited congregation leaders from across town to meet at UA Little Rock Downtown for a luncheon to discuss the issue of racism that is plaguing communities across the United States.

During the luncheon, Dr. Glazier shared the recent data collected concerning racial attitudes and current efforts within the religious community to combat racism; along with the data sharing, Dr. Glazier shared her curated models on how congregations can most effectively confront racial barriers in their own congregations, along with resources from novelists, philosophers and other political scientists.

A diverse group of religious faiths were represented including Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, Baha’is, Buddhists, Jews and Muslims.

Attendees were purposely spread out to encourage the dissemination of a broad range of beliefs. Religious leaders shared their experiences with racism in their congregations, while also sharing what religious interpretations and commonly held beliefs were holding them back.

For the Muslim imam who spoke, he said his congregation believed themselves not to have a race problem, but he realized their overlooking of race was the problem.

For Protestant Christians, leaders pointed to parables in the Gospels that outline why Christians have a God-given duty to fight racism.

Some congregations felt more prepared to discuss racial issues, while others felt it was not necessarily the responsibility of the Church to address such social issues.

One man frequently referenced was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His beliefs connecting religious and social philosophies have provided a framework for many, including our city’s religious leaders.

The LRCS continues to study religion and its relationship to combating racism and will continue to study the religious community at large in Little Rock.

It should be noted that the author of this article is one of the student researchers on the LRCS.

BY OWEN HAYNES