US judge awards Black church $US1 million after BLM banner burned by Proud Boys during protest

Washington DC, US AP A judge on Friday awarded more than $US1 million to a Black church in downtown Washington, DC, that sued the far-right Proud Boys for tearing down and burning a Black Lives Matter banner during a 2020 protest. Superior Court Associated Judge Neal A Kravitz also barred the extremist group and its leaders from […]
In the US, Proud Boys leader pleads guilty for burning church’s Black Lives Matter banner

RNS Proud Boys national leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio pleaded guilty to two charges on Monday, including the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner taken from Asbury United Methodist Church, a historic Black church in Washington, DC. Tarrio, 37, also pleaded guilty in the DC Superior Court to one count of attempted possession of a […]
In France’s overseas territories, Napoleon’s legacy has a more troublesome side

Reunion Island, France Reuters When France commemorates the bicentenary of Napoleon Bonaparte’s death on 5th May, Aurelie Ramassamy will remember a tyrant who reversed the abolition of slavery rather than an emperor often lionised as a hero for his battlefield triumphs. Like most Creoles on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, one of France’s overseas departments, Ramassamy […]
Black Lives Matter banner outside University Christian Church in San Diego defaced

RNS A Black Lives Matter banner that hung outside University Christian Church in San Diego was defaced with paint over the weekend. Rev Caleb Lines, senior minister of University Christian Church, said he found out about the vandalism around 6am on Sunday, when a security company sent him photos. It happened just after a number […]
At the funeral of another Black man shot dead by police in the US, Rev Al Sharpton says firing the officer is not enough

Columbus, Ohio, USAP As light snow fell around the Ohio church Tuesday morning, Andre Hill’s family, friends and strangers angry about his death – clad in their Sunday best and Black Lives Matter masks – walked in to honour his life. Inside the church in Columbus, a photo of Hill, 47, surrounded by the faces […]
In the US, vandals hit Black churches during weekend pro-Trump rallies

Washington DC, US AP Vandals tore down a Black Lives Matter banner and sign from two historic Black churches in downtown Washington and set the banner ablaze as night-time clashes Saturday between pro-Donald Trump supporters and counterdemonstrators erupted into violence and arrests. Police on Sunday said they were investigating the incidents at the Asbury United […]
Essay: There’s a theology driving Sean Feucht’s worship music protests – and it’s a popular one

In an article first published on Religion News Service, ADAM PEREZ, a scholar working on the history of praise and worship theology and music in the Americas, looks at historical precedents for Sean Feucht’s #letusworship movement…
Sight-Seeing: Why Jesus would support Black Lives Matter

NILS VON KALM on why he believes Christians should supports calls for racial justice…
US faith leaders prepare for historic Juneteenth celebrations

RNS This Juneteenth, Pastor Eddie Anderson will be among many social justice activists, educators and faith leaders around the country reflecting on the role of the black church in the Black Lives Matter movement. Anderson will participate in a breakout discussion that is part of ‘JusticeCon: A Path Towards Freedom‘, a virtual conference hosted by […]
London faces up to former role insuring Atlantic slave trade

London, UK Reuters London is facing up to its role in insuring the slave trade as part of a sweeping global reassessment of history and racism. This reappraisal was triggered by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while […]