Religion Seminar Series
Butler University Seminar on Religion and Global Affairs presents:
Faith and Activism
What does it mean to live out one’s faith in the world? What do you deeply care about and what needs to change in this world? How do faith and spiritual practice intersect with the tangible needs for justice and equity? This year, the Butler Seminar on Religion and Global Affairs will explore the relationship between faith and activism. We will learn from scholars and activists of many different religious traditions regarding how their faith compels them to commit their lives to social change.
Fall 2022Youth Engagement in Interfaith ActivismTuesday, September 20, 2022, 7:00 PM Shelton Auditorium Today’s religious youth are passionate about activism and social justice. This inaugural session focuses on youth engagement through interfaith activism. We will hear from a former Interfaith Youth Corps activist who identifies as Hindu and Sikh, focusing on the training of youth and empowering them to become interfaith leaders. Additionally, audiences will hear from a recent Butler alumna and a current Butler student leader, both active in interfaith work on campus and beyond. |
 Tahil Sharma is an interfaith activist based in Southern California born to a Hindu father and a Sikh mother. Tahil is the Regional Coordinator for North America at the United Religions Initiative, the world’s largest network of grassroots interfaith organizations dedicated to the work of creating cultures of peace, justice, and healing in the world. Tahil also serves as an Interfaith Minister in Residence for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and as a Board Member for Sadhana: A Coalition of Progressive Hindus. |
| Cambria C. Khayat (Butler 2022) is the Project Coordinator of the Legacy Initiative with the international non-profit Common Purpose. She has worked as a Rebel for Peace with One Solution Global in Chicago and interned for organizations like the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, the Desmond Tutu Peace Lab, Acctionate, and the Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability. She has published work with the Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame and The Journal on Youth Peace and Security. During her time at Butler University, she triple majored in International Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, and Economics. |
Faith and Activism in IndianaTuesday, October 25, 2022, 7:00 PM Shelton Auditorium The work of interfaith activism is thriving in Indiana, with numerous organizations devoted to serving their communities. In this session, we will hear from a panel of local religious activists representing Catholic Charities in Indianapolis, Faith in Indiana, Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light, and Muslim Alliance of Indiana. The panelists will discuss their efforts to mobilize and implement change on individual, community, and policy levels. |
 David Bethuram serves as Executive Director of the Secretariat for Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, where he is responsible for directing the planning and coordination of human services for six service agencies and parish services in 39 counties in southern and central Indiana. David has worked with Catholic Charities for 25 years; in 2016, he was appointed by Cardinal Joseph Tobin to serve as the executive of the Archdiocesan Catholic Charities network. |
 Lori Joundi is a board member with the Muslim Alliance of Indiana and formerly served as the executive director. A graduate of Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Lori has been able to apply her business, finance, and marketing skills to the mission of the Muslim Alliance of Indiana and other passions she holds for various cultural and interfaith initiatives. In addition to her community involvements, Lori lives with her husband and three children. |
 Josh Riddick is a community organizer and advocate who has served as a pastor, racial equity trainer, and civic dialogue facilitator. He is moved by the intersections of identity, spirituality, justice, and the development of emerging Black leaders and leaders of color. Josh also serves as the organizer of the Black Churches Coalition for Faith in Indiana. |
 Ray Wilson Ray Wilson has been chairperson of Indy Green Congregations and Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light and leader of its Using Energy Prudently program and Thriving Faith Communities project. Ray has led his own congregation, Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis, to reduce its energy consumption and carbon emissions by over 50%. He has also been an active volunteer with Solar United Neighbors, Solarize Indiana, and the Sierra Club. |
Spring 2023Faith Sustaining ActivismTuesday, February 7, 2023, 7:00 PM Shelton Auditorium Activism is difficult and challenging work, requiring a sustained foundation. For many activists it is their faith that ultimately sustains them and compels them to engage in their work of social change. In this session we will hear from a prominent teacher and therapist about her activism at the intersection of Buddhist, Yoruba, and African American identities. A Christian homiletics scholar will respond on the role preaching serves in strengthening members within the Black Church community. |
 Karla Jackson-Brewer is a Senior Tara Mandala Teacher and has been practicing Chöd for 33 years. In 2012 she received the Chöd Empowerment from His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje. She is a founder of Sine Qua Non: Allies in Healing, an Integrative Therapy Practice in New York City. She has developed and offered many workshops and courses that focus on the Spirituality and the Divine Feminine, anti-oppression and equity, developing Emotional Intelligence, and personal activism. She is an adjunct Professor in the Women’s & Gender Studies Department and the Africana Studies Department at Rutgers University. Karla is also an initiated priest in the West African spiritual system of Ifa. |
 Rev. Dr. Courtney V. Buggs is Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Assistant Director of the PhD Program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. Dr. Buggs’s research interests center on ecumenical practices of sacred proclamation (both inside and outside the pulpit), womanism, and liberative teaching practices. She is ordained in the American Baptist tradition and has served congregations in the United States and abroad, ministering across denominations. Prior to entering the academy, she was an Air Force Airborne Mission Crew Commander, retiring from active duty as a Lieutenant Colonel, after almost 22 years of service. |
Faith and Activism through Revolutionary LoveMonday, March 20, 2023, 7:00 PM Shelton Auditorium In this concluding session of the year, we will learn about the Revolutionary Love project founded by Valarie Kaur: civil rights leader, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker, educator, and leader of the Revolutionary Love Project. With partnerships from the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, Grace Unlimited, the NEH/Frederic M. Ayres Fund, the Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis, Butler Philosophy and Religions Department, Butler DEI Innovation Fund, and the Diversity Program Council, this culminating event of the Seminar will be a unique opportunity to learn from a prominent national leader on the future of faith and activism. |
 Valarie Kaur is a renowned civil rights leader, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker, educator, innovator, and best-selling author of See No Stranger. She has won national acclaim for her work in social justice on issues ranging from hate crimes to digital freedom. Born and raised as a Sikh in California, she emerged on the national scene 20 years ago with her film Divided We Fall, chronicling the experiences of Sikh Americans after 9/11. Her activism focuses on hate crimes, racism and profiling, gun violence, immigration, solitary confinement, LGBTQI+ equality, and Internet freedom. She is the founder of Groundswell Movement, America’s largest multifaith online organizing community. She now leads the Revolutionary Love Project to build just anti-racist communities anchored in the ethic of love.
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All events are free, open to the public. For more information about the series and virtual attendance, visit butlerartscenter.org Thank you to our cosponsors and partners: Center for Interfaith Cooperation, Grace Unlimited, NEH/Frederic M. Ayres Fund, Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis, Butler Philosophy and Religion Department, and the Diversity Program Council. For accessibility information or to request disability-related accommodations, please visit www.butler.edu/event-accommodations. |