December 2021 Panel Discussion
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. ET (US)
1050 Jenkins Nanovic Halls | Zoom Webinar
What did 2021 teach us about the tumultuous events of 2020 in the United States? In mid-December, a small group of academics, journalists, and faith leaders visited campus for a workshop on the role of faith in the public conversation. Their meetings focused on three significant themes from 2020 as part of our inaugural "Faith in the Story" workshops: COVID-19, a nation-wide uprising against racial injustice, and a close but decisive presidential election in the United States.
At this point, we had the benefit of nearly twelve months of hindsight since 2020 ended. What did it all mean? How did our view of 2020 change in light of 2021 events, like the riot on the Capitol on January 6, the debates over racism and white supremacy that have continued through the fall, the US military’s pullout from Afghanistan in August, or the unsteady progress toward greater COVID-19 vaccination around the world?
At a time when faith is ever-present in our national conversation, how might we better talk about it? And how did the passage of a year allow us to better understand 2020? In this discussion, several of our workshop participants shared with us what they discerned as 2021 drew to a close.
Presented by the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, with support from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.
Speakers
Scott Appleby
Marilyn Keough Dean
Keough School of Global Affairs
Adelle M. Banks
Projects Editor and National Reporter
Religion News Service
Alan Cooperman
Director of Religion Research
Pew Research Center
Dr. Russell P. Johnson
Faculty Member
University of Chicago Divinity School
Rev. Dr. Michael C. R. Nabors
Senior Pastor
Second Baptist Church (Evanston, Illinois)