Faith in Action DC
Working in close collaboration with the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington (IFC), over the coming year I will be photographing the work of diverse religious institutions, groups, and individuals who are serving the DC area. The goal of this project, Faith in Action DC, is to celebrate the service efforts of local people of faith, garner increased attention for our communities’ achievements, and promote the Washington D.C. area as a national and international model of interfaith cooperation for the common good.
Howard Zinn Room Dedication
On September 21, Busboys and Poets–Hyattsville (MD) hosted an event to celebrate International Peace Day and to dedicate the Howard Zinn Room with speakers and a People Speak Live! reading based on excerpts from Voices of a Peoples History of the United States. The evening included a fundraiser for the Zinn Education Project.
Greening Our Sanctuaries
The topic of climate change is on many people’s minds with the heat hitting record temperatures this summer. Among those concerned for the welfare of our planet, certainly, are people of faith who look to their religious and spiritual teachings for guidance on how to address this challenging issue.
Recently, Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light co-sponsored the “Greening Our Sanctuaries” interfaith expo. The event drew more than 100 people from more than two dozen local religious groups to their religious and spiritual teachings for guidance on how to address this challenging issue.
Belief Behind Bars
Three years ago, signaling a new wave of attacks on the the Bahá’í religious community in Iran, the seven members of the Yaran, or ‘Friends’, the Iranian Baha’i community’s former acting leadership group, were all arrested, imprisoned, and later convicted on false charges including espionage. Since then there has been an outcry from governments and public figures around the world. To commemorate the third anniversary of the Yaran’s imprisonment, on May 12, 2011 the national administration of the Bahá’ís of the United States organized an event on Capitol Hill in order to draw more attention to the plight of these prisoners in particular and Iran’s human rights situation in general.
JUFJ Labor Seder
The holiday of Passover is a time for reflection on the many struggles we have faced in the past and the relevance of this legacy in our present situation. Each year, the Washington-based organization Jews United for Justice hosts its own seder, the event which recounts the story of the Jewish people’s liberation from bondage. But this is a seder with a twist: it is a Labor Seder.
Who’s On Your Holiday List?
Over the past six months, I’ve had the pleasure to work for some phenomenal organizations, providing media production services in a variety of ways to help their community building programs. As you make your list of worthy organizations to support this giving season, I want to let you know about a few I recommend. Whether through volunteering or financial contributions, I encourage you to consider giving what you can to assist them as well.
Jews United for Justice 2010 Heschel Vision Awards
Every year, the DC-based organization Jews United for Justice honors individuals who have contributed to building community and a more just Washington region. The awards are named for Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a visionary scholar, theologian, and activist. His tireless efforts in the interest of all peoples, no matter their faith or ethnic background, stand as an example for all those who pursue social justice.
Capitol Dome Tour
The US Capitol Building is one of the most popular attractions for visitors to Washington D.C. A relative few, however, have the opportunity to view the building’s iconic dome from the very top. Recently my friend David Najmi, a guide at the Capitol, invited me to join one of his rare tours given to average citizens.
Tahirih Justice Center 2010 Benefit
Recently a friend working at the Tahirih Justice Center contacted me about providing media support at their annual benefit. I’d known about Tahirih’s inspiring work and the organization’s tireless founder Layli Miller-Muro for a few years now, so without hesitation, I agreed to lend a hand. Through pro bono legal support and policy advocacy, Tahirih works to protect immigrant women and girls seeking justice in the United States from gender-based violence.
James Loewen @ Busboys & Poets, 09.20.2010
On September 20, 2010, James Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me, spoke to a full house at Busboys and Poets about his new book The Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader: “The Great Truth” About the “Lost Cause” (University Press of Mississippi, 2010). The event was coordinated by Teaching for Change’s Busboys and Poets Bookstore.
Aikido Shobukan
Aikido is a Japanese martial art that I have been studying for the past couple of years. The training, which is as much spiritual/philosophical as it is physical, emphasizes establishing harmony and balance to resolve aggressive situations. The dojo, or training school, I joined in Washington D.C. is called Aikido Shobukan. Presently I am working [...]
DC Black Men’s Gathering
Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith likens people of African descent to “the pupil of the eye”, which is the source of light. However in the United States, as we all know, the general perception of Black people and Black men in particular has not yet attained the maturity to reflect this statement. In [...]
Birthday of Solidarity 2010
Five years ago, while studying in Guatemala, my friend Bradford Baker learned of a massacre committed by the military in the village where he was working. That horrific event – part of 40 years of civil war and genocide in that country – took place on the day after Bradford’s birth: March 13th, 1982. Now, [...]
‘Abdúl-Bahá DC Tour 2009
This segment documents a tour of sites visited by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, son of Baha’u’llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith, during his historic visit to Washington D.C. in 1912. The tour ends with the annual Color of Worship celebration at Howard University. Produced in April 2009 for Noveen TV ‘Abdu’l-Baha DC Tour from Jack On the [...]
Color of Worship 2008
A short report about the 2008 Color of Worship event at Howard University. This annual event celebrates the visit of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, son of Baha’u’llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith, to Howard in 1912. The commemorative collaboration between Howard and the DC Baha’i community promotes the historic and ongoing importance of race unity. Produced in [...]
DC Interfaith Concert 2007
Every year, the Washington D.C. Interfaith Conference has a concert featuring various faith groups from the metropolitan area. In 2007, I photographed the event at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which included musicians from Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim & Sikh communities.