Location: Decatur Ballroom
Congregations in Atlanta were epicenters of the Civil Rights Movement and remain deeply involved in racial justice today. What has changed in how the press covers faith-led activism? This panel dives into past coverage, current challenges, and the responsibility of reporters navigating protest, power, and public faith.
SPEAKERS
Reverend Dwight D. Andrews
Don Bender
Rabbi Peter Berg
Peter Berg is the Senior Rabbi of The Temple: The Hebrew Benevolent Congregation. The Temple is Atlanta’s oldest and largest synagogue, founded in 1867.
Rabbi Berg was named by Newsweek and The Daily Beast as one of the most influential rabbis in United States, by Georgia Trend as one of the 100 most influential Georgians, and by Atlanta Magazine as one of Atlanta’s most powerful leaders.
Rabbi Peter Berg lives in Atlanta with his wife Karen and three children – Matan, Noah, and Lior.
Mary C. Curtis
Mary C. Curtis is an award-winning journalist, podcast host and educator. She writes columns for Roll Call, hosts its “Equal Time” podcast, is featured on Charlotte NPR-affiliate WFAE, has worked at The New York Times and Charlotte Observer, with coverage specialty the intersection of politics, culture and race. She has contributed to NPR, The Washington Post, MSNBC and CNN. Curtis is Senior Facilitator with The OpEd Project, leading “Write to Change the World” seminars at Yale University, Ford Foundation and Aspen New Voices in South Africa.
Curtis was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and was chosen for The HistoryMakers, archived in the Library of Congress, which celebrates African American achievement.
Honored by Society of Professional Journalists, National Association of Black Journalists, received the Thomas Wolfe Award for an examination of Confederate heritage groups, and, in 2022, the Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
Featured essays in “We Refuse to Be Silent: Women’s Voices on Justice for Black Men,” “Now What: The Voters Have Spoken, Essays on Life After Trump,” “Covering Politics in the Age of Trump” and “Love Her, Love Her Not: The Hillary Paradox.”
Member of St. Gabriel Catholic Church, Charlotte.
Robert Franklin
Reverend Doctor Kevin R. Murriel
The Reverend Doctor Kevin R. Murriel serves as the Senior Pastor of Cascade United Methodist Church, a thriving multi-site ministry with campuses in southwest Atlanta, midtown Atlanta, and an international mission site in the Central African Republic. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Jackson State University, his Master of Divinity from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, and his Doctor of Ministry from Duke University.
An insightful preacher, scholar, and social activist, Dr. Murriel’s research focuses on translating the methods of the Civil Rights Movement into modern strategies for social justice. In 2018, he was appointed by Dean Jan Love as Assistant Professor in the Practice of Practical Theology and Director of the Black Methodist Seminarian’s Program at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.
Sonia Ross
MODERATOR
Adelle Banks