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Programming Archive
 

Past Programming

Transplanted Roots

In April 2026, The Center hosted a screening of this deeply human film shares the personal testimonies and lived experiences of Ukrainian refugees who have rebuilt their lives in Louisiana after being forced from their homes by war. Through intimate storytelling, the documentary explores themes of displacement, resilience, and the challenges of rebuilding life far from home, offering a powerful and personal perspective on the human consequences of war. Followed by a Q&A with the director of the film.

Never Again is Now: Learning from LGBTQ+ History to Fight for Our Future

Watch on our Webinar page! Join us for an exploration of Holocaust history to establish context for understanding challenges today. We'll identify the top 10 key lessons for understanding the Nazi persecution of LGBTQ+ people and its relevance for today. Attendees will also be equipped with action items that will help them confront queerphobia and transphobia in their own communities.

Dr. Jake Newsome is an award-winning scholar of German and American LGBTQ+ history and the Founder and President of the Pink Triangle Legacies Project, which honors the Nazis’ LGBTQ+ victims and combats homophobia and transphobia through education and advocacy. He is the author of Pink Triangle Legacies: Coming Out in the Shadow of the Holocaust, tracing the pink triangle’s transformation into a global symbol of pride. Jake has been featured in outlets like The Washington Post and in popular podcasts like Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness. He has been invited by the French, UK, and US governments to speak on LGBTQ+ history’s urgent lessons today.

A Lesson Before Dying: A Staged Reading by The NOLA Project 2026

In March 2026 The Center hosted a staged reading of A Lesson Before Dying in partnership with the NOLA Project. The celebrated story about an innocent young man condemned to death in 1940s Louisiana makes for a powerful piece of theatre addressing important topics such as education, identity and community.

Ending the Death Penalty: A Faith Call to Action 2026

In March of 2026, The Center hosted a panel discussion with Promise of Justice Initiative, Louisiana Interchurch Conference and St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church for a discussion on state sanctioned executions.

Documentary Screening: Healing from Hate 2026

In partnership with Life After Hate, The Center hosted a free to the public documentary screening. “Healing From Hate: Battle For The Soul Of A Nation” takes us inside the minds of individuals who are drawn to hate-fueled violence and extremism.

Taking it to the Stage: The Black Arts Movement in New Orleans 2026

Led by historian Amber Zu-Bolton, a webinar on the Black Arts Movement.

The Black Arts Movement (BAM) was the cultural chapter of the Black Power movement. It was a movement focused on politically informed art including literature, music, visual arts and drama. Amiri Baraka and Larry Neal are widely considered to have laid the foundational work for the Black Arts Movement in New York City but many hubs of the BAM flourished outside of the Northeast, including New Orleans. Taking It to The Stage explores the Black Arts Movement in New Orleans, focusing on collectives like Free Southern Theatre, BLKARTSOUTH and Dashiki Project Theatre. 

Dismantling (US)AID: A Canary in the Coal Mine 2026

Retired Senior Foreign Service Office of USAID, Alyssa Wilson Leggoe, shared the devastating impact of ending aid for our international neighbors and how this event was an alarm bell for more to come.

Learning Over Lunch: How to Stop Arguing About Religion When Nothing Else Seems to Work 2026

Watch on our Webinar page! Dr. Bob Minor of The Fairness Project spoke on how religious issues often interfere with advocacy for equality and inclusion, and arguments from the Bible, tradition, and religious authorities are often cited to justify discrimination and abuse. Arguing about religion is often futile and frustrating. We put religious arguments into perspective and explore practical strategies to defuse and redirect such arguments into issues that lie beneath religious argument where the healing begins. 

Human Rights Day: Abolitionist’s Tea Party 2025

Freedom to Grow and The Center hosted this event on Human Rights Day December 10th. We gathered at Obie Weather’s Solitary Garden and reflected on the many injustices in our world, including the ICE raids here in New Orleans, and reimagined ways forward for our communities that include compassion and justice.

Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Our Immigrant Neighbors 2025

On December 4th The St. Charles Center for Faith + Action partnered with nearly 20 different faith leaders and organizations to arrange a special prayer vigil for our immigrant neighbors here in New Orleans as ICE and CBP have entered the city.

Press coverage:
WDSU
NOLA.COM

Standing in Truth: Faith, Narrative, and Resistance Summit 2025

The In Deed and Truth Summit, Standing in Truth: Faith, Narrative, and Resistance was hosted by the St. Charles Center for Faith + Action in partnership with E Pluribus Unum. This powerful gathering took place November 13–16, 2025 in New Orleans. This event brought together clergy, lay leaders, and community members to engage in courageous truth-telling, equip ourselves for the urgent work of justice, and strengthen networks of faith-inspired resistance to racism and injustice.

Featured Speakers:

Robert P. Jones, PhD – New York Times bestselling author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and White Too Long, President and Founder of Public Religion Research Institute

Karrie Gaspard-Hogewood – Sociology Doctoral Fellow at Tulane University, National News Contributor & Professor of Religion and Policy

Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine – Pastor of Big Bethel AME Church, Professor, Attorney, and Author of When Prophets Preach: Leadership and the Politics of the Pulpit and Called to Reconciliation: How the Church Can Model Justice, Diversity and Inclusion

Rev. Dr. Joey Shelton – United Methodist Pastor, Chaplain, Attorney, and Ecumenical Leader

How to End Christian Nationalism: A Conversation with Amanda Tyler 2025

A timely discussion at Octavia Books with Amanda Tyler around the ideology of Christian Nationalism. Amanda Tyler drew on her experiences, conversations with pastors and laypeople, research, Scripture and her Baptist convictions to write her new book.

Exploring Gender Identity 2025

An informative evening with Dr. Emily Starr, an expert in gender identity and inclusive education. Dr. Starr helped deepen our understanding of gender identity and expanding our empathy toward transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse individuals. Whether you're a parent, educator, faith leader, or community member, this session offers meaningful tools to foster compassion and inclusion. This event was in partnership with PFLAG New Orleans and St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church.

Home is Here Dinner Fundraiser 2025

In September, The Center hosted an educational fundraiser for our partner Home is Here. Home is Here is a grassroots nonprofit organization with a mission to cultivate community-based systems of support with newly arrived immigrants in the Gulf South. We raised awareness of the challenges our immigrant neighbors face and funds for Home is Here to continue their work.

Visit our YouTube channel for archived videos

May 24, 2021
Presented by the St. Charles Center for Faith + Action with the Center for Restorative Approaches and the Carrollton Area Network:

With a new DA, things are changing in New Orleans. Learn what you as a community member need to know and can do to help make our public safety system more focused on serious violent crime, crime survivor needs and better outcomes for people who are arrested, their families, and the community as a whole.

Faith Leaders in the South: A Conversation on Race + Equity
with E Pluribus Unum and the St. Charles Center
Tuesday, April 27 from 9-11 a.m. CDT

Interfaith Conversation on Race + Equity
with E Pluribus Unum and the St. Charles Center
Tuesday, May 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. CDT

Antiracism in Praxis
March 8-22, 2021

WEEK ONE | March 8
St. Francis Xavier
(College) Church
St. Louis, MO

SPEAKERS: Lisa Burks and Winnie Sullivan, co-chairs of the Antiracism Team

WEEK TWO | March 15 Myers Park Baptist Church
Charlotte, NC

SPEAKERS: Rev. Dr. Ben Boswell and Rev. Mia M. McClain

WEEK THREE | March 22
Touro Synagogue
New Orleans, LA

SPEAKERS: Rabbi Katie Bauman, Teri Hunter, and Dr. Cathy Lazarus

Orleans Parish & the Louisiana Courts
September 15-October 6, 2020

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About the Orleans Parish Court System

* District Attorney’s role in the Criminal Legal System
September 15

* How does the court system work?
September 22

* A closer look at juvenile “justice” and injustice
September 29

* Another way? Diversion and Restorative Justice
October 6

 

Policing New Orleans
July 20-August 3, 2020

Click above for recording of Session 1: A History of Policing

Click above for recording of Session 1:
A History of Policing

A four-part virtual workshop series "Policing New Orleans: Past, Present, Future" offered in the summer of 2020 by The St. Charles Center for Faith + Action in collaboration with Touro Synagogue, Rayne Memorial United Methodist Church, and The Center for Equity, Justice, and the Human Spirit at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Week 1 - A History of Policing | July 20, 2020

In this workshop session, Professor of History Dr. Marcus S. Cox (Xavier University of Louisiana) and Associate Professor of Criminal Law Dr. Cecelia M. Klingele (University of Wisconsin Law School) took participants through the history of policing and the criminal legal system in the US from the early 1600s to the present, touching on the many inherent biases that history has introduced and how they are manifest today in modern police forces.

Click above for recording of Session 2: Consent Decrees & Reforms

Click above for recording of Session 2: Consent Decrees & Reforms

Week 2 - Consent Decrees and Reforms | July 27, 2020

In this workshop session, New Orleans Independent Police Monitor Susan Hutson took participants through the New Orleans Police Department's Consent Decree, the work of the New Orleans Independent Police Monitor, and the progress made in reforming the New Orleans Police Department since Hurricane Katrina, and encouraged participants to get involved in the work of community police oversight and reform.

Click above for recording of Session 3: Unbundling Budgets & Services

Click above for recording of Session 3: Unbundling Budgets & Services

Week 3 - Unbundling: Budgets and Services | August 3, 2020

In this workshop session, AH Datalytics Co-Founder Ben Hurwitz and LEAD Program Site Advisor Corinna Yazbek took participants through how diversion programs, together with some changes in city budgeting, can make New Orleans safer, save the city money, and provide better outcomes for those involved in the criminal legal system.

2022 Programming

White Savior: Racism in the American Church screening and small group discussion
SUMMER 2022

Designed by formerly incarcerated people, survivors of violent crime, and trauma-informed psychologists, The Heart of Reconciliation provides tools to restore relationships, heal communities and families and build the vision you have for a thriving tomorrow.
OCTOBER 2022

Based on the academic work of the Rev. Dr. Marc Boswell, God in Whiteface invited participants to consider the influence of race on culture, community, and theology, shaped by images and experiences of whiteness.
SPRING 2022

ABOUT THE CENTER

Misinterpretations of faith narratives that promote polarizing, inequitable ideologies contribute to systemic harm towards marginalized groups. At the center we create spaces for people of all faiths to learn, unlearn and act - building a community grounded in equity and empathy.

Working at the intersection of sacred story and social justice, The St. Charles Center is a gathering place and incubator engaging people in action that creates a just and equitable Greater New Orleans and the world beyond.

“Attending events at the St. Charles Center for Faith and Action has been exactly the type of community learning that I have been looking for in these distressing times. Each event I’ve attended has included experts on the topics at hand who led with curiosity, rather than judgement, and who ultimately left me feeling hopeful for the future.”

- 2025 Workshop Attendee

Past Programming
“Every social justice movement in the United States has been infused with the energy of faith leaders who ignite our moral imagination and connect us with our ability to re-create the world around us. ”
— Valerie Kaur
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God in White Face

Join the Center for a four-part series "God in Whiteface," to discuss the relationship between white supremacy, racism, and the Church. Dr. Marc Boswell and co-host, Dr. David Robinson-Morris will begin the conversations this spring with a four-part Zoom series, followed by a documentary series this summer, and an in-person gathering in the fall.

Our fourth and final final discussion will take place on April 11th, 6:30 - 8:00 PM via Zoom.

The title is based on the work of Dr. Marc Boswell, who researches the ways that white supremacy insinuates itself into the thought and practice of Christianity in the modern world.

Join the Center for these conversations and explore how religion and racial thinking continue to be intertwined, what that means for our social institutions, from the criminal legal system to our religious gatherings, and what people of conscience might do in response to the whiteface God.

Click the button below for our free registration and to receive the Zoom link.

Register Here

 

Click each day for a drop-down menu of the day’s schedule

  • 10 AM - Welcome

    11:00 - Overview of Criminal Legal System

    11:45 - Rage and Lament

    12:30 - Lunch

    1:30 - Restorative Justice Practices

    3:00 - Break

    4:00 - Isaac Knapper

    4:30 - Guide for the Evening

    5:00 PM - Happy Hour

  • 8:30 AM - Breakfast

    8:55 - Grounding for the Day

    9:00 - Sharing and Reflection

    9:45 - Altar Engagement

    10:00 - A Model for Engagement (Freire)

    10:30 - Earl Truvia

    11:15 - Guided Meditation

    11:30 - Sacred Teachings

    12:30 - Lunch with Rev. Joe Connelly

    1:30 - Walking Discernment Practice

    2:00 - Nziki Wilke

    2:45 - Restorative Practices, pt. 2

    5:00 - Evening Reflection

    5:30 - Dinner and “The Road to Damascus” Performance

  • 8:30 AM - Breakfast

    9:00 - Hope and Joy

    10:00 - Action Steps

    11:00 - Altar Engagement

    11:30 - Guided Evaluation

    12:30 - Lunch and Goodbyes

Email center@stcharlesave.center for more information.
Registration is free.

Board of Directors

Sally Buras, President

As a Unitarian Universalist, issues of racial and social justice have been a passion of Sally’s over the last several years, leading her to find opportunities for learning, personal growth and activism. She currently serves on the Racial Healing Committee of the Women’s Center for Healing and Transformation in Abita Springs, chairs the Membership Committee and also serves on the Board of the New Orleans-Birmingham Psychoanalytic Center and served in the past on the board of The Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal. She is mother to an ever challenging 19 year old son, has 3 dogs and a cat...all who make sure she laughs frequently.

 
 

Serena Deutch

Since moving to New Orleans three years ago, Serena has sought ways to use her connection to Judaism to become involved in the local community. Deutch says, “organizing around Jewish values is how I hope to contribute most moving forward.” She has volunteered with VOTE, Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners, Glass Half Full, and the Louisiana Democratic Party, in addition to getting involved with the Orleans Legacy Project.   

For two years, she lived in the Moishe House, an intentional community for young Jews which hosts multiple monthly events to engage local young people in  social, cultural, and service-oriented activities. Deutch is excited to bring her passion for community engagement along with marketing and event planning experience to the St. Charles Center Faith + Action. She writes, “I hope to explore more ways to take action from a lens of faith-based social justice work, specifically continuing my interest in criminal justice reform and racial equity work.” 

 

Kiana Calloway

Kiana Calloway is a recognized justice reform leader, solitary confinement survivor, and powerful voice for systemic change. At just 16 years old, he was wrongfully incarcerated for a crime he did not commit and spent a total of nine years in solitary confinement.

Rather than letting that experience break him, Kiana transformed his trauma into purpose, becoming a leading advocate for the abolition of solitary confinement. He is the Director of the Impacted Solitary Survivors Council, the largest collective of solitary survivors in the United States. His work has been featured in award-winning films and national campaigns, and he has helped lead legislative reforms across Louisiana. Through public speaking, mentorship, and grassroots organizing, Kiana continues to inspire a movement rooted in justice, healing, and resilience.

Kiana Calloway is a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network Fellow, a RedF Business Accelerator Fellow, and an Electoral Justice Project Fellow. His leadership has been featured in award-winning films and recognized on national platforms for his work to end solitary confinement. He has also served on mayoral and sheriff transition teams, shaping justice policy in New Orleans from the inside out.

Sherdren Burnside

Sherdren serves as Director of Posse New Orleans.  Her engagement leading organizations uplifting New Orleans includes: serving as executive director of Compassion Outreach of America, a faith-based nonprofit that works to build a safe, thriving community for children and families in St. Claude and the surrounding neighborhoods of New Orleans through education, community development, healthy faith community; and as the founding director of College Track New Orleans (CTNO), formerly Urban League College Track (ULCT), a college completion program designed to help students from underrepresented communities to graduate from college. Her belief that all people deserve the opportunity to fulfill their own best promise drives her unwavering commitment to equity, service, and biblical justice.

 

Ryan Harvey

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Mr. Ryan Harvey is a professional software engineer with a multi-decade career building web, media, and embedded software in a variety of arenas from commercial startup to large enterprise and non-profit to federal government. He graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in 2001 with a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science, and received a M.S. degree in Applied Mathematics and Scientific Computing from University of Maryland at College Park in 2007, additionally pursuing several years of post-graduate study beyond the master's. Ryan has long been a dedicated public servant and social justice advocate, dedicating significant volunteer time and effort to civic technology and tech education initiatives, including FIRST Robotics, Code for America, Ruby for Good, and Alliance of Civic Technologists, in addition to his work for the Center. He is a happy husband and father of two wonderful kids and a number of pets and resides in Mandeville, LA. Ryan and his family are members of St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church.

 

Becky Meriwether

Becky is a retired family physician and epidemiologist who spent most of her career in public health followed by some time in academic medicine and research and finished her career working in disability medicine. She is a member of the St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church which she represents on the Board and currently serves as the Chair of the Community Engagement Team and on the Leadership Team and Trustees of the Church. She devotes her time to a variety of social justice issues with a focus on criminal and racial justice and is convener of the Orleans Legacy Project which is working to erect historical markers to memorialize people of color lynched in Orleans Parish during Jim Crow. She enjoys listening to storytelling and spending time with her grandchildren and husband.

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In Deed and Truth

A Cohort Learning Opportunity 2024-2025

In Deed and Truth (IDAT) is a program of the St. Charles Center for Faith + Action in partnership with E Pluribus Unum. IDAT invited predominantly historically white congregations to tell the whole truth about their histories and enter an intentional, guided discernment process to determine how each local church will act upon the full knowledge of their origins.

INSPIRATION

Inspired by 1 John 3:18, the project is entitled In Deed and Truth: Interrogating Legacies of Which Church in America (IDAT) and is a cohort-style program for historically predominantly white churches at least 50 years old located in the South. The cohort of churches will participate in virtual workshops with faith leaders and subject matter experts to guide them through a process of researching, understanding, and reckoning with their church’s history around issues of race. They will receive guidance and technical assistance from practitioners to engage their congregations in activities designed to ensure the process is a joint effort of the membership. And they will meet parishioners and clergy who have successfully led transformation processes in their own churches and can share promising practices.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Over the course of their participation in the In Deed and Truth project, participants will:

  • Understand the biblical basis for truth-seeking, truth-telling, and work toward healing

  • Learn the history of their church’s engagement around race and racism

  • Develop skills and techniques to improve internal and external communication around issues of history, race, and other challenging topics

  • Discern a new path forward in collaboration with church leadership and congregation members

PROJECT STRUCTURE

IDAT is structured as an 18-month, cohort-style program with monthly virtual workshops.  Each participating congregation will establish an IDAT committee of 3-5 people composed of clergy, lay leaders and congregation members to ensure representation of different perspectives. The committee members will attend the monthly workshops and hold the responsibility for taking what they have learned back to the broader congregation through activities built into the curriculum. 

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

The St. Charles Center for Faith and Action is a neutral gathering place for community members and experts, a resource to the faith communities and faith leaders, and an incubator for ideas and partnerships that impact the region and the world beyond. The center hosts convenings, trainings, and programming around restorative justice and antiracism for community members, clergy, lay leaders, and community organizations.

E Pluribus Unum (EPU) Founded by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in 2018, E Pluribus Unum (EPU) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to build a more just, equitable, and inclusive South, uprooting the barriers that have long divided the region by race and class. EPU is focused on changing the divisive narratives that perpetuate systemic and interpersonal racism, cultivating and empowering courageous leaders who are advancing racial equity, and championing transformative policy change.

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

The IDAT curriculum is divided into four modules, with each module building upon the previous to support the cohort in envisioning and acting upon a transformation for their congregations. Clergy, historians, sociologists, scholars, lay leaders and practitioners in community organizations will lead the learnings and provide mentorship and guidance to participants.

Module 1: Laying the Foundation

This module focuses on establishing the biblical basis for truth seeking and reconciliation, as well as preparing the participants for engaging in challenging discussions about race. Participants will receive foundational equity learnings to increase their understanding of the context of America’s racial history. They will learn and practice techniques for participating in uncomfortable discussions. And they will hear from leading ministers about how this work is tied to their faith and the scripture. 

Module 2: Understanding Our History

This module focuses on supporting the participants through the process of researching their church history. They will receive tips on where to look for information and how to organize the research process from archivists and church historians familiar with the challenges common to older institutions such as lack of official records, poor recordkeeping, damaged or lost historical documents, etc.  Participants will then connect their church history with the local and national events of the time regarding race and race relations in order to understand how their church engaged with the topic of race and with their community members of different races.

Module 3: Reckoning with the Truth

This module focuses on process what the participants have learned and providing tips and support for dealing with the impact this may have at the individual and congregational level. Advice and tips from experts on emotional health will be presented. As well, participants will hear from leaders and parishioners who have experienced this period of transition and the related challenges. Participants will explore issues such as dissent and tension in the congregation around the project, church members leaving the institution, and community members responding negatively to the church’s transformation work. 

Module 4: The Path Forward: Congregational Discernment of Action

This module focuses on leading participants through a spiritual process to determine what is next for their church. Participants will hear from congregations and faith-based community groups that have gone through transformative processes and incorporated new lenses, approaches, and programming into the way that their church engages internally and with the community. During this time each committee will work with their church membership to identify concrete action steps to move the transformation process forward, articulate goals and milestones for their congregation, and take a clear step toward their next phase. Advisors in planning and project management will support the development of realistic, attainable goals and approaches for successful implementation of their plans.