Presented by University of Arkansas-Little Rock
The Little Rock Congregation Study (LRCS) involves an interdisciplinary team that engages students in applied research to serve the community. This best practices workshop will describe the process of our 2020 data collection, from working with our Clergy Advisory Board to develop questions about race, to interviewing clergy, to surveying congregation members. Attendees will be provided with the following takeaways: (a) the process used to share study findings with the community in a way that highlights and invites conversations on the topic of race relations; (b) guides and themes from facilitated dialogues created through our partnership with the Clinton School of Public Service to continue to engage community partners in Spring 2021, and (c ) steps being taken to build bridges with existing community partners, like City Church Network and the Social Justice Institute at Philander Smith College, to further conversations about race relations in the community. One such effort is the “Race under Grace” project, an on-going effort to improve relationships between houses of faith divided by race.