Theology professor and author the Rev. Shannon Craigo-Snell sometimes speaks and writes about justice.
But her grasp of the concept stretches far beyond the lecture hall, which explains why she was among clergy and other people of faith arrested at a racial protest in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, four months after the police killing there of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black.
She will bring that hands-on perspective with her when she speaks and leads an interactive workshop titled “Conspiring For Justice” at 6 p.m. Feb. 29 as part of First Presbyterian Church’s continuing free program known as “Be: An Event Series.” The presentation will be at the church at 512 Seventh St. in downtown Columbus.
In a column Craigo-Snell wrote for The Huffington Post after her brief jail time, she wrote of her civil disobedience training before that day’s protest.
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“One of the first moments of our time together that morning was to admit that we, as people of faith in this country, have failed these young (black) people,” Craigo-Snell wrote. “We have not worked hard enough to dismantle racism in the United States. We have not fought hard enough against media representations of them as thugs and criminals. We failed the young people of Ferguson, and young black people across the country.”
Craigo-Snell, who teaches at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, is co-author with Christopher J. Douco of the book “No Innocent Bystanders: Becoming an Ally in the Struggle for Justice.”
The work is “a start-up guide for spiritual or religious people who are interested in working for social justice but don’t know how or where to begin, drawing on the lessons of history, the framework of Christian ideas, and the insights of contemporary activists,” according to the promotional material.
Next Saturday’s workshop, focused on fighting racism, is “how people can work across boundaries of race, class, and social differences to make the world a better place,” according to organizers.
Social activism has long been the heartbeat of First Presbyterian. The body of believers, led in the 1960s by the Rev. William R. Laws, became a staunch proponent and leader in civil rights, fair housing, anti-discrimination and related issues.
Since then, church leadership has been vocal about rights of the LGBTQ population, and also a strong voice on immigration and migrant issues. The Rev. Felipe Martinez, the current senior pastor, is a U.S. citizen, but a native of Mexico.
He has been a strong supporter of the series that began in January 2019.
“One of the things I am most excited about,” Martinez said, “is creating community where we each learn and grow together.”
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Who: Speaker and author the Rev. Shannon Craigo-Snell leading a free, interactive workshop, "Conspiring for Justice," focusing especially on fighting racism. It’s part of a continuing local program "Be: An Event Series."
When: 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 29.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, 512 Seventh St. in downtown Columbus.
Also: A light meal will be provided.
For families: Child care is available.
Information: fpccolumbus.org
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