The Role Of Faith And ‘Moral Leadership’ During Ongoing Protests For Racial Justice
Protesters gathered in Atlanta for a seventh day in a row on Thursday, calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism. More demonstrations are expected this weekend.
These protests follow the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.
This week on “Closer Look” host Rose Scott has spoken with community leaders and residents about this as part of series, “After the Protests: What’s Next Atlanta?”
On Friday, we conclude the week with a conversation about the role of moral leadership during these times with Dr. Robert M. Franklin, Emory University professor and author of the book, “Moral Leadership: Integrity, Courage, Imagination.”
Dr. Franklin told Scott now, more than ever, leaders with strong principles are needed.
“I suggest that moral leaders are women and men of integrity, courage, imagination who… serve the common good. Not just their own communities,” Dr. Franklin said.
Then, later on in the program, Scott is joined Kayla Smith, a rising senior and social justice fellow at Spelman College, shared what went through her mind when she first saw footage of her fellow Atlanta University Center Consortium classmates being tased by Atlanta police officers.
“That night all of my friends from the AUC we were checking in on each other…” Smith said. “We were mobilizing, but were also checking in on each other’s mental health in the process because we just could not believe it.”
During the conversation, Smith talked about the importance of healing as a nation and bringing about long-term and systemic change.
Finally, Pastor Arthur Breland, the lead pastor at United Church Atlanta, discusses the role of the faith community in the nation’s healing process.
To hear the full conversation, click on the audio player above.
For a deeper exploration of Ahmaud Arbery’s story, listen to WABE’s podcast, “Buried Truths.” Hosted by journalist, professor, and Pulitzer-prize-winning author Hank Klibanoff, season three of “Buried Truths” explores the Arbery murder and its direct ties to racially motivated murders of the past in Georgia.
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