1917 photo of an unidentified suffrage activist, from the Harris & Ewing Collection at the Library of Congress. Her banner paraphrases a more strongly worded slogan adopted by both Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.”
This conference has now passed.
Click the following links for conference videos on ICNY’s YouTube channel and additional resources to resist authoritarianism.
Contact us at info@interfaithcenter.org to learn about ICNY’s partnership with Hands Off NYC.
On December 4, the Interfaith Center of New York, Union Theological Seminary, The Riverside Church, The Beacon, and the Interfaith Alliance will convene diverse religious leaders, civic officials, community activists, and concerned New Yorkers to explore past and present examples of faith community resistance to authoritarian rule. We will learn from the experiences of faith leaders and democratic movements around the world, in order to defend American democracy today. The Religious Resistance to Authoritarianism conference will be 43rd meeting of ICNY’s long-running series of social justice conferences and retreats for religious and civic leaders.
Under the second Trump administration, we are witnessing a dangerous trend towards authoritarian rule in the United States. It is often said that we are living in “unprecedented” times, but we can learn vital lessons for the work at hand from the successes and failures of faith leaders and communities around the world – for example, in Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdogan; in Latin America during the military juntas of the 1960s-1980s; and in the U.S. itself during Jim Crow and wartime Japanese incarceration. At crucial moments like these, how did people of faith mobilize – or fail to mobilize – broad-based resistance to authoritarian regimes? How did they build interfaith and cross-sector partnerships? How did they draw on their ethical traditions to shape public narratives and sway public opinion? A deeper knowledge of these histories can inform our efforts to defend American democracy today.
Please join us on December 4, to learn from the past, engage with the present, and build a better future. The full-day conference program will include:
- keynote address by Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, leading scholar of authoritarianism and bestselling author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
- panel discussion with diverse faith leaders exploring theologies of power and resistance, as well as practical strategies for resistance and community-building
- panel discussion with scholars and journalists exploring past and present examples of religious resistance, with vital lessons for Americans today
- facilitated working groups for relationship-building and practical planning – an opportunity to meet your neighbors and stand together against authoritarianism
- musical performances, featuring songs of resistance and resilience from diverse religious communities
Light breakfast, lunch, and coffee breaks will be provided for all participants, with kosher, halal, and vegetarian options available. Please see the schedule below for details, and click here for directions to the Interchurch Center, 475 Riverside Drive (main entrance at 61 Claremont Avenue, between 119th & 120th Streets).
All are welcome, but there is a $20 registration fee. These fees will cover a small portion of our expenses in planning and hosting the conference. If the fee presents a financial hardship for you, please contact us at the email address below — cost should not be an obstacle to participation. If you are able, please click here to make an additional contribution to support ICNY’s conferences for faith leaders and other aspects of our work.
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If you have any questions about the Religious Resistance to Authoritarianism conference, please email ICNY’s Director of Programs Dr. Henry Goldschmidt, at henry@interfaithcenter.org.
Conference Program
Click here to learn more about our speakers. (or click individual links below)
| 8:30 – 9:00 | Registration and Light Breakfast |
| Please arrive on time — the conference will start promptly at 9:00 am. | |
| 9:00 – 9:15 | Musical Performance |
| La Troupe Makandal, drum and song from the sacred music of Haitian Vodou | |
| 9:15 – 9:25 | Opening Prayer and Welcome |
| Rev. Adriene Thorne, Senior Minister, The Riverside Church | |
| Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director, Interfaith Center of New York | |
| 9:25 – 10:25 | Keynote Address: Historical Perspectives on Authoritarianism |
| Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, and bestselling author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present | |
| 10:25 – 11:15 | Borough-Based Networking and Reflection on Keynote |
| Participants will be seated at tables by borough or neighborhood. This session will give you an opportunity to meet your neighbors, reflect together on the keynote address, and sign up for local Signal chat groups to stay connected in the future. | |
| 11:15 – 12:30 | Multfaith Panel Discussion: Theologies of Power and Resistance |
| Asad Dandia, community educator, Founder and Director of New York Narratives, and plaintiff in Raza v. City of New York, successfully challenging NYPD surveillance of Muslim communities | |
| Queen Mother Dr. Dowoti Desir, Manbo Asogwe (high priest) in Haitian Vodou, Ambassador-at-Large of the High Counsel of Kings of Bénin, and Founder and Director of the Imperial Corps Agoodjié of the African Diaspora | |
| Sukhman Singh Dhami, Sikh community leader, attorney, and Co-Founder and Director of Ensaaf, working against human rights abuses in Punjab | |
| Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Founder and Director of The Beacon, and Senior Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah | |
| 12:30 – 1:10 | Lunch Break |
| Break bread together for multifaith networking — building relationships means building power. | |
| 1:10 – 1:30 | Midday Prayer and Musical Performance |
| Sunita Viswanath, Executive Director, Hindus for Human Rights | |
| Peace of Heart Choir, volunteer choir formed after 9/11 to promote healing, diversity, community bonding, and mutual understanding through music | |
| 1:30 – 2:45 | Scholarly Panel Discussion: Case Studies of Religious Resistance |
| Dr. David Greenberg, Professor of History, Journalism, and Media Studies at Rutgers University, and author of John Lewis: A Life | |
| Dr. Michael E. Lee, Professor of Theology and Latin American Studies at Fordham University, and author of Revolutionary Saint: The Theological Legacy of Óscar Romero | |
| Dr. Kim Shively, Professor of Anthropology at Kutztown University, and author of Islam in Modern Turkey | |
| Dr. Duncan Ryuken Williams, Professor of Religion and Japanese Studies at the University of Southern California, Buddhist priest in the Soto Zen tradition, and author of American Sutra: A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War | |
| 2:45 – 2:50 | Coffee Break |
| Religious resistance is hard work — coffee and cookies might help! | |
| 2:50 – 4:00 | Issue-Based Working Groups |
Conference participants will meet in facilitated working groups, and develop plans to address specific challenges faced by NYC under the Trump administration. Working groups may be changed due to changing events, but will most likely include:
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| 4:00 – 4:45 | Town Hall Meeting |
| Brief reports from issue-based working groups, and collective reflection on next steps in the struggle for American democracy. | |
| 4:45 – 5:00 | Closing Prayer and Call to Action |
| Dr. Hussein Rashid, Adjunct Professor of Interreligious Engagement at Union Theological Seminary, and Board Member of the Interfaith Center of New York | |
| Ruth Messinger, Global Ambassador and former President of American Jewish World Service, former City Council Member and Manhattan Borough President, and Co-Chair of the Board of the Interfaith Center of New York |
