Practicing Justice, Living Faith: Connecting Spiritual Life with Social Action

What: An interfaith panel discussion among young adult leaders and activists in Minnesota
Where: Sateren Auditorium in the Foss, Lobeck and Miles Center
            Augsburg College (625 22nd Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55454)
When: February 11, 2010 - 7:00 PM

JRLC and the New Fire Movement are hosting an event to highlight the great work being done in Minnesota for social justice by young adults.  This multifaith panel will discuss the connection between one's faith and working for social justice; how different faith communities approach positive social change; the variations in different traditions' approaches to justice; and each panelists' work for positive change in their communities.

This event is co-sponsored by Minnesota Council of Churches and Augsburg College Campus Ministries.

MEET OUR PANELISTS

Abou Amara Jr. Abou Amara, Jr., the Christian son of a Muslim man and Catholic woman, is an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow serving as a Youth Policy Analyst at Youth Community Connections in Minneapolis, MN. His work addresses the pressing concerns of inequitable educational opportunities for Minnesota youth, and he has served as a policy aide for State Representative Kelda Helen Roys in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Abou grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, received his B.A. in Sociology and Public Policy at the University of Wisconson – Eau Claire, and is a self-confessed political junkie.

Fartun Ahmed Fartun is currently a first-generation student at the Metropolitan State University. An active member of the Muslim community, Fartun volunteers and worships at Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Civic Center where she helped create a youth group focused on creating a welcoming environment for other young Muslims in Minnesota. Fartun has also been involved with the Interfaith Youth Leadership Coalition through the St. Paul Area Council of Churches and the Jewish Community Relations Council.

Hieu Tu Hieu works for the Boeing Company as a consultant, and volunteers with many organizations to promote social justice in the USA and abroad, including the Vietnamese Community of Minnesota and Democracy for Vietnam Action Group. He also serves on the Social Justice Board at St. Joseph the Worker parish in Maple Grove. He translates at Robbinsdale Area School District, and tutors for the US Naturalization and Citizenship exam at Project Shine and the Vietnamese Community of Minnesota.

Meghan Paul-Cook Meghan is an Organizer with the Saint Paul Area Council of Churches, coordinating the Twin Cities Interfaith Youth Leadership Coalition (IYLC) in collaboration with the Jewish Community Relations Council. The IYLC empowers religiously diverse youth as leaders in their faith and civic communities who create relationships across religious and other barriers. She has served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA, a Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteer in Los Angeles, and Global Intern in Nairobi, Kenya. She is a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Melissa Rudnick A Community Organizer at Jewish Community Action (JCA) in St. Paul, Melissa has organized professionally since 2000, including with the AFL-CIO/Stamford Organizing Project, HOME Line, and Grassroots Solutions. In her work at JCA, Melissa has worked to teach and involve lay members of multiple synagogues in social and economic justice issues in the community. Melissa received a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Stephanie Williams Stephanie is on the pastoral team of Mill City Church in Northeast Minneapolis. Mill City is a locally focused church and gives 100% of their social justice attention to those who need support in the neighborhoods of Northeast. Partnerships with local food shelves and schools connect the church with those who can be offered support. Mill City is an evangelical church in the denomination Converge Worldwide. Stephanie also works for Student Development at Bethel University in St. Paul.

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