RNA2020 Virtual: Full Schedule

Welcome to #RNA2020Virtual! We’re so glad you’re here.

10:00am EDT

Morning Mingle

Grab your coffee and meet up with colleagues for a morning networking session.

Note: Networking events utilize a separate Zoom login from the general sessions. Please consult the pre-conference email for links.

Thursday September 24, 2020 10:00am - 10:30am EDT

Networking

10:45am EDT

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Speakers

Peter Smith

Religion Editor, RNA President

Peter Smith is the religion editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He previously covered religion for The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., and Religion News Service. He is an RNA board member and is completing his term as RNA president.

Thursday September 24, 2020 10:45am - 11:00am EDT

Announcements

11:00am EDT

PANEL: Are houses of worship 'essential' during a pandemic?

When the pandemic shut down non-essential services, it fired up a debate about the First Amendment as some governors did not deem religious meetings as "essential." While most religious institutions turned to virtual services, some kept their doors open in defiance. Although the Supreme Court has sided so far against calls to overturn state restrictions, the debate rages on with the end of the pandemic nowhere in sight. Where are the lines in a conversation about public health risks and religious liberty?

Moderators

Deepa Bharath

Staff Writer, Southern California News Group

Speakers

Robert Tyler

President, Advocates for Faith & Freedom, General Counsel, Tyler & Bursch, LLP

info@tylerbursch.com // @advocates4faith // Robert Tyler, general counsel at Tyler & Bursch, LLP, and president, Advocates for Faith & Freedom, has been instrumental in the furtherance of religious liberty and other constitutional liberties through the education of officials... Read More →

Rev. Alvin Gwynn

Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church

410-433-4006 // A Baltimore native, the Rev. Alvin J. Gwynn Sr. has a doctorate from Eastern Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Va. He has been on staff at Friendship Baptist Church in northeast Baltimore since 1989 and senior pastor since 2002. He is also president of Baltimore’s... Read More →

John Inazu

Professor of Law and Religion, Washington University

@JohnInazu // John Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis. He teaches criminal law, law and religion, and various First Amendment seminars. His scholarship focuses on the First Amendment freedoms of... Read More →

Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback

Stephen Wise Temple

jgoldstein@wisela.org // @RabbiYoshi // Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from Princeton University in 1991 and was ordained as a Rabbi by the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion in 1998... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2020 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT

General Session

12:15pm EDT

Lunch & Networking

Join your fellow attendees for informal networking and mind-melding over lunch (you bring the chow). You choose the room, and your colleagues provide the convos.

I'm new here: You’ve just joined the greatest journalism association on the planet. Come here to mingle with other first-timers.

Freelancers unite: Giving up the 9-to-5 has its unique gifts and challenges. Meet up with others who know exactly what it’s like to be your own boss.

Reporting with social media: Could your next story or podcast episode come from TikTok? Find out here!

I want to write a book. Now what?: If you’re planning to write a book—or if you have already written one and have wisdom to share—this is the room for you.

I’m just here to socialize: An agenda?! In a pandemic?! Come here if you just want to hang out with old friends and make new ones.

HOW BREAKOUT ROOMS WORK
All attendees will receive links via email to the general sessions (Zoom webinar) and to networking events at lunch and in the evening (Zoom meeting). After connecting to the meeting, you'll enter a virtual waiting room. An RNA official will admit you, then assign you to the room of your choice. Like the line for the elevator, there may be a short wait to get everyone where they're going. Just hang tight, and we'll move through the list as quickly as possible.

If you want to switch rooms mid-lunch, just leave the room, and you can be assigned to a new one.

Thursday September 24, 2020 12:15pm - 1:00pm EDT

Networking, Lunch breakout

1:15pm EDT

PANEL: Mourning and clergy mental health during a global pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced mourning practices to change across religious communities. Clergy are adapting, offering counseling over the phone, sitting shiva on Zoom and holding off on traditional funerals. All of this has also taken a toll on clergy members' mental health as they seek to walk with their community members through times of grief but often must remain isolated themselves. Our panelists will discuss how they have altered mourning practices due to social distancing and how the pandemic has impacted their own mental health.

Moderators

Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell

Research Director, Duke Clergy Health Initiative, Associate Research Professor, Duke Global Health Institute

Speakers

Imam Hamzah Abdul-Malik

Founder, Midtown Mosque

Imam Hamzah Abdul-Malik is the founder and Imam at Midtown Mosque in Memphis, Tenn. He is one of the few black Americans given the opportunity to study more than 70 Azhari books in the religious sciences. He is a Hafiz of Qur'an and an Al-Azhar graduate receiving a degree in Islamic... Read More →

Rabbi Pamela Gottfried

Congregation Bet Haverim - Your Jewish Bridge

@JewishBridge // 678-926-8282 // Pamela Gottfried serves as a rabbi at Congregation Bet Haverim, a Reconstructionist synagogue, and Your Jewish Bridge, an Atlanta-based resource that provides access to Jewish educational, life cycle and pastoral services to the diverse, unaffiliated... Read More →

Dave Miron

Coordinator and Consultant, Samaritan Counseling Center

David Miron joined the Clergy & Congregational Care team in September 2013. As Coordinator and Consultant, David is the main contact person for the team. He provides administrative support, helps to manage and develop new services for religious leaders and congregations, nurture relationships... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2020 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT

General Session

2:15pm EDT

Break

Thursday September 24, 2020 2:15pm - 3:00pm EDT

Break

3:00pm EDT

PANEL: Race in Sacred Spaces: How Racial Inequities Have Shaped America’s Religious Landscape

George Floyd’s death sparked a national reckoning with racism—and (this time) religious groups were not exempt. Our panelists will talk about the creativity and resilience of minority religious groups as they navigate through the coronavirus pandemic, which has amplified racial inequities, and a national conversation about systemic racism. They will also address how faith communities are playing a part in helping bridge inequities.

Moderators

Deepa Bharath

Staff Writer, Southern California News Group

Speakers

Rev. Myra Brown

Pastor and Racial Justice Team Leader, Spiritus Christi

mbrown@spirituschristi.org // The Rev. Myra Brown is passionate about being a pastor because it gives her the opportunity and privilege to meet new people. She loves hearing about their passion for the Lord and having the opportunity to invite them into volunteer opportunities... Read More →

JaNaé Bates

Director of Communications, ISAIAH

651-376-1033 // @isaiahmn // Minister JaNaé Bates is the communications director for ISAIAH and Faith in Minnesota – multi-racial, multi-faith, state-wide vehicles for people and communities of faith dedicated to building a multiracial democracy by moving collectively and... Read More →

Rev. Pausa Kaio Thompson

Head Pastor, Dominguez Samoan Congregational Christian Church

Pausa Kaio “PK” Thompson is a clergy, activist and theologian from California and American Samoa. His scholarly work includes critical race theory, post colonialism, religion, theology and ethics. In specific, he focuses on the history and impact of colonialism in Polynesia. His... Read More →

Marcos Canales

Pastor, La Fuente Ministries

marcos.canales.a@gmail.com // Marcos Canales, originally from Costa Rica, has pastored among the Latina community of the greater Los Angeles area for more than a decade. During this time, he has also worked with non-profit community organizations in the areas of youth development... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT

General Session

4:00pm EDT

Break

Thursday September 24, 2020 4:00pm - 4:15pm EDT

Break

4:30pm EDT

Member Meeting

RNA members in good standing (those who have paid 2020 dues) are invited to attend this year's annual member meeting. A Zoom invitation and an agenda overview will be sent to eligible members via email. Members who wish to renew their dues in advance of the meeting should do so by Monday, Sept. 21. (HOW TO RENEW)

Thursday September 24, 2020 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT

Member Event

5:30pm EDT

Break

Thursday September 24, 2020 5:30pm - 7:00pm EDT

Break

7:15pm EDT

2020 RNA Awards Presentation

VIEW:

Join RNA on YouTube as we celebrate the 2020 RNA Lifetime Achievement Winner — Ari Goldman — and the winners of the 2020 RNA Awards for Religion Reporting Excellence. The event is free (no registration required), and available for viewing by the general public.

Thursday September 24, 2020 7:15pm - 8:15pm EDT

Special Event

8:15pm EDT

Social Hour

Kick off your shoes, grab a glass of your favorite beverage and meet up with friends for party games or a nightcap. Choose between these rooms:

Winners Circle: Salut! Raise a glass to RNA’s newly minted award winners and find out more about their work.

Game night —Religion Trivia: Understanding religion might be part of your job, but are you an expert? Find out tonight with trivia hosts Dina Zingaro and Liz Kineke. Bring your A game!

HOW BREAKOUT ROOMS WORK
All attendees will receive links via email to the general sessions (Zoom webinar) and to networking events at lunch and in the evening (Zoom meeting). After connecting to the meeting, you'll enter a virtual waiting room. An RNA official will admit you, then assign you to the room of your choice. Like the line for the elevator, there may be a short wait to get everyone where they're going. Just hang tight, and we'll move through the list as quickly as possible.

If you want to switch rooms mid-social hour, just leave the room, and you can be assigned to a new one.

Thursday September 24, 2020 8:15pm - 9:15pm EDT

Social Hours, Evening socials

12:00am EDT

EVENT CODE OF CONDUCT

VIEW:

Please familiarize yourself with RNA's Code of Conduct as you interact with other conference attendees on Zoom and on social media channels.

Friday September 25, 2020 12:00am - 11:30pm EDT

10:00am EDT

Morning Mingle

Friday September 25, 2020 10:00am - 10:40am EDT

Networking

11:00am EDT

PANEL: Getting Out the Vote in CoC

As the demographics shift in key battleground states, political experts predict that minorities such as Muslims, Latinos, Hispanics and blacks determine the outcome of the election. Grassroots faith-based organizations — including churches, mosques, and temples — have been harnessing the power of their communities to "get out the vote" and to ensure they are counted in the census. Now, COVID-19 and a burdened postal service have only furthered that challenge, forcing groups to reimagine their strategies and adjust their respective policy agendas.

Moderators

Simran Jeet Singh

Senior Fellow, The Sikh Coalition

Simran Jeet Singh is a writer, scholar, and activist. He is a Visiting Professor at Union Seminary, a columnist for Religion News Service, a Senior Fellow for the Sikh Coalition, and a Soros Equality Fellow for the Open Society Foundation. This fall, he released his first children's... Read More →

Speakers

Jackie Colon

Southeast Regional Director, NALEO Educational Fund

Jackie Colon is the southeast regional director for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund. Her region includes Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Before moving to Florida, Colon worked for Fortune 500 companies... Read More →

Mohamed Gula

National Organizing Director, Emgage

mgula@emgageusa.org // @mohamedgula // Mohamed Gula is the national organizing director and executive director of Emgage Virginia, where he manages the Million Muslim Votes program in an effort to turnout one million Muslim voters. He is based in Northern Virginia and previously... Read More →

Billy Honor

Director of Faith Organizing, New Georgia Project

Billy Michael Honor is a public scholar and civic organizer whose progressive and compelling insights have made him a sought after speaker and social commentator. He currently serves the Director of Faith Organizing for the New Georgia Project, a celebrated civic engagement and civil... Read More →

Nikki Singh

Policy and Advocacy Manager, The Sikh Coalition

nikki@sikhcoalition.org // Nikki Singh is the policy and advocacy manager at the Sikh Coalition, the nation's largest Sikh civil rights organization. In this role, she works with elected officials and Sikhs across the nation to advocate for inclusive policies and legislation that... Read More →

Friday September 25, 2020 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT

General Session

12:15pm EDT

Lunch & Networking

Join your fellow attendees for informal networking and mind-melding over lunch (you bring the chow). You choose the room, and your colleagues provide the convos.

Just here to socialize: Exactly what it sounds like. Sometimes you just need a place to hang!

Students: Come get to know other students who are reporting on religion or working in religious spaces. (No need to show your student ID to get in.)

Broadcast: For anyone working in radio, podcasting, TV, film, or other broadcast mediums.

Getting more involved with RNA: Wanna learn more about RNA, join a committee, or become more active in the association? You don't even have to make the relationship FB official... just come chat with us!

HOW BREAKOUT ROOMS WORK
All attendees will receive links via email to the general sessions (Zoom webinar) and to networking events at lunch and in the evening (Zoom meeting). After connecting to the meeting, you'll enter a virtual waiting room. An RNA official will admit you, then assign you to the room of your choice. Like the line for the elevator, there may be a short wait to get everyone where they're going. Just hang tight, and we'll move through the list as quickly as possible.

If you want to switch rooms mid-lunch, just leave the room, and you can be assigned to a new one.

Friday September 25, 2020 12:15pm - 1:00pm EDT

Networking, Lunch breakout

1:15pm EDT

PANEL: We're on a Mission from God: Religion in the Halls of Power

What does lobbying look like from a faith community perspective? What are the issues driving various groups, particularly minority faith groups? What are their goals and strategies for influencing policy and lawmakers? How do faith-based organizations find collaborators across ideological and political spectra?

Moderators

Jack Gordon

Host, Interfaith-ish

@interfaithish // Jack Gordon is the host of Interfaith-ish, a bi-weekly show on WOWD 94.3FM Takoma Radio.

Speakers

Mitchell Hescox

President, The Evangelical Environmental Network

mitch@creationcare.org // @Mitch_at_EEN // The Rev. Mitchell C. Hescox, President of The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), guides a team representing over 4 million pro-life Christians who understand climate change has the greatest moral challenge of our time and the... Read More →

Ziba Murat

Uyghur Mom & Advocate, Campaign for Uyghurs

My name is Ziba Murat. I am a mother, wife and daughter to Gulshan Abbas, a kind and caring, retired medical doctor who is one of many Uyghurs unjustly detained in China’s “Re-Education” camps. I am a first-generation immigrant from Urumqi, Xinjiang who came to the United States... Read More →

Anthony Vance

Director of Public Affairs, Bahá'ís of the United States

publicaffairs@bahai.us // Anthony Vance has been the Director of the U.S. Baha'i Public Affairs Office since 2010. He served as Deputy Secretary-General at the Baha’i World Center from 2006 to 2010 and as a lawyer and manager in Africa for USAID from 1985 to 2006. He holds a... Read More →

Rogiérs Fibby

Black Nonbelievers of DC

Danile310@aol.com // Twitter/IG: @Rogiers1 @BNonbelievers // Rogiérs is a native of St. Croix, USVI, an award-winning international recording artist, music industry veteran and former minister of music with 20+ years experience across denominational lines. He has worked with... Read More →

Friday September 25, 2020 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT

General Session

2:15pm EDT

Break

Friday September 25, 2020 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT

Break

2:45pm EDT

Remarks from our sponsor: Religion News Foundation

Religion News Association created its charitable arm, the Religion News Foundation, more than two decades ago to broaden its ability to support members through training and resources. Since then, RNF has secured millions of dollars in grants that provided scholarships for the RNA Annual Conference; brown bag newsroom trainings; religion courses at accredited universities; ReligionLink story idea and source repository; the Religion Stylebook; the Reporting on Religion Primer; a fellowships program; day-long and regional trainings; and relief funds for journalists in financial distress. New RNF CEO Deborah Caldwell will share current programs and other new opportunities for religion reporters in the year ahead.

Speakers

Deborah Caldwell

Publisher, Religion News Service, CEO, Religion News Foundation

@djkcaldwell // deborah.caldwell@religionnews.com // Deborah Caldwell is CEO of Religion News Foundation and publisher of Religion News Service. She previously served as vice president of content marketing at Bank of America. She also previously held executive positions at... Read More →

Friday September 25, 2020 2:45pm - 3:00pm EDT

3:00pm EDT

PANEL: Going beyond the 81%

It's widely known that White American evangelicals make up a core part of President Trump's base, but most reporting doesn't go beyond the "81%" exit poll stat. Evangelicals of other races represent a large percentage of voters in the U.S.; surveys show that non-Trump factions would outnumber many classic Democratic voting blocs. Data experts, faith leaders, and academics will bring us beyond that 81% to understand how and why various faith communities vote the way they do and how Christians of color and religious minorities are responding to highly public debates over race, national identity and the country's history of inequity.

Moderators

Adelle Banks

Production Editor and National Reporter, Religion News Service

Speakers

Khyati Y. Joshi

Professor, Fairleigh Dickinson University

862-216-0764 // khyati@fdu.edu // @profkjoshi // Khyati Y. Joshi is a public intellectual whose social science research and community connections inform policy-makers, educators, and everyday people about race, religion, and immigration in 21st century America. Her most... Read More →

Robert Jones

CEO and founder, Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI)

202-238-9424 // info@prri.org // @robertpjones // Robert P. Jones is the CEO and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the author of "White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity." Jones writes regularly on politics, culture... Read More →

Lisa Sharon Harper

Founder and President, Freedom Road

@FreedomRoadus // Lisa Sharon Harper is the founder and president of Freedom Road, a groundbreaking vconsulting group that crafts experiences that bring common understanding and common commitments that lead to common action toward a more just world. Lisa is a public theologian... Read More →

Friday September 25, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT

General Session

4:00pm EDT

Closing Remarks

Speakers

Betsy Shirley

Senior Associate Editor, Sojourners

Betsy Shirley is managing editor of sojo.net. She has served on the RNA board since 2017 and joined the board of the Religion News Foundation in 2019. She lives in Washington, D.C. As of Thursday, she is also RNA's newest president... Read More →

Friday September 25, 2020 4:00pm - 4:15pm EDT

Announcements

4:30pm EDT

Social Hour

Kick off your shoes, grab a glass of your favorite beverage and meet up with friends for party games or a nightcap. Choose between these rooms:

Karaoke: An RNA classic!! If we try hard, we might be able to rival last year's performances in Vegas.

Meet me at the (virtual) bar: Just because we aren't in person doesn't mean we can't catch up over a drink! BYOMaiTai.

HOW BREAKOUT ROOMS WORK
All attendees will receive links via email to the general sessions (Zoom webinar) and to networking events at lunch and in the evening (Zoom meeting). After connecting to the meeting, you'll enter a virtual waiting room. An RNA official will admit you, then assign you to the room of your choice. Like the line for the elevator, there may be a short wait to get everyone where they're going. Just hang tight, and we'll move through the list as quickly as possible.

If you want to switch rooms mid-social hour, just leave the room, and you can be assigned to a new one.

Friday September 25, 2020 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT

Social Hours, Evening socials