Department of Religious Studies
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/2152/82553
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Browsing Department of Religious Studies by Author "Melton, Elizabeth"
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Item Amanda Martinez Beck Interview(2021-12-02) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThis interview is with Amanda Martinez Beck, a fat liberation activist living in Marshall, TX. Amanda talks about the work that online activism involves, such as social media engagement, podcasting, and writing for various platforms. She discusses the problems of language in her activism, like the negative connotations many people have with concepts like fatness and disability. Amanda also explains how her conversion to Catholicism and exposure to incarnational theology helped her learn to celebrate her body and the bodies of others.Item Amanda Veasy Interview(2022-02-18) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThis interview is with Amanda Veasy, co-founder of One Love Longview, a nonprofit resource center for unsheltered, uninsured, and underserved populations. Amanda talks about the rapid rise of her organization as a response to community needs for accessible mental and physical health care. She describes the changes in her religious experiences over time, including being spurred to leave the church over her unwillingness to condemn the LGBTQ+ community. Amanda also talks about her methods of helping effectively by putting the individual’s desires and consent first and about the strength of her value of southern hospitality.Item Omar El-Halwagi Interview(2022-01-18) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThis interview is with Omar El-Halwagi, an employment discrimination lawyer in Houston, TX. Omar talks about growing up as a Muslim in the American south and discrimination he faced at a young age. He tells his story of being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union in order to secure the time and place to pray during high school. Omar also describes co-founding the organization Grassroot Islam, a virtual space for a diverse and inclusive Muslim community created to combat pandemic isolation. He discusses coming into his relationship with God on his own terms and learning from the spiritual journeys of others.Item Saleem Shabazz Interview(2021-12-22) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThis interview is with Saleem Shabazz, a retired postal worker and Air Force veteran living in Longview, TX. Saleem tells about his childhood, describing his family dynamics, the places he lived, and being Baptist in his youth. He talks about travel and work in the Air Force and being exposed to different cultures and beliefs. Saleem discusses converting to Islam and his experience of the hajj. He also talks about his engagement with his Muslim communities over the years, including being and imam for a time, and his observations on social and political change in the US.Item Tara Bonds Interview(2022-03-26) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThis interview is with Tara Bonds, an educator and librarian in Elgin, TX. Tara shares the story of a trip she took to Egypt with her grandmother after college, and how it opened her eyes to cultural diversity and intercultural connection. She then describes her first year teaching middle school, which began with the events of 9/11, and how she navigated that in the classroom and provided a safe escape for students. Tara also discusses the lasting impacts of post-9/11 legislation on every-day freedoms and national security.