The NorcalMLK Foundation’s International Colloquium Series will unfold in Paris at l’Institut protestant de théologie. As our global communities face economic inequality, social polarization, and spiritual uncertainty, this colloquium asks: What is the meaning of community in these fractured times?
Aaron Grizzell answers by grounding social justice in an ecology of interdependence and ethical action through the voices of Howard Thurman and Dr. King. Dwight Hopkins pushes theology into the economic realm, bringing faith, freedom, and hope into conversation for working-class communities. Andrea White centers womanist perspectives as sacred storytelling, while also drawing on Paul Ricœur, to echo Black women’s resilience and brilliance. And Raymond Carr invokes the transcendence and originality of jazz great Thelonious Monk as a hermeneutic tool for an informed and creative approach to theology.
This colloquium honors Black religious experience not just as content to be studied, but as a resource for building global solidarity and ethical community. Through dialogue, critique, and communion, ICS-Paris 2025 becomes a space where theology dances with justice and scholarship becomes a bridge across cultures.
These sessions will be livestreamed and also be available on-demand at NorcalMLK's Youtube channel.
