Race, Religion, and The Republic

AfroSpiritusvideoOPTalks
Written By Open Plaza

Felipe Agredano talks to Rev. Evang Freda Morrison, Dr. Andrea Johnson, and Dina Cervantes about the intersections

The Allegory of the Republic, after Daumier (coal on board, acrylic) by Balázs Kicsiny, 1990. Source: Museum Ludwig-Museum of Modern Art, Budapest CollectionKicsiny’s coal painting is based on La République (1848) by Honoré Daumier, an oil sketch s…

The Allegory of the Republic, after Daumier (coal on board, acrylic) by Balázs Kicsiny, 1990.
Source: Museum Ludwig-Museum of Modern Art, Budapest Collection

Kicsiny’s coal painting is based on La République (1848) by Honoré Daumier, an oil sketch submitted for a competition to define the "painted face of the republic" the year the French Republic was proclaimed. Commentary on Daumier’s sketch highlighted its ideals of a "'big woman'...a strong republic, nourishing and educating her children...[a] 'fertile, serene and glorious' republic claiming its descent from the first great republic which had abolished slavery; the republic whose flag had circled the world" (Musée d'Orsay).

 

In honor of National Women’s History Month, producer and Chicana/o Studies professor Felipe Agredano moderates a lively OP Talk among Rev. Evang Freda Morrison, history professor Dr. Andrea Johnson, and political strategist Dina Cervantes about the intersections of politics, religion, and race. The panel decries how politicians have weaponized single issues like abortion and stoked racial division in the name of God. Speaking from their unique political, religious, and racial perspectives, the panelists address what role the church should play in the United States today and how congregations should emulate Jesus’ teachings.  The panel agrees that building community and compassion can propel this country forward, towards healing.

 

Join the LIVE VIRTUAL PANEL DISCUSSION & POST-TALK

5pm (PST) / 8pm (EST) - Wednesday, March 31, 2021
ZOOM FB LIVE @ https://www.facebook.com/FelipeAgredano1/

 
 
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Felipe Agredano

Felipe Emmanuel Agredano, MTS serves on the Academic Senate at East Los Angeles College, where he is faculty in Chicana/o Studies, Noncredit and Social Sciences Departments, and has lectured in the history of religion, political science, Chicana/o studies, LGBTQA+ courses and United States Citizenship. He holds a Master’s degree from Harvard University, dual Bachelor’s degrees from UC Berkeley in political science and ethnic studies, and is most proud of his Associates of Arts degree from East Los Angeles College. He often contributes to global stories on religion and politics for The Harvard Crimson, ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, KCAL, including national networks like La Opinión, NBC/Telemundo, PBS, and Univision. A third-generation Apostolic Pentecostal, Agredano grew up and was formed in the Apostolic Church, where his family congregated at Templo Emmanuel, pastored by Bishop Rev. Benjamin Cantú in Highland Park, CA. When he was age 11, the Agredano family moved to Huntington Park and congregated at the Apostolic Church pastored by Rev. Hilario Gámez. There, Agredano directed the local children and youth choirs up until and during his attendance at East Los Angeles College. Later, as a transfer student at UC Berkeley, he was a member of the Union City Apostolic Church, pastored by Rev. Adam López, Jr. Agredano, and participated in the initial three productions of NorCal Mass Choir live-recordings, as well as the award-winning production team of “Nuestro Canto,” a history of the Apostolic Church in song. Agredano also attended the Apostolic Church of Oakland under Rev. Art Oceguera, directing the youth, church, and the ladies’ “Dorcas" choirs. Agredano attended Harvard Divinity School, where his advisor and greatest mentor was Rev. Dr. Cornel West. Agredano also joined the Harvard University Kuumba Singers and frequented various Apostolic congregations in the Boston area, such as the United Pentecostal Church (UPCI), Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW), and eventually congregated at Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After coming out, and coming back to California, Agredano founded an online community congregation of LGBTQ+ Apostolics/Pentecostals and attended Founders Metropolitan Community Church Los Angeles (MCC-LA), where he served on the Pentecostal praise team. In Los Angeles, he served on the Azusa Street Centennial Committee. In 2020, he founded Apostolics Pentecostals for President Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris, creating a global platform for discussion of church, race, and politics. Agredano has presented at the Society for Pentecostal Studies and at the National Association for Chicana/Chicano Studies.

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Dina Cervantes

Dina Cervantes is Chief of Staff for Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, California State Legislature. Cervantes is the daughter of once Mexican-immigrant parents who worked the fields of Fresno, CA and came to the U.S. in pursuit of the American Dream. She was born in and attended El Buen Pastor, aka Culver City Apostolic Church, under Pastors Rev. Manuel Rangel and Felipe Rivas; there, she served the Youth Ministries as Sunday-school teacher and was a member of the City of Angels (COA) LA District Choir for many years. Having once been labeled an “at-risk” youth, Cervantes turned anger into activism, finding more value as an active participant in the political process and being part of the solution. She learned organizing in the church, and later found her way and voice by organizing students in California’s community colleges to fight for access, quality, and affordability in the state’s higher-education systems. An active Democrat, Cervantes chaired the 2014 CA Young Democrats Convention, the 2015 Young Democrats of America Convention, and most recently ran as a Democratic candidate for California State Assembly. In 2020, she served as an administrator of Apostolics Pentecostals for President Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris, a national platform for discussion. Cervantes lives in Sacramento, CA. She is a proud of graduate of Santa Monica College and of California State University, Northridge.

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Andrea Johnson

Dr. Andrea Johnson is an Associate Professor of History at California State University, Dominguez Hills. She received her doctorate in History from the University of Missouri. Dr. Johnson is currently completing a book that compares the strategies and imagery used by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with those of César Chávez and the farm labor movement. Her other research interests include the history of Pentecostalism, and she is currently co-editing a collection of essays on the multi-ethnic history of oneness Pentecostals in North America.

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Freda Morrison

Rev. Evang Freda Morrison has occupied various roles at her local church, Pentecostal Faith Assembly Church (Philadelphia, PA), and at the Pentecostal Assemblies of World, Inc. (PAW), where she recently broke the “glass ceiling” as the first female President of the International Pentecostal Young People’s Union in its 85+ year history. Described as Anointed, Innovative, Gifted and Talented, she has a fresh approach to ministry that crosses denominational, cultural, and socioeconomic lines. Rev. Evang Morrison has made a lasting impact in youth ministry on the local, state, and international levels for close to 20 years. As a licensed Evangelist with the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Inc., she has travelled across the world, evangelizing and preaching the gospel in various countries, including Canada and Mexico, and throughout Europe, Asia, and Central America. She is an administrator for Apostolics Pentecostals for President Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris, a national platform for discussion. Also a gifted song writer and entrepreneur, Rev. Evang Morriso resides in Philadelphia with her husband, Derrick Morrison. Together, they enjoy serving the people of God through ministry and music.

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