Metro Regional Faith Leaders Roundtable
Community Conversations: The Rev. Dr. Smith-Pollard speaks of Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement & their Connection to Transportation
By Christina Harrington
The Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement at the University of Southern California is a powerful convener and skill-builder in the faith community. Driven to build capacity among faith leaders and their organizations to catalyze positive social change for under-served communities, the Center focuses their resources in communities who reside in low to moderate income areas in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Santa Ana.
The Center’s talented team are valued members of Metro’s Regional Faith Leaders Roundtable program. The Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard, Program Manager at the Center, took time to her thoughts about the Center’s connection with Metro.
The Center’s mission and that of Metro’s overlap at a key nexus: to enhance the quality of life for communities. The connection between the Center’s goals and transportation is summarized well by Smith-Pollard as she tells us, “Transportation is key to the infrastructure of the city; it impacts the life of every resident. The community must engage in transportation issues to understand its impact on the community and ensure the sustainability of the community.”
From attending Metro’s Faith Leader Roundtables to speaking to the Metro Board supporting the SEED Transportation School, the team at the Center are active participants in Metro’s programs. Smith-Pollard tells us, “I am drawn to Metro’s engagement opportunities because of implications for the people of the city; and to care about the people is to care about Metro. It is important to come to the table, to be part of the diversity in discussion;” and they have continued to increase that diversity by connecting more faith leaders to Metro’s opportunities and bringing more voices to the table with Metro.
The Center’s work extends beyond transportation, as well. Smith-Pollard tells us their greatest accomplishment to-date is launching the Cecil Murray Archive, a new digital repository to memorialize the words and sermons of the Rev. Dr. Cecil “Chip” Murray. A pastor of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) for 27 years and the Center’s namesake, Murray is a revered leader and recognized formidable social activist advancing social change in Los Angeles for decades. His vision to empower the next generation of faith leaders is the foundational principle of the Cecil Murray Center. You can explore the Cecil Murray Archive here.
As the archive continues expanding, Smith-Pollard tell us the Center is poised to expand their consulting work with churches and faith-based institutions to support them in magnifying their impacts in the community. As for Metro’s future with faith communities, she recommends Metro “continue conversation with faith leaders on points of entry; where faith institutions can really partner with Metro.”
To learn more about the Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement, visit their website here.