Religion, Technology, and Racial Justice: A Strategic Conversation at the Library of Congress/Kluge Center

Timothy Beal (Case Western Reserve University) and Sylvester Johnson (Northwestern University) will build on learnings developed and relationships cultivated through a cluster of Luce-funded projects working at the intersections of religion, technology, and racial justice, in order convene a strategic conversation on possible futures for work in this area. Gathering a diverse collection of leaders in the academic, civic, media, and philanthropic sectors for a meeting this fall at the Kluge Center in the Library of Congress, the convening will present an opportunity to explore a series of interlocking challenges in the field, including how best to approach the ethical governance of technology, the potential role of public-facing humanities scholarship in informing a future increasingly understood to be importantly shaped by new advances in biotechnology and artificial intelligence, and the potential for strategic philanthropic investments to help catalyze greater democratic inclusion and community participation in the meaningful shaping of that future.