Livingston Faith and Race Project to host guest speaker at Howell UMC on May 20th
As national headlines report about rising antisemitism, Christian nationalism, and political polarization, a Livingston County group is asking the question: What role should faith play in bringing people together instead of pushing them apart?
On May 20, the Livingston Faith and Race Project will host a public conversation in Howell focused on how religious traditions in the United States have been used both to justify racial division, but also to build movements for civil rights, peace, and inclusion.
The featured speaker, Elliot Ratzman, is a research fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute at the University of Michigan. He studies how faith and politics intersect around race, nationalism, and ethics. His work examines how some Christians and Jews have historically used religion to justify exclusion and violence, and how others within those traditions built alternative movements centered on civil rights and coexistence.
Ratzman’s talk comes at a time when religious language and symbols are increasingly part of national political debates, and when incidents of hate targeting Jews, Muslims, immigrants, and people of color. Organizers say the goal is to move the conversation from the national level to the local one: What does this mean for Livingston County, and how do faith communities here respond?
Following the presentation, local religious leaders will comment on how our community finds our path forward today.
The event is sponsored by the Livingston Faith and Race Project and hosted by First United Methodist Church of Howell.
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
7:00–8:30 p.m. (doors open 6:45)
1230 Bower St., Howell
Dr. Elliot Ratzman is a research fellow at the University of Michigan's Raoul Wallenberg Institute. He teaches courses on modern religious thought, politics, and culture with an emphasis on race and ethics. He is finishing his first book, on issues of Jewish ethics and racism in the US, Europe, and the Middle East. Ratzman is also part of the national leadership of the Fellowship of Reconciliation USA, the oldest interreligious organization dedicated to war resistance and civil rights.
Register to attend: https://fumcbrighton.wufoo.com/forms/m1cfeynf1glxocu/
The Livingston Faith and Race Project is a coalition of people from different faith traditions who hope, pray and work together to promote love, respect and inclusion of people of all races in our community. If you would like to learn more about our organization’s mission/goals and history, to use our resources or to get involved with our activities to help make Livingston County a beloved community, go to our website, livingstonfaithandraceproject.org
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