Abstract An Act of Justice: Undoing the Legacy of Mass Incarceration March 30-April 1, 2017 Presented in partnership with the Criminology, Law and Society Department at the University of St. Thomas, HoustonJoin the Rothko Chapel and University of St. Thomas for a three day symposium exploring the human rights issues associated with the criminal justice system in the United States. Learn more about the legacy of this complex system in our country and how individuals and community...

Abstract Collaboration with the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity Suggested donation $10One of Mexico’s best-known poets, Javier Sicilia, laid down his pen last year after his 24-year-old son was murdered by drug traffickers in Cuernavaca, Mexico. In his son’s memory, Sicilia created the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity to urge an end to the drug violence — violence that has left an estimated 60,000 dead, 10,000 disappeared, and more than 160,000 Mexicans displaced...

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Houston premiere of a new feature length documentary focusing on the activists who undertook non-violent change in British-ruled India, “Jim Crow” Southern USA, and apartheid South Africa. Rev. James Lawson, Methodist Minister from California who started the movement in the US, Curtis Graves and Peter Ackerman participated

Abstract Rev. James E. Atwood Suggested donation $10Author and minister, the Rev. James E. Atwood will lead a timely discussion of the theological roots of America’s epidemic of gun violence. The Rev. Atwood contends that the 36,000 gun deaths America suffers every year must be understood in light of the national myth that God has appointed America as “trustee of the civilization of the world” and “Christ’s light to the nations.” Atwood has spent the past 38 years advocating for gun...

Abstract Jeffrey Kripal, Ph.D. Suggested donation $10The past 60 years have witnessed the rise of the “religion of no religion” in America, inspired simultaneously by the insights of modern psychology, the mystical traditions of East and West, the scientific revolutions of the modern world, and the political transformations of democracy. Jeffrey Kripal, Ph.D. explores what made America the unique home to the religion of no religion, and what it means for the future of religion in this...

Abstract Gar Alperovitz, Ph.D. with David Benson Suggested donation $10 What does staggering income inequality mean for the future of America’s economy, and capitalism in general? Is there an economic model that would more equitably distribute wealth? What type of institutional transformation would need to occur for such a model to develop? Author and activist Gar Alperovitz, Ph.D. discusses these questions and more with local expert David Benson. Dr. Alperovitz, Lionel R. Bauman...

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By Jonathan Schell, a distinguished journalist and author of a number of articles and books

Abstract Beyond the Rhetoric: Civil Rights and Our Shared Responsibility Series Vimeo Livestream, 6pm CT Free event with suggested contributions $5-20Tink Tinker and Dina Gilio-Whitaker engaged in dialogue moderated by Suzanne Benally exploring the concept of rights for the American Indian people. Juxtaposed to western frameworks that focus on individual rights, for American Indians the idea of rights has often been used against the collective interests of tribal nations because the...

Abstract 5pm: Reception on the Plaza 5:30pm: Ceremony welcoming the return of Barnett Newman’s Broken Obelisk 6pm: Reception continues 7pm: The Fierce Urgency of Now, a lecture by Leonard Pitts, Jr.In honor of the life and work of the Rev. Dr. King, our Annual Celebration began with a ceremony on the plaza to welcome the return of the Broken Obelisk by Barnett Newman after a year away for conservation. The event included words by Rev. Dr. Marcus Cosby, Wheeler Baptist Church Senior...

Abstract This summer, the Rothko Chapel continues its exploration of the key issues facing people living on the U.S.-Mexico border by presenting Cipriana Jurado Herrera, a Mexican human rights activist who was recently awarded political asylum in the United States. Cipriana Jurado has been an activist in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, for over twenty years, since she arrived in the city at age 14 to work in the maquiladoras to help support her family. It was then that she first...