The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals ...
organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures.
The organization was founded in 1927 as the National Conference of Christians and Jews in response to anti-Semitism and anti-Catholic sentiment surrounding
Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928.
The son of an Irish-American mother and a Ci ...
's run for President.
History
The NCCJ was established in 1927 by social activists, including Jane Addams and US Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes,
to bring diverse people together to address interfaith divisions.
Over the course of its history, the organization expanded its purview to all issues of social justice; in 1998 its name changed from "National Conference of Christians and Jews" to "National Conference for Community and Justice".
A number of regional offices exist under the auspices of the National Federation for Just Communities.
Programs and events
The NCCJ promoted inclusivity through various events and programs.
One of the first was the "Tolerance Trio", a traveling roadshow which toured the country with a priest, a rabbi, and a clergyman, all making jokes and providing entertainment.
Throughout its tenure, the NCCJ offered interfaith events, school-age programs, and youth leadership programs aimed at promoting values such as understanding, respect, and community building.
Anytown
The "Anytown" program began in the 1950s and was designed for youth ages 14–18. It was intended to educate and empower its participants through multi-day intensive retreats.
Brotherhood Week
The NCCJ promoted a "National Brotherhood Day" in the 1930s, expanding to Brotherhood Week starting in 1936 with President
Franklin D. Roosevelt named honorary chairman.
In 1944 the week included extensive radio programming, military and
USO participation, and an "education program of nationwide scope" aimed at "extending good will and understanding among religious groups".
By the early 2000s the event had lost relevancy and was eventually canceled.
Tom Lehrer
Thomas Andrew Lehrer (; born April 9, 1928) is an American former musician, singer-songwriter, satirist, and mathematician, having lectured on mathematics and musical theater. He is best known for the pithy and humorous songs that he recorded in ...
satirized National Brotherhood Week in a 1965 song of the same name, recorded on his album ''
That Was the Year That Was
''That Was the Year That Was'' (1965) is a live album recorded at the hungry i in San Francisco, containing performances by Tom Lehrer of satiric topical songs he originally wrote for the NBC television series ''That Was The Week That Was'', kn ...
''.
See also
*
Jane Addams
Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 May 21, 1935) was an American Settlement movement, settlement activist, Social reform, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, and author. She was an important leader in the history of s ...
*
S. Parkes Cadman
Samuel Parkes Cadman (December 18, 1864 – July 12, 1936) was an English-born American liberal Protestant clergyman, newspaper writer, and pioneer Christian radio broadcaster of the 1920s and 1930s. He was an early advocate of ecumenism and an ou ...
*
Charles Evans Hughes
Charles Evans Hughes Sr. (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American statesman, politician and jurist who served as the 11th Chief Justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Conference For Community And Justice
1927 establishments in the United States
Community organizations
Interfaith organizations
Religious organizations based in the United States
Social justice organizations
Organizations established in 1927