ECBCS CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OCTOBER 18th-19th, 2024
50th Celebration Speakers
Rev. James M. Thomas
Rev. James M Thomas is a distinguished figure in academia, activism and spiritual leadership. Currently serving as an assistant professor of African studies at Cal State LA and the Pastor of Living Word Community Church. Rev. Thomas dedicated his life to advancing social justice and fostering community empowerment. His commitment to advocacy is evident through his various leadership roles, including his presidency of the San Fernando Valley NAACP and his cofounding of the clergy for black lives. Additionally, he actively organizes with Black Lives Matter LA champion in the cause of racially quality and systematic reform.
Rev. Thomas’s academic journey reflects his multidisciplinary approach to addressing social issues. His spiritual journey intertwined with his academic pursuits as he attended Fuller theological seminary, and was appointed as special advisor to the president on diversity issues as a former Benjamin Mays scholar Rev. Thomas is deeply rooted in the that the black church plays a pivotal role in fostering society transformation He ardently advocates for a world free from racism where justice, peace and righteousness serves as catalyst for community development and economic progress.
Dr. Salim Faraji
Dr. Salim Faraji is Professor and Chair of Africana Studies at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is also the founding Executive Director of the Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS) Africa Program at Concordia University Irvine in Ghana, West Africa. Dr. Faraji has been teaching at the Ecumenical Center for Black Church Studies since 1998. He completed his Master of Divinity at the Claremont School of Theology and M.A. and Ph.D. at Claremont Graduate University. He is a member of the International Society for Nubian Studies and specializes in early Christian history, Africana and Africanist historiography, ancient Egyptian religion, Coptic Studies and the Kerma, Napatan, Meroitic and Medieval periods of Nubian history. He is one of a handful of Nubian Studies specialists in the United States.
Professor Faraji is a contributor to the Encyclopedia of African Religion, the Oxford Dictionary of African Biography and more recently Life Under the Baobab Tree: Africana Studies and Religion in a Transitional Age and New Perspectives on Ancient Nubia. He is also author of The Roots of Nubian Christianity Uncovered: The Triumph of the Last Pharaoh.
Our Accomplishments
Over the years, we have accomplished many important milestones in our mission to support mental health, including expanding our services and increasing accessibility to mental health resources.