One of the most important aspects of the U.S.’s promise of religious freedom is the ability for faiths to grow, change, and work together freely. It is one of the reasons that a diversity of religions has flourished here in a way paralleled by almost no place else. Several of our Cronkite winners have been religious leaders who push the envelope within their own religious traditions and help build bridges between different faiths at the same time. Tune in to here stories from Rabbi Irwin Kula of CLAL: the Center for Jewish Learning and Leadership and Asra Nomani, an outspoken Muslim feminist and interfaith activist. The work of these innovative and brave leaders continues to be an inspiration as we look back on their stories.
Over the years it has become obvious to us at Interfaith Alliance that securing equality for LGBT Americans, protecting their rights from religious bigotry, was vital to religious freedom in America. Mitch Gold is the head of the furniture company Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and a longtime activist for pursuing LGBT equality in the face of conservative religious naysyaers. Mitchell was a 2012 Cronkite Award winner and an early participant in Interfaith Alliance’s Everyone Only campaign following anti-gay legislation in Indiana last year.