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Deadly as Dachau Activists call for mass decarceration during COVID 19 pandemic

If any locals still braving the streets walked past Boston’s John F. Kennedy Federal Building at the end of March, they may have found themselves staring at a huge black-and-white image of Anne Frank’s face.

“Anne Frank died of an infectious disease in a crowded detention center,” read the caption. The image was projected on a wall near the building, which houses the state’s federal immigration court, on March 22 by activists with the Jewish immigration group Never Again Action. “Governor Baker, release everyone in ICE detention before it’s too late.”

Washington National Cathedral donates 5 000 medical masks found underground

The Washington National Cathedral donated thousands of medical masks to two hospitals in the nation’s capital after discovering a trove of the much-needed protective equipment just feet from where Helen Keller and other prominent Americans lie in the cathedral’s underground crypts.

Bought in 2006 as a precaution during an outbreak of the H5N1 flu, the 5,000 plus N95 respiratory masks had been forgotten until early this month, when the cathedral’s chief stonemason, Joseph Alonso, remembered coming across them in an unfinished area of the crypt level.

US Catholic institutions struggle to keep up with changing demographics

Hispanics now account for 40 percent of all US Catholics, and a solid majority of school-age Catholics. Yet Hispanic Americans are strikingly underrepresented in Catholic schools and in the priesthood—accounting for less than 19 percent of Catholic school enrollment and only about 3 percent of US-based priests.

Extensive efforts are under way to narrow the demographic gaps. They have been highlighted in a nearly completed four-year study by US Catholic bishops seeking to strengthen the church’s engagement with Hispanics.

New children s book highlights Father of Gospel Music

Disbelief is often the response Carole Boston Weatherford gets from children about her books featuring notable African Americans.

“Kids just can’t believe that our nation allowed those kinds of injustices to visit upon so many people,” said Weatherford, a poet who has written children’s books on Fannie Lou Hamer, Harriet Tubman, Lena Horne, and others.

Joseph E Lowery civil rights leader dies at 98

Joseph E. Lowery, a veteran civil rights leader who helped Martin Luther King Jr. found the Southern Christian Leader­ship Conference, died on March 28. He was 98.

A charismatic and fiery preacher, Lowery led the SCLC for two decades—restoring the organization’s financial stability and pressuring businesses not to trade with South Africa’s apartheid-era regime—before retiring in 1997.

Marketing exec Deborah Caldwell to lead Religion News Foundation

In a unanimous vote, the Religion News Foundation’s board of directors has appointed marketing executive Deborah Caldwell as its CEO. In her new position, Caldwell will also be the publisher of Religion News Service. She has served as interim publisher of RNS since Decem­ber, following the abrupt departure of Tom Gallagher that same month.

Before her career in marketing, Cald­well was a media executive and a journalist. She covered religion for two local papers and cofounded Beliefnet.com. She won multiple awards as a reporter, including a National Magazine Award.

Roland Fernandes to head United Methodist missions agency

Roland Fernandes has been tapped as the next general secretary of Global Min­istries, the United Methodist Church’s worldwide mission agency. He will re­place Thomas Kem­per, who, after a decade of leading the organization, chose not to stand for reelection.

Fernandes, a layperson, has been with the organization since 1995, serving in various capacities, including interim general secretary. Since 2003, Fernandes has been the chief operating officer and chief financial officer.