Onsite Exhibit

“There is a new democratic movement in this nation. It is pluralistic and it is intergenerational, spiritually rooted and uncompromising in solidarity.”

— The Rev. David Black, First Presbyterian Church, Chicago, November 2025

Since the country’s beginnings, faith has inspired many Americans to speak out and act against injustice and inequality.  Religious people—clergy and congregants alike—have protested, marched, and prayed to make their voices heard on controversial and divisive topics. Then and now, their beliefs compel them to move beyond the pulpit and pews. Their actions, intended to address urgent problems, have roots in the past and look towards a better future.

This exhibit, developed with funding from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.'s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, features stories of individuals across time and space who have advocated for social change from deeply held religious beliefs. The exhibit traces a throughline from abolition to the sanctuary movement and also considers how religious belief influences views of war and peace.