2024-2025 Public Firesides

The events of the third season of the Moving Forward talk series.

Upon completion of her 854-mile walking pilgrimage from Chicago to Montgomery on behalf of race unity and social justice, Rachelle Zola kicked off the Moving Forward series by exploring her herculean effort and her own story of personal transformation. 

At the beginning of 2025, Rev. Elizabeth O'Neill of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Montgomery reflected on the interfaith worship services that she has organized under the auspices of Interfaith Montgomery and also spoke of her personal journey of relationship with difference.  

In the spring of 2025, artist Chintia Kirana gave a short talk on her work in the context of the principle of unity in diversity.  A multidisciplinary contemporary artist, curator, and arts leader born in Jakarta, Indonesia, Kirana’s artistic practice spans both private and public spheres through socially engaged, community-based projects that explore themes of identity and the passage of time.

After participating in a two-week bicycle relay from Madison, Wisconsin, to Montgomery in the summer of 2025, a group of youth that lead the Riders for Race Amity spoke about the importance of diverse friendships and their awareness of the racial bias that can get in the way of our human relationships.

The Baha’is of Montgomery thank the staff and owners of the NewSouth Bookstore for graciously partnering with us as a co-host for these talks.