Why Deeper Community Matters: From the Abolitionist Movement to Modern Healthcare - Professor Esther Chung-Kim

In this episode of CMC Conversations, host Parishi Kanuga ’26 sits down with Professor of Religious Studies Esther Chung-Kim to unpack some of today’s most complex societal issues. Moving past "the danger of a single story," Professor Chung-Kim explains how looking at problems through multiple vantage points is essential for tackling contemporary challenges—from inequities in healthcare access to the decline of communal structures.She also shares powerful, personal reflections on her recent work with The Dialogue on Race and Faith Project, illustrating how historical research into the 1830s abolitionist movement and early integrated communities like the Oberlin Institute taught her what it truly means to build trust, lean into discomfort, and practice real empathy.Check out the links below to explore The Dialogue on Race and Faith Project and Professor Chung-Kim’s work:https://www.awakeningtojustice.com/ https://www.cmc.edu/academic/faculty/profile/esther-chung-kimhttps://sites.google.com/site/profchungkim