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In the News

Black women are among most the religious people in U.S.

A new nationwide survey conducted by The Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation reveals that black women are among the most religious people in the country.

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March 21, 2012

When Georgetown Law student Melanie Habwe Dickson feels anxious, afraid or unsure, she looks to her faith. As she prepared for her first time in front of a judge, she found comfort in this verse from a sheet of scripture given out by her Bible study group: “For what purpose are you seeking an education? Is it not that you may relieve the suffering of humanity?”

Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post

Melanie Habwe Dickson regularly refers to the digital version of the Bible in her iPhone.

March 21, 2012

Melanie Habwe Dickson regularly refers to the digital version of the Bible in her iPhone.

Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post

“I can’t separate my faith from who I am. It’s like being black or being a woman,” said Melanie Habwe Dickson, who grew up Catholic but drifted from religion as a teenager, later finding her way back in college through a Bible study group at a Baptist church.

March 21, 2012

“I can’t separate my faith from who I am. It’s like being black or being a woman,” said Melanie Habwe Dickson, who grew up Catholic but drifted from religion as a teenager, later finding her way back in college through a Bible study group at a Baptist church.

Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post

Loleata Griffin with her daughters Priana, left, 8, and Paige, 10, in their home in Washington. The family has used prayer, gospel music and church to cope with the loss of Griffin’s 18-year-old son Michael, who was killed in 2009 in a gunfight with two police officers, according to the D.C. police.

March 26, 2012

Loleata Griffin with her daughters Priana, left, 8, and Paige, 10, in their home in Washington. The family has used prayer, gospel music and church to cope with the loss of Griffin’s 18-year-old son Michael, who was killed in 2009 in a gunfight with two police officers, according to the D.C. police.

Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post

Loleata Griffin holds her trusted prayer book. “I had started going to church again right before Michael passed,” Griffin said. “I asked God, ‘Why? Why did you do this?’”

March 26, 2012

Loleata Griffin holds her trusted prayer book. “I had started going to church again right before Michael passed,” Griffin said. “I asked God, ‘Why? Why did you do this?’”

Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post

Loleata Griffin, with daughers Priana, left, 8, and Paige, 10, found solace in Crossing the Lines, a group for mothers who had lost their children. Many of the African American women members were already religious, so as they came together they found themselves opening and closing their gatherings in prayer. They invited a local pastor to one of their meetings. It wasn’t intentional, but faith became the bedrock of the group.

March 26, 2012

Loleata Griffin, with daughers Priana, left, 8, and Paige, 10, found solace in Crossing the Lines, a group for mothers who had lost their children. Many of the African American women members were already religious, so as they came together they found themselves opening and closing their gatherings in prayer. They invited a local pastor to one of their meetings. It wasn’t intentional, but faith became the bedrock of the group.

Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post

Two women clasp hands in prayer women during a weekly Bible study.

March 14, 2012

Two women clasp hands in prayer women during a weekly Bible study.

Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post

The women in this weekly Bible study have created a support system for each other as a way to practice their Christianity when they are not in church.

March 14, 2012

The women in this weekly Bible study have created a support system for each other as a way to practice their Christianity when they are not in church.

Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post

Rachelle Bynum reads from a Christian workbook during a weekly Bible study meeting in a friends basement in Washington.

March 14, 2012

Rachelle Bynum reads from a Christian workbook during a weekly Bible study meeting in a friends basement in Washington.

Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post

Faye Van Hook and other women take turns praying and reading from a workbook during their weekly Bible study. The women have created a support system for each other as a way to practice their Christianity when they are not in church.

March 14, 2012

Faye Van Hook and other women take turns praying and reading from a workbook during their weekly Bible study. The women have created a support system for each other as a way to practice their Christianity when they are not in church.

Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Many seminary graduates are choosing not to become pastors. Rebecca J. Cole received her Master of Divinity and is becoming a community organizer on Capitol Hill. She hugs another graduate after the ceremony. The 2013 Commencement ceremony for Wesley Theological Seminary was held on May 13 at the Washington National Cathedral. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Eager to minister, but not from the pulpit

An increasing number of divinity students who don’t plan to become pastors envision using their degrees to “minister” in a...

ARLINGTON, VA- MAY 17: Thousands of bike enthusiasts took to the streets Friday, May 17, 2013 in celebration of Bike to Work day. Bikers leave the Rosslyn Gateway Park pit stop on Friday morning. Commuter Connections and The Washington Area Bicyclist Association hosted cyclists at 70 pit stops across the metropolitan region. (Photo by Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post)

Thousands participate in Bike to Work Day

More than 14,000 people registered for the area's annual celebration of commuting on two wheels.

epa03704474 A Muslim woman at the ThetKalPyin temporary relief camp near Sittwe in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar, 17 May 2013. A total of 13 people were confirmed dead in neighboring Bangladesh as people began to return home from shelters, a day after Cyclone Mahasen hit the coast, officials said 17 May. EPA/NYEIN CHAN NAING

Photos of the day

Cyclone Mahasen, Texas tornadoes, puffin census, melting Swiss glacier and more.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 16: American Idol Season 12 Winner Candice Glover (C) is seen onstage during Fox's 'American Idol 2013' Finale Results Show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 16, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Candice Glover wins 12th season of ‘American Idol’

The 23-year-old vocal powerhouse from St. Helena Island, S.C., tops competition in her third try.

US actress Claire Julien smiles on May 16, 2013 while posing during a photocall for the film 'The Bling Ring' at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Claire Julien, David Hasselhoff, Freida Pinto, Candice Glover, Martin Short and more.

**LOC IMAGE** Geo. Hamilton, Assistant Superintendent, Cambria Iron Mills house, Johnstown Flood, May 31st, 1889. (Photo by Ernest Walter Histed / Library of Congress)

The Johnstown Flood of 1889

On May 31, 1889, the South Fork dam that held Lake Conemaugh failed, and 20 million tons of water descended upon Johnstown, Pa. The flood claimed the lives of 2,209 people and spurred...

HACIPASA, TURKEY - MAY 5: Syrian refugee Hala ponders her life on the run on Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Hacipasa, Turkey. Three times this morning, the sounds of aircrafts were followed by explosions that shook the ground. Hacipasa, which sits just across the river border from Syria, is home of several hundred Syrian refugees who have been displaced by their home country's conflict. For a year, Hala and her family have been displaced from their home village in Syria because of violent conflict. After bouncing from village to village, fleeing bombings that seemed to follow them, the family crossed into Turkey six weeks ago. Initially, the family was deported back into Syria, where they lived in camps for internally displaced Syrians. But when the camps were bombed, the family was allowed to cross into Turkey. Hala said, 'The blood of the people who died in Syria, the martyrs, is our sad song, but nobody is listening.' (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Turkey faces a refugee crisis

More than 400,000 Syrians have crossed into Turkey seeking refuge from the conflict at home. Finding its resources stretched, Turkey is urgently appealing for international aid and...

(FILES) In this file picture taken on January 31, 2013 British football player David Beckham poses presenting his new jersey after a press conference at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. David Beckham is to retire from professional football at the end of the season, his representative announced on May 16, 2013. The 38-year-old midfielder has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and AC Milan, as well as winning 115 caps for England, and recently won the French Ligue 1 championship with Paris Saint-Germain. AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFEFRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

David Beckham announces his retirement

The 38-year-old British soccer superstar says he will retire when his French team’s season ends May 26.

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