. >>> welcome, i'm kim lawton sitting in for bob abernethy, thank you for joining us. with congress back from spring recess, work has resumed on several key issues and faith-based groups have been deeply involved. as the senate took up expanding background checks for gun sales, interfaith religious leaders including clergy from newtown, connecticut, held a 24-hour prayer vigil in support of new gun control measures. they set up more than 3,000 grave markers to honor the people shot to death in this country since the sandy hook school massacre on december 14th. the leaders prayed for an end to gun violence. religious activists made more than 10,000 phone calls to the senate this week urging support for new gun restrictions. a broad array of faith groups also played a prominent role as advocates for comprehensive immigration reform took their case to capitol hill. at a massive rally religious leaders joined others in calling on members of congress to support a bill that would offer a path of citizenship up to 11 million people are in this country illegal. dr. rabbi david

kim lawton has our story. >> at the civil rights institute in birmingham, alabama, local students are on a field trip learning how 50 years ago, kids around their age played a pivotal role in the struggle against segregation. one of them was freeman hrabowski, who is now president of the university of maryland, baltimore county. he was 12 at the time and a math whiz. >> i was not a courageous kid. i did not get into fights. the only thing i would attack was a math problem. and so, this was not about courage at all, it was about having a dream of a better day. >> in 1963, birmingham was considered one of the most segregated places in the u.s. >> children knew, children of col were well aware we were consired second clas. >> reverend martin luther king, jr. came to birmingham in january 1963 to support local efforts to end segregation through nonviolent protests. but the campaign didn't take off as he had hoped. >> he prepared for three months and started the demonstrations in april. they fizzled quickly, nothing went according to plan. >> while king was trying unsuccessfully to inspire

in 2011, just before receiving a grammy for lifetime achievement, he spoke with kim lawton. >> someoned, you know, why you going to do this? i put my thumb up in the air and as i hav been doing it, for hymn, you know. >> they said his faith keeps him going and he sees every day as a gift. >> i don't know when heaven will loom up for me. but we have to look forward to it it. i hope there will be an organ up there to play. i love organ music. >> that's our program for now. i'm bob abernathy. you can follow us on twitter and facebook and watch us any time on the pbs app for iphones and ipads. there's more on our website, including mour of our interviews about religion and the environment and links to additional environmental resources. audio and video podcasts are also available. join us at pbs.org. as we leave you, the boston children's chorus performing at the interfaith prayer service for victims of this week's bombing. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> announcer: major funding for "religion and ethics news weekly" is provided by the lily endowment, an indianapolis-based private mily fouation decated to its fo

he joins us from new york and our managing editor, kim lawton is with me in the studio. jim, welcome. what is your definition of the common good? >> you know people are asking me what the common good is and what it means to be on god's side. and neither has certain answers, but i think they're the right questions. let me give you my favorite from the book, this i from catholic social teaching. i'll read it right from them. the common good is the whole network of social conditions, which enable humans and groups to flourish. all are responsible for all. so taking a sabbatical to write this book and watching the news at night. and saw we had forgotten this idea of the common good. >> jim, who says what the common good is? >> the common good is found in all of our faith traditions, like the catholics, the black churches, i found it back to john in the fourth century. it's deeply in all our traditions and the moral foundation of it is to love your neighbor as yourself. in secular democratic traditions it's also there in the golden rule. treat others the way you want to be tr