Denver is home, where my family, dog and beautiful mountains support and inspire me. Raised by teachers of history and english, and growing alongside an art and sociology obsessed sister, I feel Sojourners is a fitting place to end up.
I studied magazine writing and dabbled in radio producing at the University of Missouri. I value what I learned there in multicultural courses, in news rooms and in the community, and in small groups and worship teams. Before moving to D.C., I spent time back in Denver working at a local, public access radio/TV station. I learned about the power of media in the hands of the people; how multimedia platforms can build communities and bring forth action.
I also believe in the power of words, grace, good food and dance. I look forward to engaging more with stories involving refugees and immigrants, public health and religion. While at Sojourners, I pray to better understand love in action and the social justice modeled by Jesus. A mission of grace can feel unfair and uncertain. I need help to hold love for all people.
Posts By This Author
PHOTOS: More Than 70 Arrested for ‘Catholic Day of Action for Immigrant Children’
Sr. Carol Zinn, executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, summoned the image of the Good Samaritan. She said nations will not be judged by their GDP or success on Wall Street, but how they treat the most vulnerable and marginalized.
Bless the Hands That Picked This Food
Image via United Farm Workers
“Unskilled” and “temporary” do not accurately describe the people Areli Arteaga loves and works with — and she has no problem addressing those false labels. Arteaga, the daughter of two agricultural workers who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico almost 30 years ago without documents, testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on April 3, urging Congress members to help pass The Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2019, also known as the “Blue Card” bill.
Faith and Fear in Gun Culture
Prayer in the fearful context of gun violence is mysterious to me. I’m still surprised the first thing through my mind, huddled in a classroom corner was this: Praise God from whom all blessings flow… The doxology. Without knowledge of who fired the shot that echoed through the hall, or if the footfalls beyond the door would bring security or more chaos, I had, amazingly, some peace from this liturgical breath prayer. I gripped my friends’ hands and asked God to intervene - to save the shooter who was a child lost and in danger.
How One Church Tackled Its Community's Affordable Housing Crisis
Photo by Anna Sutterer
Churches across the nation are recognizing the value of their land how it can be leveraged to address the scarcity of affordable housing. An interfaith alliance in Colorado, which found faith organizations own more than 5,000 acres in the Denver metro area, communicated with 20 churches interested in transforming their unused land into housing. According to project reports from several church networks and partnered developers in northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, more than 5,000 affordable housing units have been built, preserved or are being aided by church organizing in the area.
Jeanette Vizguerra: 'I Lead My Fight. And the Faith Community Are My Allies'
Jeanette Vizguerra, a mother and prominent activist under threat of deportation, on Thursday called to thank faith leaders and supporters who petitioned at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in Washington, D.C., for a stay of removal and visa approval for Vizguerra.
Q&A: Ellie Holcomb on Following Mystery and Making Music
Image via Anna Sutterer/Sojourners
Christian music singer/songwriter Ellie Holcomb released her first children's album, Sing: Creation Songs, in September with an accompanying children's book called Who Sang the First Song?. In January, she and her partner, Drew Holcomb, frontman of Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, dropped an EP called Electricity.
Cyntoia Brown's Clemency Was a Long Fight
Image via PBS documentary Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story
It was this harsh sentence that did not take into account her age and circumstances at the time that sparked an outcry among activities and celebrities alike, calling for her release.
Christian Leaders Welcome Muslim-American Women to Congress
“The assumption should be that Christian Americans, along with Americans of all faiths and backgrounds, would of course welcome new members of Congress regardless of their religious affiliations.”
ProPublica's 'Unprotected' Investigation a Cautionary Tale for Christian Do Gooders
Image via Unprotected film
Unprotected, a report and documentary by Finlay Young and Kathleen Flynn, recently resurfaced a story about the charity organization, which was built from a young woman’s crusade to lift girls from poverty and change the education system in Liberia. Within a year of the first school building opening, sexual abuse allegations emerged.
Kavanaugh Debates Draw Thousands of Protesters to D.C.
Photo by Kayla Lattimore / Sojourners
Rain and a palpable heaviness covered the Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford hearings last week. This afternoon, Cancel Kavanaugh: Believe Survivors marchers perspired under a hot sun while they shouted resistance to the Supreme Court nominee.
The Music of Dr. King's Dream
Image via Anna Sutterer
And then jazz enters the scene, a music that grapples with chaos and comes out with soul. In the tension of clashing notes and melodies, fingers flying across valves and keys, the band finds a groove that communicates the experience of the civil rights movement