I grew up sailing on the Indian River in Merritt Island, Fla. After traveling across the U.S. to three different colleges, I finally graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in English Literature. While in college, the shooting of Tamir Rice unearthed incredible racism in my church on Merritt Island. Rather than abandon my faith, I decided to add my voice to the prophetic movement building a better church for all God's children. That is what has pushed me to move across the country and join Sojourners. Here, I speak truth to power — mostly through hanging out with nuns in senators' offices. Speaking truth to power also involves compiling lots of news clips. Lots and lots of news clips. When not doing those things, you can find me wearing a fedora and dancing to "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars.
Posts By This Author
How the Poor People's Campaign's Empowerment Model Builds the Movement
Last week, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival kicked off with eight weeks of nonviolent direct action every Monday. Movements have long recognized the deep work necessary to build community, and that is why after the mass arrests on Monday, the campaign hosts #TruthfulTuesdays, a series of teach-ins for social justice. As the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis said at the first one, “Yesterday we were loud. But we can’t be loud and wrong.”
Faith Leaders on Farm Bill: 'Say No'
"This does not establish justice, its establishes injustice," Rev. Barber said, riffing on the Preamble of the Constitution. "This does not provide for the common defense, because it takes away defense from the poorest among us … This does not promote the general welfare, it promotes harm for the least of these."
Generations of Faith
THIS BOOK SURPRISED me. Millennials and the Mission of God incarnates the “prophetic dialogue” of the subtitle. There are many books about millennials, but here a representative speaks for herself and an older interlocutor listens and responds to the concerns and arguments voiced. Together, baby boomer Andrew Bush and millennial Carolyn Wason ponder the future of the church, how Christianity is changing, and how to engage millennials.
Those with no affiliation, the Nones, are growing; traditional ministry models are failing. Wason, with her background in anthropology, sheds light on why. Her prose is playful and filled with self-deprecation as she laughs at her generation’s idiosyncrasies. As she muses on hashtag activism and Harry Potter, she is frank, openly discussing the role fear plays in millennial evangelism. The long history of Christians oppressing people of other faiths weighs heavily on the shoulders of this emerging generation. Afraid of unconsciously leveraging an ill-gotten Christian privilege, many millennials retreat from traditional evangelizing.
For Wason, the question of faith is not “Is it true?” but rather, “Does it matter?” Thus, her doubts and questions center not on the Bible’s veracity, but on the influence of the church on the world. Her observations will resonate with many millennials.
Addressing the Racial School Discipline Gap
Every year, U.S. public schools suspend enough students to fill 45 Super Bowl stadiums—nearly 3.5 million, amounting to nearly 18 million missed days of school. It’s a policy that negatively affects learning of all students, but in the United States, of course, there is also a racial gap: Studies show students of color are suspended at three times the rate of white students.
Hundreds Gather at the ‘No Muslim Ban Ever’ Rally
Image via Rebekah Fulton/Sojourners
“The administration is going to challenge it [the court’s halt] and continue to try to make sure it [the ban] happens, ” said Isra Chaker, one of the speakers at the rally and a campaigns advisor at Oxfam America focusing on refugees.