Aaron Talley
In Tarot, A Faith that Has Room for You, Aaron opens up about how he discovered tarot and what it has meant to him as a Black gay male who was raised Christian.
Amina Mohamed
Elementary schoolteacher Amina writes about her relationship with education as an immigrant, teacher, and Black woman in Teaching with Community and Liberation. She writes, “…In this journey, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the state of education, what it means to be a classroom teacher, and more importantly: what radicalized me as a teacher?…”
Anna Del Castillo
In her piece Farmworkers, The Unsung Heroes of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Anna sits with Antonio De Loera-Brust, Mexican-American farmworker advocate, to talk about the impact of COVID-19 on the farmworker community, the failure of the U.S. government to protect them, and his vision for the future of farmworker rights.
Ibrahim Abdul-Matin
Ibrahim responds to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol in America Finds Itself at the End of its Myth. He writes, “… America turned in on itself. Sure, we’ve fought internally before – many times in fact, in the streets, on reservations, on slavery plantations and famously in an epic Civil War – but this time it’s different. This time the Capitol was breached, and elected officials were trapped inside barricaded offices afraid for their lives.”
J.T. Snipes
In Bodies Out of Place: Considering Race and Religion on Campus, J.T. engages race and religion (and its intersection) as he writes about the experiences of Black people on college and university campuses, using his alma mater, Baylor University, as an example of how “white Christian supremacy inherently marks Black and Brown bodies out of place…”
Kanika Magee
Howard University Assistant Dean responds to the 2020 presidential election in Our Divided States, writing “Today we want to proclaim unity and forge ahead as a United States, when around half of us voted on opposites sides of the polls: 71.5 million of us voted for one and 76 million for another. This is my struggle. I want to believe that I am open to and accepting of diversity of belief and expression at its fullness – yet in our expression and opening of inclusive space, we have closed a door and ensured there is little to no room left for them.”
Kenji Kuramitsu
In Our Interfaith Arkansas Pilgrimage: Settler Colonialism and Strange Fruit, Kenji uses lyrics from Billie Holiday’s famous song “Strange Fruit” to tell the story of an interfaith pilgrimage he led to Arkansas where his group encountered numerous megachurches, prisons, and police stations.
Musa Al-Gharbi
In Black Americans Crave Deeper Integration of Religion and Politics, Musa writes an insightful analysis of data at the intersection of race and religion. He writes: “non-Black Americans seem to be fleeing religion because it’s become too political. Blacks seem to be leaving because it’s not political enough.”
Nathan Stanton
In his piece Resurrection Someday, Pastor Stanton uses Easter/Resurrection Sunday, which fell on the anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as the occasion to reflect on the “inevitability of freedom” even when America responds to Black pain by justifying the cause.
Raja G. Bhattar
Higher education leader Raja, who hails from a long lineage of Hindu spiritual leaders, reflects on what Deepavali- the Hindu festival of lights- means to him during COVID, and the significance of traditions during the global pandemic in Queering Deepavali: Traditions in the Time of COVID. He writes, ”As an adult, I’ve been lucky enough to move to cities with large queer Desi communities or other diverse religious identities. While I’m a proud practicing Hindu and Buddhist, Deepavali for me is about building an interfaith table that celebrates the diversity of our communities.”
Shaunesse’ Jacobs
In The Atlanta Attack and the Power of Naming, Shaunesse’ responds to the March 2021 anti-Asian attack in Atlanta to highlight how, without naming, there is no healing, reconciliation, or justice. She writes, “Naming is also a liberative act of justice. Naming oppressive acts, conditions, and systems brings to light the existing communal suffering. This naming makes the unseen seen and demands restorative responses from the majority because “the other” can no longer be ignored.”
Simran Jeet Singh
In Election is Chance to Fight Bigotry Against Muslims, Sikhs, Simran reflects on how a Biden/Harris White House presents the opportunity to address and combat religious and racial bigotry, which is in stark contrast to the Trump era.
Teresa Mateus
Author and Trauma Specialist Teresa Mateus writes about the “paradoxical nature” of “actual democracy” and how courageous frontline workers have been during the COVID-19 pandemic in The Unforeseen Courage of 2020: The Existential Dilemma of Actual Democracy.