Justice Rising

The Universality of God with Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones (Season 2 with Samantha Yanity)

What if the Church became a space of mutuality, a sense of community, and experience God’s unending love? On this week episode, Samantha sits down with Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones, to close out this three-part Lenten series on iconography exploring these themes and how sacred imagery can help us experience the universality of God. Samantha and Rev. Mark dive deep into a conversation about Kelly Latimore’s icon, The Trinity, which he commissioned for his personal collection with the hope of challenging us to rethink images of the Divine and create a Church that is equitable and liberative for all people.  

Communal Prayer with Kelly Latimore (Season 2 with Samantha Yanity)

What would happen if our Lenten practice invited us to transform the way we see ourselves and the church? What if we stepped into the doors of the church and were able to see ourselves and our neighbors in the pews next to us depicted in its sacred icons? On part two of our three-part Lenten series, Samantha sits down with iconographer Kelly Latimore and discusses how iconography provides us a means to enter into communal and personal prayer. Kelly Latimore started painting icons in 2011 while he was a member of the Common Friars from 2009-2013. His collective work is about “being more connected: to ourselves, each other, our surrounding community, and the land.”

Modern Day Saints with Gracie Morbitzer (Season 2 with Samantha Yanity)

What would the Church look like if we could see ourselves represented in sacred art? On this week’s episode, Samantha sits down with Gracie Morbitzer of Modern Saints to kick off our three-part Lenten series on iconography, as she shares about her work creating icons that remind us of ourselves. Gracie is a recent graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design where she studied Interior Architecture and Design with a focus in exhibit and set design. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, and draws much of her creative inspiration from living in Columbus. She is a self-taught painter.  

Transformative Justice with Gilda Sheppard (Season 2 with Samantha Yanity)

What is transformative justice? How do come to a place of personal and societal healing? These are some of the questions Samantha unpacks with award-winning filmmaker Dr. Gilda Sheppard. Dr. Sheppard has screened her documentaries throughout the United States, and internationally in Ghana, West Africa, at the Festival Afrique Cannes Film Festival, and in Germany at the International Black Film Festival in Berlin. Sheppard is a 2017 Hedgebrook Fellow for documentary film and is a 2019 recipient of an Artist Trust Fellowship. 

Mercy from the Cells with Jennifer Kelly (Season 1 with Samantha Yanity)

What does it look like to live out God's mercy? And, how do we extend that mercy to and from the prison cells? On this week’s episode, Samantha sits down with Jennifer Kelly, the founder and Director of Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative Northwest (JRJINW), a work of Jesuits West Province.

Love on the Border with Tracey Horan, SP (Season 1 with Samantha Yanity)

It seems, at times, that there is no humanity on the border, but Tracey Horan, SP from Kino Border Initiative, shows everyone that God’s love abounds even in the face of injustice. On this week’s episode, Samantha sits down with Tracey Horan, SP as she discusses Title 42 and the cruelty that she has witnessed on the border, and how people of faith can walk with and welcome the stranger.

Charity vs Justice with Crystal Cardona (Season 1 with Samantha Yanity)

What is the difference between charity and justice? Sometimes, in our earnest attempt to pursue acts of justice, we might lose sight of what accompaniment should look like. On this week’s episode, Samantha sits down with Crystal Cardona, who serves as the Campus Minister for Outreach and Justice and teaches in the department of Women, Gender and Ethnic Studies at Saint Martin’s University, as she shares how she teaches justice work to her students through her experience in years of direct support work.

The Spirituality of Organizing with Michael Alcantara (Season 1 with Samantha Yanity)

Community organizer or rabble rouser? Peacebuilder or troublemaker? Community organizer, Michael Alcantara has taken some heat for his organizing efforts, but that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing justice for the sake of restoring human dignity to his Filipino siblings. Samantha and Michael sit down and discuss how community organizing is inherently spiritual and how people of faith can respond to the crises in the Philippines.

Finding Our Purpose with Dr. Patrick Reyes (Season 1 with Samantha Yanity)

What would the world look like if every person was given a chance to find their true purpose in life? Samantha sits down with Dr. Patrick B. Reyes the author of the bestselling book The Purpose Gap: Empowering Communities of Color to Find Meaning and Thrive, to discuss how decentering and disrupting white supremacy culture allows communities of color to find their purpose.

Education Equity with Marcos Gonzales (Season 1 with Samantha Yanity)

How can we reimagine our education system to make it more equitable, just, and inclusive? Samantha sits down Marcos Gonzales, the Director of Trauma-Informed Education at Chicago Jesuit Academy, to dream of a better system for our students and educators.