A Case for Centering Empathy in Our Politics

Valeria Luiselli wrote that “the stories of deepest horror are perhaps those for which there are no numbers, no maps, no possible accountability, no words ever written or spoken.” Not one of the eighteen people in our life that have lost their lives to COVID-19 had legal status to vote. My husband doesn’t have that right either. My son is too young. When I filled out my ballot this year, I did it with my husband, my son, and those eighteen deaths in my mind. I held our reality close and I leaned into it with every choice.

Bless the Ballot Week 6 #2: Immigration Reform

My own family history involves a story of seeking refuge. As Christians living in a Middle Eastern country that was hostile to Christians, my father and his family found a new home in the United States in the 1960s thanks to the sponsorship of a Christian organization.

Bless the Ballot Week 6 #1: Immigration Reform

Growing up in the Roman Catholic church in a predominantly Mexican immigrant community meant that there were many cultural celebrations that were intertwined with my faith. December was my favorite month because we celebrated el Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe (the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe), Christmas, and my birthday.