Posts in advocacy
Courageous Conversations: Sandy Ovalle Martínez on Responding to Social Injustice with Courage

Meet Sandy Ovalle Martínez, Sojourners' Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing. A mujerista theologian and an organizer, Sandy oversees mobilization and activist engagement around different justice areas including climate and environmental justice, immigration, women and girls, and peace and nonviolence.

In this conversation, Sandy and George explore how individuals and communities can equip themselves to respond effectively to social injustice, drawing on the rich teachings of faith to guide their actions. They trace the historical roots of immigration and examine the role of religion in shaping attitudes towards human mobility. Finally, they reflect on how we can harness our faith to navigate uncertainty and step boldly into a world in need of courageous advocates for justice and compassion.

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Courageous Conversations: Father Michael Lapsley on Pain as a Pathway to Wholeness and the Spiritual Wound of Racism

Fr. Lapsley is currently the Director of the Institute for the Healing of Memories in Cape Town, South Africa. He is an Anglican priest and social justice activist who was severely injured by a letter bomb sent to him in Zimbabwe where he had been exiled by the South African government for his anti-apartheid work. He founded the Institute for the Healing of Memories in 1998 to seek to contribute to lasting and collective healing that makes possible a more peaceful and just future.

In this fourth episode of the Courageous Conversations series, George and Fr. Lapsley explore pain's role as a catalyst for healing and collective transformation. They discuss the intrinsic capacity within every individual for healing and the transcendent nature of pain that binds us together. Together, they confront the spiritual wound of racism, delving into the intricate process of intergenerational unlearning it necessitates.

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Restorative Farms: Community Supported Agriculture in South Dallas

George pays a visit to Restorative Farms where he meets with co-founder Brad Boa. He tours the farm and learns how this Community Farm is working to address the issues of food access by growing food and creating jobs for the community. Later, co-founder Owen Lynch joins George online and tells the origin story of Restorative Farms. 

In South Dallas where a population of people has to leave their community to get access to healthy food, Restorative Farms works to support systematically underdeveloped communities. The farm's focus is on food sustainability but is also creating a network of local farmers who are working their land in an environmentally responsible manner. The farm provides job opportunities and fresh food, ingrains a pride of ownership, and fosters collaboration. 

This episode is the fourth in the new series “More than Food for Thought: Community-Based Solutions to Hunger in South Dallas."

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City of Dallas: Sustainable Hunger Solutions through Food Distribution and Education

George pays a visit to the West Dallas Multipurpose Center where he tours the grounds, meets with Center Manager Ashley Hutto, and learns how the city of Dallas is addressing the issues of food access and insecurity.

In a part of the city where access to grocery stores and fresh produce is limited, the Center offers emergency food assistance, bilingual SNAP application support, a teaching kitchen, a Neighbors' Community Garden, and more. Follow along as George and Ashley explore the importance of seeking out sustainable and long-term solutions to hunger that arise from the community and maintain the dignity and independence of its members.

This episode is the third in the new series “More than Food for Thought: Community-Based Solutions to Hunger in South Dallas.”

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A different kind of Sunday Service: 4DWN's food rescue and recovery

This episode is the second in the new series “More than Food for Thought: Community-Based Solutions to Hunger in South Dallas.” In it, George introduces us to 4DWN’s Sunday Service and its leaders.

4DWN is a skate park, an organization, and a service-driven community that meets the needs of hundreds of kids and families each week. It creates upward mobility opportunities, and through its “Sunday Service” distributes with the help of its volunteers thousands of pounds of nutritious food—eliminating waste and feeding bodies, minds, and souls throughout this area food desert. It’s good for people, and good for the planet.

4DWN “is a metaphor, right? About four wheels down and rolling. It’s a sort of celebration of movement…all moving forward together.” - Rob Cahill

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Joey Darwin: A grocery store in South Dallas that nourishes body and spirit while nurturing autonomy and dignity

This episode is the first in the new series “More Than Food for Thought: Community-Based Solutions to Hunger in South Dallas.”

In it, George introduces us to Joey Darwin, Executive Director of Bridge Builders and the group’s South Dallas Community Market. Together, they explore what a grocery store would look like if the neighbors who shop there got to say what they needed and wanted.

In partnership with Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, that’s exactly what this market does; it offers nutritious food chosen by clients right in the community of South Dallas.

BridgeBuilders engages, equips, and empowers individuals, families, and communities in South Dallas. 

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Episode 81: Michelle Kinder Part 2

Michelle Kinder is back on Good God to talk more about the nonprofit sector and how to do even more good by giving voice to people whose voices aren't heard enough, if at all. If you work in the nonprofit world or you support a nonprofit of any kind, you won't want to miss this conversation.

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advocacyGood God Project
Episode 75: Marv Knox and Fellowship Southwest

In Christianity, it feels like denominational lines are becoming less important. Fellowship Southwest is a new organization that demonstrates this by connecting people of faith to the work of the church in the world, particularly these days to serve refugees on the border of the U.S. and Mexico. Marv Knox is the coordinator of Fellowship, and he and George talk about this new kind of organization today on Good God.

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