For much of the past decade, while national organizations lobbied for “immigration reform,” undocumented people who are most directly affected by our country’s broken immigration stayed in the shadows. Then the Dream Act came along, and thousands of “Dreamers” came out to say that, though the did not have papers, they belonged here. But Congress failed to pass the Dream Act. Some said all hope was lost. But many of these undocumented youth started to say that they are “Undocumented... Read more
Half a century ago, when Freedom Riders came though North Carolina on their way South, they were riding for equal opportunity–for an end to the segregation that said some people deserved less because they were labeled “black.” This Saturday, when our 21st Century Freedom Riders gather here in Durham, we’ll also be riding for equal opportunity. But today the label isn’t “black.” It’s “convicted felon.” This year’s ride will end on December 18th, the anniversary of the 13th Amendment to... Read more
As the world celebrates Nelson Mandela, one of the great prophets of justice in the 20th century, we must also remember that, for nearly three decades, South Africa jailed him. At the same time, here in the U.S., Bob Zellner was being jailed for insisting that white and black people should be able to eat, ride and vote together. Fifty years later we celebrate these men. But we cannot forget their challenge. Indeed, fifty years later, Bob Zellner is still... Read more
Yesterday, I began a conversation with Fred Bahnson, one of my favorite authors, about what it is we’re doing when we write. I concluded by asking, “Don’t you think it’s fair to say that some stories evoke social change more than others? I mean, what’s the difference between a Jane Austen and a Charles Dickens? We do decide, each of us, what we pay attention to, which stories we tell. What effect do these decisions have on the world around... Read more
Last year, when I agreed to teach a workshop on writing and social change, folks over at Duke asked me to write a short piece on how I make sense of my vocation as a writer. This got me thinking about words—their power and their limits in society and in a life. Whether you’re a writer or not, it turns out words are the tools you end up using, at least some of the time. As Witgenstein said, “Words make... Read more
This Advent, I’ve joined my friends at the Baby Jesus Blog to reflect on what our experiences of waiting for and welcoming children have taught us about preparing to welcome the Christ child. If you’re looking for a good Advent devotional, you can follow these reflections over the next four weeks at http://elizabethhagan.com/. Then he blessed them and told Mary, “This child of yours will cause many people in Israel to fall and others to stand. The child will be... Read more
33 years ago today, Dorothy Day died at the Catholic Worker in New York City where she had lived and worked for almost half a century. “Don’t call me a saint,” she had said. “I don’t won’t to be dismissed so easily.” But already in 1980 those whose lives she had touched knew there was something of the living power of Jesus in Day’s life. “A light shines in the darkness,” John’s gospel says, “and the darkness has not overcome... Read more
As we sit around our tables for Thanksgiving, most of us are thankful for our families. But how would you feel if you didn’t have that support network? Where would you turn? Javier Aguilar Espinoza thought he was just going to a new place to “hang out,” but in joining the WAY he found an extended family—and through it, new hope for his future. Watch the video to hear more! Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at School for Conversion. Read more
Four years ago, when I was getting up early in the morning to write a book about stability at our kitchen table, the cracks that run from the lentils of our doors through the plaster to our ceiling seemed a fitting metaphor: without a firm foundation, life fragments. Eventually, it falls apart. Not long after that, the foundation wall at the back of our house collapsed. Then a whole opened up in the bathroom ceiling. And part of the floor... Read more
This weekend, to celebrate the release of my new book, Strangers at My Door, several organizations here in Durham partnered to host a story-telling event called “I Was A Stranger.” Ten people told their own story of how they found welcome in an unexpected place. It was a wonderful evening of sharing. When we started a house of hospitality ten years ago, we hung a knocker on the door that said, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Opening... Read more
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In