Election

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Blog, Election, Hate Crimes, Immigration, Millennials, Muslims, Prisons, Revolutionary Love, Sikhs

Dear Friends, As we approach 100 days into this administration, I want to share with you the most powerful and life-giving moment of our year: Just over a week ago, we gathered with immigrant families and faith leaders at a church in downtown Los Angeles and listened to stories of those swept up in recent raids, including Romulo Avelica who was arrested in front of his daughter on the way to school. In their name, we marched from the church to the local immigration detention center in song, music,

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Blog, Divided We Fall, Election, Hate Crimes, Immigration, Muslims, Oak Creek, Profiling, Revolutionary Love, Sikhs, Women

This piece originally appeared on Scroll.in on March 12, 2017. The founder of the Revolutionary Love Project shot into the spotlight with an inspirational New Year's Eve speech. On New Year’s Eve, Valarie Kaur, a documentary filmmaker and civil rights activist based in Los Angeles, California, delivered a moving speech at a historic African-American church in Washington DC. In her speech, she spoke of the dark times ahead and how instead of leading to despair, this could be an opportunity for change. This speech was actually the message of the

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Blog, Divided We Fall, Election, Hate Crimes, Immigration, LGBTQ, Muslims, Opinion Essays, Press, Revolutionary Love, Sikhs, Writing

This was originally posted by Auburn Seminary. Since the executive orders started coming down, we have barely had a chance to breathe. Thousands of you took to the streets, showed up at airports, held vigils, called Congress, and even supported civil disobedience. Our show of resistance helped win a restraining order on the ban on Muslims and refugees – it’s temporary relief but a true moral victory. All this in only 20 days. Will we burn out? If we let fear, fatigue, rage, or despair overcome us – yes, our

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Blog, Election, Hate Crimes, Immigration, LGBTQ, Muslims, Press, Revolutionary Love, Women, Writing

This was originally posted by the Auburn Seminary. In a matter of hours, our next president will place his hand on a Bible and speak an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” It is an oath sworn many times throughout history, but never before by a person whose ideas represent such a direct threat to the Constitution. I share your sadness and anger, uncertainty and pain. I am not asking you to suppress these emotions — I’m asking you to honor them and choose

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Blog, Divided We Fall, Election, Films, Hate Crimes, Millennials, Muslims, Oak Creek, Press, Profiling, Revolutionary Love, Sikhs

At the conclusion of Valarie Kaur’s Jan. 4 electrifying keynote address at the College Conference at Montreat, the tandem lines on either side of Anderson Auditorium were at least ten deep with students all but on fire to have her respond to their questions. In fact, “fire” was an operative word for Kaur, an American interfaith leader, lawyer, filmmaker, Sikh activist, and founder of The Revolutionary Love Project based at the University of Southern California. She had so galvanized the conference by charging her listeners “to have the

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Blog, Election, Essays Sikh Faith, Opinion Essays, Revolutionary Love, Sikhs, Writing

On January 5th, millions of people around the world celebrated the 350th birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth teacher of the Sikh faith. We honored him with pilgrimages, services, stories, and sweets. But this moment offers more than celebration. In our current moment of political and moral crisis, the Guru’s birthday offers an opportunity for reflection. His life shows us the path of spiritual activism -- how to fight for justice through the ethic of love, even in an era of rage. Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) lived

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Blog, Election, Revolutionary Love

On New Year's Eve I joined with other faith leaders at the Watch Night Service at the historic Metropolitan AME Church in DC. There was part of my soul that had been shattered since the election -- a part that no one could reach. But the entire service -- testimonies, music and song -- touched and healed that part of me. So deep, I didn't even know it needed to be healed until it happened. I will never forget standing there, tears streaming down my face with the