Front Light

On this episode, we hear from Mennonite Action’s founding directors Nick Martin and Adam Ramer. As they transition out of their director roles, we talk to them about their joys, hopes and lessons learned. Huge thank you to the incredible Jewish recording artist, Batya Levine for the use of their song “We Rise” as our theme song ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tkmkwufRVw ). The beautiful logo is...

On this episode, we hear from Mennonite Action alumnus Amy Yoder McGloughlin. She is the Conference Minister with Allegheny Mennonite Conference, and she is the Denominational Minister of Education with the Mennonite Church USA.  She's been travelling to Palestine every year since 2013, leading delegations with Community Peacemaker Teams. We talk to her about her upcoming book and a recent del...

On this episode, we hear a report-back from Joanna after her trip to Minneapolis during the ICE surge and amidst the mass movement resisting ICE occupation. She, along with Adam Ramer, participated in a Week of Action conference coordinated by organizers in the city. They also had a chance to meet with Mennonite Action folks in the Twin Cities and learn about how they are participating in the move...

On this episode honoring Black History Month, we interview Drew G. I. Hart. Dr. Hart is an associate professor of theology at Messiah University where he has directed the Thriving Together: Congregations for Racial Justice program in central PA since 2021. He co-hosts Inverse Podcast with Australian peace activist Jarrod McKenna and is the author of Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Chur...

In this powerful episode, the Mennonite Action national team reflects on their journey as they enter their third year of activism. Nick Martin is the co-founder and Campaign Director at Mennonite Action. Adam Ramer is the co-founder and the Fundraising and Partnerships Director at Mennonite Action. Holly Harris serves as the Digital Communications Coordinator. Rhea Clymer and Lorren Oesch serve as...

We pull Front Light editor and producer Ken Ogasawara from behind the curtain to reflect on an amazing first season of Front Light! Ken is a writer and podcaster with Mennonite Central Committee Ontario during the day and by night and weekends a co-director of Mennonite Action Canada. We whet our appetite with some tasty stats from the year before diving into the full course of highlights from our...

In this episode, we interview Jonathan Smucker and Janna Hunter-Bowman, two academics who have participated with and researched Mennonite Action. We talk about the Peace Theology in Movement: A Lunchtime Colloquium of AMBS and Mennonite Action, and Mennonite Action’s role in the greater Anabaptist and activist world. They offer unique and personal insights into our circumstance and our organizatio...

In this conversation with Anna-Lisa Gross and Daniel Hunter, we explore the intersection of peace traditions and organizing against authoritarianism, emphasizing the importance of community, nonviolence, and the teachings of Jesus. Daniel is a prolific writer, here are his articles are Waging Nonviolence: https://wagingnonviolence.org/author/danielhunter/ His most recent article is about the respo...

In this episode, we hear from two Mennonite Action national leadership team members: Tim Seidel and Tim Nafziger. Seidel lives in Harrisonburg and helped to lead a disruptive action in DC. Nafziger is on the West Coast and has been engaged in organizing against. They give us an idea of what local chapters are up to in Mennonite Action, and how we are focused on addressing the twin evils of Christi...

In this episode, we hear from Isaac Villegas, author of “Migrant God” as we explore the intersection of faith, immigration, and justice. We hear personal stories, theological reflections, and the historical context of immigration policies. We talk about the sanctuary movement, the implications of Christian nationalism, and the connections between the struggles of immigrants and the plight of Pales...

In this episode, we interview Tyler Goss, he/him, from Harrisonburg Virginia on the land of the Siouan, Monacan, Monahoac, Catawba, and Cherokee. He shares stories from Mennonite Action’s delegation to Palestine in June. We talk about tourism for good, the weight of hopelessness, air raids and more. Huge thank you to the incredible Jewish recording artist, Batya Levine for the use of their song “W...

“None are free until all are free” is a quote attributed to luminaries working for justice throughout history: Emma Lazarus, Fannie Lou Hammer, Martin Luther King Jr., and Maya Angelou.  In this episode, we interview Annabeth Roeschley (they/she), the Director of the Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests. They are a long-time activist and advisor for queer intersectional justice within and...

“They’re trying to equate anti-racism with comfort: ‘everybody should get along.’ But nobody is entitled to comfort. We are entitled to respect.” In this episode, we interview Palestinian-American scholar and attorney, Noura Erakat. She is a Professor of Africana Studies and Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, author of Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine (Stanfo...

In this episode, we speak with Michael George who serves on the steering committees of Mennonite Action and the Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN). He shares his family's history in Palestine, their migration journey, and the cultural identity shaped by his Palestinian and Mennonite heritage. He discusses the complexities of navigating biculturalism, the impact of faith on activism,...

Joanna and Jonny interview ​​Rabbi Alissa Wise about anti-Zionism, organizational building, Jewish Voice for Peace, and a book she co-wrote on lessons in anti-Zionist organizing. Rabbi Alissa Wise is a community organizer, educator, organizational consultant, and ritual leader with over two decades of movement-building experience. She is the Lead Organizer of Rabbis for Ceasefire which she founded...

In Episode 4 Joanna and Jonny interview ​​Iris de León-Hartshorn about her life, enduring commitment to justice, and the lawsuit for which she is the spokesperson: Mennonite Church USA vs. the United States Department of Homeland Security. She shares the challenges she faced as a young Latina girl growing up in a white supremacist reality and the really interesting, winding path she took to find h...

Jonathan Brenneman is a Palestinian-American Christian and co-founder of Christians for a Free Palestine. He was a frontline activist at Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) and played a primary role in writing, passing, and implementing Mennonite Church USA’s Seeking Peace in Israel and Palestine Resolution. We’re so excited to have him on our show! Also in our episode, Joanna and Jonny reflect on th...

In our second episode, honoring Black History Month, Jonny and Joanna do a deep dive into the legacy of Dr. Vincent Harding, who offered us Front Light’s namesake. Together they reflect on his formation among Mennonites, the power of his presence in movements for justice since the 1960s, and how his wisdom continues to inspire work for justice today. Joanna shares from her book “The Movement Makes...

We are stoked to share our very first episode! We interview the co-founders of Mennonite Action, Nick Martin and Adam Ramer. They share their personal journeys into activism, the importance of faith in their work, and the need for collective action against rising Christian nationalism. They also highlight the interconnectedness of various social justice issues and the role of Mennonites in challen...