Chasing Justice

Tracey Gee joins this intro conversation about how you can find your distinct style of activism.    Tracey is a leadership coach and writer whose work is focused on helping leaders (especially those who experience marginalization) grow in self-awareness, development, and building healthy teams. She is certified in several frameworks such as Gallup StrengthsFinder, Working Genius, the Enneagram, an...

In this episode, author Karen González focuses on the importance of the collective stories of immigrants must be centered in our advocacy for immigration.   Karen González is a speaker, writer, storyteller, and immigrant advocate, who herself immigrated from Guatemala as a child. She has been a non-profit professional, working for organizations that serve refugees and other immigrants. She is also...

Mexican and Cherokee community leader Kevin Garcia speaks about how to remain present while we are waiting for justice. His passion for liberating the marginalized will inspire you to center those who have the answers for their community. We talk housing, environmental racism, mentoring youth, and more! Kevin explains how our connection with the community fuels our long term advocacy?  Kevin is a...

How can proximity and presence change perspectives? This is what we learn from Gustavo De Los Rios and his experience mentoring youth and walking alongside immigrant families in their experience navigating the complexities of our legal system.  Gustavo De Los Rios currently serves as the Juárez Shelter Connector. Through personal experience growing up on the border and crossing between both Ciudad...

In this episode of the Chasing Justice Podcast, Native Zuni leader Renee Kylestewa Begay, contributing author to Voices of Lament, focuses on the importance of our lament, hope, and indigenizing our faith as followers of the Jesus way. How do we seek good in our own communities in the midst of accusations that we may not be good? Renee's experience in liberating her theology and walking alongside...

Arwa speaks about everyday Justice from civic engagement to Halloween, food waste, raising biracial children who know their stories, you will learn it all from someone who has been practicing simplicity, compassion and advocacy in front of four tiny humans. Arwa's life trajectory was changed when she came to the US to study as an international student from Dubai. She has worked as a finance manage...

Medgina Saint-Elien speaks about Beauty, Anger and Justice. Have you wondered what place anger has in justice? Learn about how we can fully engage our anger and move to beauty and hope.  Medgina Saint-Elien is a Haitian American writer, creative and emerging voice of direction in the media industry. She currently works at House Beautiful where she champions the "lightbulb moment" in every maker's...

In this episode, authors La Thao, Hmong American and David De Leon, Pilipino American, help us focus on the importance of our collective stories.     La Thao is campus minister in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is also a co-host of the Better Than Seven Sons podcast where she speaks on faith and her experiences as a Hmong American woman.   David de Leon resides in NYC with his two sons and wife. He's c...

Dr. David Hsu speaks on the topic of Vocation and Justice. If you've ever wondered how you can live justly in your vocation this is for you!  You are not going to want to miss this insightful conversation (recorded in his engineering lab–machines noise and all)    Dr. David Hsu is Assistant Professor of Engineering. He worked in Research & Development where he designed medical devices for patients...

NOTE: This is an episode repost with the corrected audio Victoria Park is an actor and director.  She recounts her journey of finding her voice, and shares specific ways she chooses to use her power. This episode is perfect for those of us that feel overwhelmed with all that there is to speak up about, and those of us that wonder if we are doing Justice well? You are not going to want to miss this...

Welcome to Chasing Justice Season Two. Professionalizing justice work is unhelpful. I hope you are ready to rebuild a just world by pursuing our collective liberation and flourishing. In this intro episode Sandra frames why we get stuck in ideas and what we need to move forward.  Sandra Van Opstal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice. She has spent years advocating and train...

How do you bring your concerns for the injustice of your own community without taking up space with others? How can we see anti-racism as a journey and not a fight? In this episode, which was originally a patreon exclusive, Kathy and Sandra speak the truth about long lasting collaboration.   Also this is Kathy's last official episode with Chasing Justice, so don't miss it! For those who are unfami...

It's time for Part 2 of this dialogue! Conversations about collective identity are important but what does a BIPOC existence offer us as distinct communities of color? Are there communities that like the term more than others? How does our daily reality shape whether or not we will lean into an identity beyond Blackness or Latinidad? When there is so much work that needs to be done even in those d...

Conversations about collective identity are important but what does a BIPOC existence offer us as distinct communities of color? Are there communities that like the term more than others? How does our daily reality shape whether or not we will lean into an identity beyond Blackness or Latinidad? When there is so much work that needs to be done even in those distinct identities who has the energy t...

Collective socio-political terms such as "Asian American", "BIPOC", and "POC" were developed over generations. Are these terms helpful or harmful for communities of color? What is gained or lost when we use them? This straightforward conversation between Kathy and Sandra went so deep, so fast that we had to split it into two parts. Lean in and interrogate with them how our faith informs our sense...

Collective socio-political terms such as "Asian American", "BIPOC", and "POC" were developed over generations. Are these terms helpful or harmful for communities of color? What is gained or lost when we use them? This straightforward conversation between Kathy and Sandra went so deep, so fast that we had to split it into two parts. Lean in and interrogate with them how our faith informs our sense...

Kathy and Sandra offer their expertise from mentoring BIPOC leaders on why ethnic identity development is critical for the work of justice. Hear from their wisdom on the process of identity formation and how coming home to oneself makes us a force in against white supremacy and injustice. They even go through Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatums stages on Identity formation. When we understand our past and o...

Media can hurt or heal us in our journey towards collective liberation. Kathy and Sandra talk about the role of media from Kathy's professional experience. They also tackle policing, doomscrolling, and messy conversations media. Hear about their favorite shows that hold space for processing that some of our churches do not. How is it that Shondaland and Marvel are inviting nuance and vulnerability...

Sandra and Kathy help us take a collective breath together as we process the Chauvin verdict, the murders of young black and brown lives, and as we continually face a system that is designed to dehumanize BIPOC bodies. Sandra shares about her experience at the marches and why culture and beauty matter to how we process injustice. They helps us consider why a symphony of our responses in each of ou...

White supremacy sucks for all of us. What do we embody our collective liberation in a lifestyle of justice? What it mean to be a neighbor who is seeking justice? We can talk about justice, without locally living our love in public. Hear concrete examples of ways BIPOC leaders are practicing embodied solidarity. Allow the stories to encourage and challenge us to chase justice together. For those wh...

Women of color are central to the flourishing of our communities and overall social well being. When women of color leave institutions, and we speak out, nobody talks about it; no one notices it. Women are often the first to speak and the last to gain from reforms in society and the church. Black Women speak out and pay an embodied cost. Asian and Latinas overcome bamboo and corn husk ceilings, bu...

What is an acceptable 'American' story? Why some stories seen as normative and others categorized as 'foreign'. Kathy and Sandra talk about the Golden Globe winning movie Minari and why telling our story is not only for our freedom but to confront false narratives and pursue our collective liberation. For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocating for justice....

How can we advocate for ourselves and others? How do we hold space for one another and with one another? This episode features a conversation between our hosts Sandra Van Opstal and Kathy Khang about exploring what collective liberation looks like for each of us as we move forward. This is the work of Chasing Justice, the unglamorous, uncomfortable conversation of showing up for one another. Liste...

Season Two continues with the second half of our dynamic conversation with co-host Kathy Khang as she bring in her longtime friends Barnabas Lin and Jazzy Johnson to address inter-ethnic solidarity. In Part 1, they spoke to 'grief policing' and making space for one another's stories. They go even deeper in Part 2. This conversation is beautifully and painfully honest. For those who are unfamiliar,...

Season two starts with a dynamic conversation with our co-host Kathy Khang as she bring in her longtime friends Barnabas Lin and Jazzy Johnson to address inter-ethnic solidarity. In Part 1 they speak to 'grief policing' and making space for one another's stories. This conversation is beautifully and painfully honest. For those who are unfamiliar, Kathy Khang has spent decades speaking and advocati...