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 response in DC to Trump deploying the National Guard.
Anna Lisa is rooted in the Church of The Brethren and recently wrote two articles for Anabaptist World focused on Gaza:
https://anabaptistworld.org/i-wont-eat-again-until/
https://anabaptistworld.org/entrapment-stew-and-murderous-aid-recipe-mediterranean-stew/
Together they are organizers with Choose Democracy, and among other things, are thinking about tax resistance as a tool of mass noncooperation.
Choose Democracy launched the One Million Rising trainings, which is an effort to get people organized to resist authoritarianism following all the No Kings marches. 20,000+ people were at the first training! They also led Freedom Trainers, which is the training that Nick did. Here’s the Noncooperation Library provided by the Freedom Trainers.
Drop Site News: https://www.dropsitenews.com/
From Christians for a Free Palestine, written by Rev. Margaret Ernst, this prayer on the news of a ceasefire:
God of Life
We lift voices that are hoarse from screaming for justice
Eyes that are wet with tears
Or that can cry no more.
2 years, God.
Do you hear our cries?
Do you hear the cry of Gaza?
There is news of a ceasefire.
There is dancing in the streets.
There are children who have lost everything
Telling us the war is over, for good.
Preserve their hope, oh Lord.
Stop the bombs.
Release the prisoners.
Feed the people.
You are a God that saves.
And yet, where has that salvation been, these past two years?
And so much longer before.
Over 67,000 dead, and likely so many more
Hundreds of thousands wounded
Under the rubble
What shall we say to the
Woman who wakes to news of ceasefire
And then must ask,
“Where am I to go?
What do we do with our lives?
Where shall we live?"
What shall we say to
The parent of a child
Bloodied just hours after news of the ceasefire broke
As the world slept and then cried “Free Palestine”
And yet we still yell it
We refuse to accept 'peace'
Defined by those who profit from war.
You are a God that liberates.
Preserve the faith of Palestinians, God,
And show your saving power.
Let every tear of joy shed in these
Days of anticipation
Water the future.
May every laugh and song of children
Lifted to the sky
Defend against planes and drones
From here on forward.
You are a God that heals.
May there be quiet in Gaza, God.
And while there is quiet there, Lord,
Strengthen our cries across this globe for true justice
A true peace
For the kingdom coming
That we glimpse
And is not yet
Firm up our souls to keep marching
To keep singing
Keep going
Till liberation is won.
Amen.
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 Christian Nationalism and Christian Zionism. You’ll also hear about the courage tour and an organizing conference.
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 by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, Holly Harris, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.
Instagram posts of the DC action: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOoxBUej919/?img_index=1, https://www.instagram.com/p/DOoxBUej919/?img_index=1, https://www.instagram.com/p/DOY1nYwkY73/
Sign up for the Courage Tour here: https://www.mennoniteaction.org/tour
Sign up for EMU’s organizing conference here: https://emu.edu/seminary/shalom/events/2025-organizing-symposium/
Mosab Abu Toha poem:
Every child in Gaza is me.
Every mother and father is me.
Every house is my heart.
Every tree is my leg.
Every plant is my arm.
Every flower is my eye.
Every hole in the earth is my wound.
Support and follow Mosab Abu Toha: https://linktr.ee/mosababutoha
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 Palestinians. Throughout, Isaac highlights the need for a Christian vision of justice that actively engages with the realities of suffering and oppression.
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 by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, Holly Harris, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.
Connecting the dots between the occupation of Palestine and ICE repression:
https://www.newsweek.com/blueprint-ices-future-being-drawn-west-bank-opinion-2103201
An account of the political organizing in Durham that resulted in the resolution against police training partnerships with Israel: https://scalawagmagazine.org/2021/05/israel-palestine-durham-police/
Perfect Victims by Mohammed El-Kurd: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2499-perfect-victims
Healing Resistance by Kazu Haga: https://www.parallax.org/product/healing-resistance/
Joanna Macy and The Work That Reconnects: https://www.joannamacy.net/main
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 “We Rise” as our theme song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tkmkwufRVw). The beautiful logo is by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, Holly Harris, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.
“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 beyond Mennonite Church USA. Annabeth embodies this role as a queer abolitionist theologian, spiritual care curator, and politicized chaplain who dwells at the intersections of individual and collective healing. A graduate of Bluffton University, Annabeth holds a Master of Divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary with a concentration in LGBTQ+ Religious Studies. After a decade in Washington, DC and now in Chicago, Annabeth and their partner are active with the local Hyde Park Jewish community and with a queer house church. Annabeth draws deeply from rural Illinois roots (Potawatomi, Peoria and Myaamia land) and loves watching the moon rise over the edge of Lake Michigan.
Resources:
5 Patterns of Legal Escalation by Maki Ashe Van Steenwyk: https://makiashe.substack.com/cp/161466693
On denationalization by M Gessen, drawing on Hannah Arendt: https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2025/03/23/opinion-trump-isnt-just-attacking/
Unmasking Christian Zionism for Queer, Palestinian, & Jewish Liberation: https://www.bmclgbt.org/palestinian-jewish-liberation-resources
Creating Cultures of Care: Blessing LGBTQIA+ Kin Across MC USA: https://www.bmclgbt.org/creating-cultures-of-care-blessing-lgbtqia-kin-across-mc-usa
Everyone is invited to BMC's 50th anniversary celebration!
“The Memory Librarian” by Janelle Monae, noted as Joanna’s front light this month:
https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/the-memory-librarian
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 by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, Holly Harris, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.
“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 (Stanford University Press, 2019) and an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Palestine Studies. Also in this show, Joanna shares about the anniversary of the Nakba, and Jonny about his favorite new band.
Noura’s instagram reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJUSwcxN_6R/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Ahmed the Little Farmer: https://www.instagram.com/tasnemaaed?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
“Fabulously Melancholy” by Plastic Hacks: https://plastichacks.bandcamp.com/
If your congregation or ministry observes ICE or CBP activity in or around your place of worship, please contact Iris de León-Hartshorn (irisdh@mennoniteusa.org) immediately and copy your Conference Minister so that we can document any encroachment into sacred spaces with the court.
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 by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, Holly Harris, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.
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, and the importance of speaking out for justice. During the past five years, Michael has helped to facilitate MennoPIN’s “Twinning with Gaza” Initiative in which Mennonite congregations in the United States have built relationships with Palestinian-led non-profit organizations in Gaza.
Re: Mennonite Church USA et al vs Department of Homeland Security:
If your congregation or ministry observes ICE or CBP activity in or around your place of worship, please contact Iris de León-Hartshorn (irisdh@mennoniteusa.org) immediately and copy your Conference Minister so that we can document any encroachment into sacred spaces with the court.
Slideshow from Michael George featuring his family history and travels to Palestine.
You can learn more about MennoPIN here: https://mennopin.org/
The Encampments documentary: https://www.watermelonpictures.com/films/the-encampments
Email us at frontlight@mennoniteaction.org to give us your feedback and we’ll feature you.
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 by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.
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 October 2023. She is co-author of Solidarity is the Political Version of Love: Lessons from Jewish Anti-Zionist Organizing (Haymarket, 2024).
Also, on our episode, we share feedback from listeners. Email us at frontlight@mennoniteaction.org to give us your feedback and we’ll feature you. Joanna shares about her community came together after a tragic loss they suffered; and Jonny waxes on the beauty and hope of the game of baseball.
To sign Mennonite Action’s pledge, donate, or sign up for our Email list visit www.mennoniteaction.org.
Buy Alissa’s book here: https://www.solidaritylovebook.org/
Jonny’s ode to baseball: https://jonnyrashid.substack.com/p/an-ode-to-baseball
Edited by Ken Ogasawara and Christen Kong
Artwork by Jesse Bergen
Produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk and Nick Martin
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 her place amongst Mennonites and as a Latina Mennonite leader.
Iris serves as associate executive director of Operations and director of Human Resources for Mennonite Church USA (MC USA). During her career, de León-Hartshorn also served as director of intercultural ministries for MC USA, conference minister for MC USA’s Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference, director of Peace and Justice Ministries for Mennonite Central Committee where she supervised several programs including Damascus Road. She served on the executive committee of Mennonite World Conference. de León-Hartshorn was a panelist in the World Council of Churches in Durbin, South Africa, for the UN World Conference Against Racism 2001. In 2001 she co-authored a book with Regina Shands Stoltzfus and Tobin Miller Shearer entitled, Set Free – A journey toward Solidarity Against Racism. de León-Hartshorn is a member of Portland Mennonite Church, Portland, Oregon, She is married to Leo Hartshorn for 51 years and they have three grown children and two grandsons.
Also, on our episode, we share a poem from a listener and reflect on how feelings of despair can paralyze us from action. Joanna’s front light is on Academy Award-winning documentary “No Other Land,” and Jonny’s is on the hilarious Netflix comedy, “Mo.” Two pieces of Palestinian-made media.
To sign Mennonite Action’s pledge, donate, or sign up for our Email list visit www.mennoniteaction.org.
To learn more about MC USA’s lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/news/mc-usa-joins-more-than-two-dozen-christian-and-jewish-denominations-and-associations-sue-to-protect-religious-freedoms/
“No Other Land” documentary: https://releasing.dogwoof.com/no-other-land
“Mo,” the Netflix series: https://www.netflix.com/title/81134264
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 the current state of affairs and how to stave off despair. Jonny shares about his love of nostalgic media, including SNL 50. Joanna offers to us how both trees and rocks have been a stablizing comfort for her in this season of turmoil.
To sign Mennonite Action’s pledge, donate, or sign up for our e-mail list, visit www.mennoniteaction.org.
To learn more about Christians for a Free Palestine: https://christiansforafreepalestine.com/
Adam Sandler’s song on 50 years of SNL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXAbLeJyB0o
Emil Wakim on Voting in the 2024 Election (Weekend Update, SNL): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwECx_Bondc
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 by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and Christen Kong and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.
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 Us Human: An Interview with Dr. Vincent Harding on Mennonites, Vietnam, and MLK” published in 2018. We also talk about our feelings about the onslaught of Trump’s executive orders that are scaring many of us. Jonny shared why he likes to watch birds (and the Birds). Joanna shared news sources that help us understand what’s happening despite the chaos of the news cycle.
To sign Mennonite Action’s pledge, donate, or sign up for our Email list visit www.mennoniteaction.org.
Buy “The Movement Makes Us Human” here: https://wipfandstock.com/9781532635298/the-movement-makes-us-human/
Dr. Vincent Harding’s books mentioned in the interview:
There is a River: The Black Struggle for Freedom in America (Harcourt Brace & Co, 1981)
Martin Luther King Jr: The Inconvenient Hero (Orbis, 2008)
News sources we recommend here:
Democracy Now, https://www.democracynow.org/
Dropsite News, https://www.dropsitenews.com/
The Intercept, https://theintercept.com/
Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/
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 by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and Christen Kong and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.
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 challenging oppressive narratives. Joanna also explains the origins of our show's name, from a quote from Dr. Vincent Harding. We also reflect on the ceasefire and the Anabaptist Community Bible.
To sign Mennonite Action’s pledge, donate, or sign up for our Email list visit www.mennoniteaction.org.
Buy “The Movement Makes Us Human” by Joanna Lawrence Shenk here: https://wipfandstock.com/9781532635298/the-movement-makes-us-human/
Buy the Anabaptist Community Bible here: https://www.mennomedia.org/9781513814599/anabaptist-community-bible/
Huge thank you to the incredible Jewish recording artist, Batya Levine for the use of their song “We Rise” as our theme song. The beautiful logo is by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and Christen Kong and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.