Exploring Intersections

We've learned a lot over the last 13 months about how racism, migration, and climate intersect. So what now?This month, our panelists, Sister Sherri Coleman, FSM, Sister LaDonna Manternach, BVM, and Sister Anna Marie Reha, SSND, discussed on what has been gleaned from our series of conversations and suggestions for continuing the conversation in 2022 and beyond.

Education not only shapes values and beliefs, but it also helps people grow and develop physically, The crippling effects of a successful and sustainable national healthcare system in the United States has long been a swinging pendulum of high expectations and abysmal failures. Join our panelists, Dr. Patrik Johansson, MD, MPH., Sister Carol Keehan, D.C., & Crystal N. Lewis, JD, MPH, as they discuss the skyrocketing costs of insurance and premiums, the unemployed without the means to matter to those with means, the costs of prescriptions required to keep one alive versus the cost of feeding one's family, has led to a crisis of seemingly insurmountable proportions for the majority of persons in need of care within our country.

Education not only shapes values and beliefs, but it also helps people grow and develop physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Education empowers people to address the urgency of our time and to act. Lack of access to quality education is one of the root causes of poverty and economic hardship which in turn drive people to choose migration as a means of seeking job opportunities and improving their lives.Join our panelists, Megan Dewane, Mary Elizabeth Grimes, and Sister Mary Willette, SSNDD, as they discuss the importance of a quality education and the difficulty of marginalized groups acquiring adequate education.

For those who gaze at the sky at night instead of a ceiling or sleep on a pavement instead of a bed, housing, much less affordable housing, holds little meaning. Affordable housing seeks to address—by means, medians and projections—how to determine eligibility of those who seek a place to live. But data cannot compute what needs to be done; it is right before our very eyes.Our panelists, Christie Adamson, Sister Barbara Busch, SC, and Brendalee Connors discuss how basic human need for shelter is often unattainable for those at the mercy of the elements, job layoffs, economic downturns, overcrowded projects. 

Victims of crime often find forgiveness too raw to reach; the sense of injustice outweighing the act of turning one's cheek. For the perpetrator, the sense of injustice is equally strong; living in a world beyond one's control, where societal standards hold no applicable meaning.Today's panelists, Sister Kathleen Eggering, SSND, and Sister Janet Ryan, OSF, discuss our topic of restorative justice and how we seek to balance the judicial scales with an organized approach and open dialogue between the victim and the criminal in achieving resolution between the two and creating harmony within the community. 

Food security means having physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food at all times to meet dietary needs for a productive and healthy life. How does food insecurity lead to migration? What is the impact of climate change in food production and access? How is food security stratified across racial lines? Our panelists, Jamie Daugherty and Sister Richelle Friedman, PBVM discuss share their thoughts on these questions and more!

What does economic justice mean to you – as a woman in the workforce, as an immigrant without health care, as a mother with many mouths to feed. For those in our society whose avenues of opportunity in seeking economic justice are limited by the status quo between the haves and the have-nots.Our panelists, Jake Barnett, Elizabeth Garlow, and Kim Lamberty help us to dive into economic justice!

Exploring Intersections discusses gun violence and how it has become a global human rights and public health issue that threatens the basic right to life. Gun violence disproportionately impacts communities of color, women and other marginalized groups in society. Armed violence and climate change are two of the root causes forcing millions of migrants and refugees to flee their homes and communities.Our panelists, Sister Donna Liette, CPPS, Leslie Washington, and Kim Westerman answer common questions like "What are some reasonable measures that can be taken that would have immediate security implications?" "How do we address the underlying contributors to gun violence?" and "How do we create a culture of gun safety?"

This month, we're discussing human trafficking--specifically, how we can end it. Our panelists address how we can help those who are being trafficked, even though it can be hard to identify, and how we can empower survivors to live their best lives now.Our panelists, Bailey (a survivor of human trafficking), Angela M. Aufdemberge, Sister Ann Oestreich, IHM, are here to help us understand the extent and complexities of this dangerous world.

In this episode of Exploring Intersections, our panelists discuss racial justice. The panelists discuss how to deal with our country's racist history and the long-term consequences as well as how racial justice intersects with the issues of migration and climate.Our panelists, Emily Lazor, Patricia Rogers, OP, and Mary Lou Specha, PBVM, share their own experiences and offer suggestions on how we can work to support racial justice today and work to become an anti-racist society.

In this episode of Exploring Intersections, our panelists discuss migration. We dive into how we can show compassion without borders, what  it takes to navigate legal systems to become a citizen of a different country, and some of the root causes of inequity for those who migrate.Our panelists, Lesly Gonzalez-Barragan, Sister Denise LaRock, DC, and Sister JoAnn Mark, ASC, share their own experiences in working with migrants and some action items you may consider to help our migrant brothers and sisters.

With Earth Day approaching, our topic for April is care of creation. We examine the massive environmental challenges we face and our responsibilities to address them, what it means  to care for creation, and how the impacts of climate change affect the most vulnerable.Our panelists, Leah Clyburn, Catherine McComas-Bussa, and Sister Christin Tomy, OP, discuss how they became interested in care of creation; what actions they're taking; and steps  we can make to be wise stewards of the earth's resources and create a sustainable future for humankind.

In this episode, we dive into the topic of gender equity. Gender equity, or the equal access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, is a fundamental human right and essential to achieve full human potential and sustainable societal development.Our panelists, Beth Allen, Ga'Nea Jones, and Sister Joan Mitchell, CSJ, discuss how they have experienced gender inequity; how the topic intersects with racism, migration, and climate; and the steps you can take to work toward gender equity.

On this podcast, we will explore a specific social issue and how it intersects with racism, migration and climate. Our guests will include Catholic Sisters, friends, and experts in their field offering unique perspectives and invaluable insight on the particular topic through the lens of their spirituality.