Alexia Leclerqc
This interview is with Alexia Leclerqc, an environmental justice activist working with PODER in Austin, TX. Alexia discusses moving around a lot in childhood and struggling with others’ lack of respect for her family’s Taiwanese and Buddhist traditions. They talk about coming into environmental justice work via their education and witnessing injustice and contradiction in the world. She shares about the work she does, such as water testing and meeting with politicians and scientists. Alexia also describes Start:Empowerment, the nonprofit organization they cofounded to get environmental justice curriculum into high schools.
Amanda Quraishi
This interview is with Amanda Quraishi, a Muslim convert and activist in Austin, Texas. Quraishi discusses her journey of converting to Islam and her story of becoming an activist within the community and beyond. She shares her perspective on the strength and challenges facing the Muslim community, including the power of masses and the importance of accepting pluralism.
Aurelia Pratt
This interview is with Aurelia Pratt, a Chicana woman, and lead pastor to a progressive Baptist Church based in Austin, Texas. The vision of Pratt’s church focuses on decolonizing faith, justice, inclusion, and liberation. Aurelia speaks to the challenges of navigating life as a pastor during the global pandemic and how her personal experiences with racial tension and microaggressions as a brown woman of color have shaped who she is today.
Bonnie How
This interview is with Bonnie How, the senior solo pastor of St. Luke United Methodist Church, a radically inclusive and justice-minded space. Bonnie recently became a citizen of the U.S. and speaks to the challenges of navigating that process during a global pandemic. Bonnie grew up near Glacier National Park in Alberta, Canada, but has no plans of moving back.
Brent Hampton
This interview is with Brent Hampton, a pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Brenham. Brent studied engineering and business in college, but was most interested in the history of religion courses, eventually leading him to attend Sunday school where he fell in love with preaching. Brent also discusses the complications of socially distanced worship.
Carrie Holley-Hurt
This interview is with Carrie Holley-Hurt, a seminarian studying at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Carrie tells the story of her history of activism and involvement, including her current work tracking and speaking out against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Texas. She talks about how parenting a queer child has informed her fight for equal rights and gender affirming care for trans people. Heather also shares her experiences of both admiration for her child and fears for their safety.
Chas Moore
This interview is with Chas Moore, founder of the Austin Justice Coalition and anti-racist activist in Austin, TX. Chas shares his story of exposure to deaths and incarceration at a young age and how those traumas shaped his beliefs and drive as an organizer. He talks about being directly exposed to overt racism for the first time in Austin and getting heavily involved in the city’s anti-racism organizing movement. Chas shares how the work of influential Black thinkers and activists as well as his faith have guided his activism. He also discusses challenges like funding, his goals for long-term change, and his hopes for a happier and more peaceful human experience.
Content Warning: The following interview contains sensitive material. Please note that the interview includes discussion of anti-Black racial slurs. These subjects will be discussed at 6:15-7:20 (in the transcript p. 2).
Constance Shabazz
This interview is with Constance Shabazz, a social activist, feminist, and speaker from Chicago. After learning about the health care disparities and injustice faced by the African American community during her time working for the Sickle Cell Foundation in New York, Constance decided to become a physician and advocate for others. Constance talks about how reading the Autobiography of Malcolm X helped align her spiritual beliefs with Islam and informed her opinions on providing free health care for all. Constance moved to Texas in 2016 and continues to organize around community needs.
Emily Nash
This interview is with Emily Nash, a case manager and aspiring social worker in Austin. Emily reflects on her upbringing, including growing up lower class and the influences that caused her to pursue social work as a career. She discusses her current job as a case manager for elderly and disabled clients in Austin. Emily talks about how the Texas Freeze impacted the health and safety of her clients, as well as its impact on her own mental health and the state at large.
Faegheh Shirazi
This interview is with Faegheh Shirazi, a professor in the Middle Eastern Studies Department at UT Austin. Faegheh talks about her family life and education in Iran before the Iranian Revolution, including her early exposure to education and religion prior to moving to the United States for college. She tells the story of her higher education and how she ultimately found her scholarly passions for textile history and Muslim women’s studies. Faegheh also discusses the areas in which she teaches and publishes, such as understanding the hijab in intersectional contexts and Muslim women’s lifestyles and leadership.