In this episode of EDS at Union NOW, Dean Kelly Brown Douglas interviews Anna Clark, author of The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy, who joined us on campus for a public event on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.

The Poisoned City was selected as the EDS at Union Community Read for the spring 2019 semester. In her book, Clark methodically lays out how embedded racism, wealth gaps, a shift away from democracy at the local level, as well as the targeted neglect of the ties that bind – literally, our urban infrastructure – have resulted in Flint’s black and brown children being poisoned.

For this episode of EDS at Union NOW, Dean Kelly Brown Douglas speaks with the Rev. Dan Scheid, Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Flint, Michigan. They discuss the Flint water crisis, how the community has worked together, and the Episcopal Church's response. 

The EDS at Union Spring Community Read is Anna Clark’s riveting book, The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy. In this book, Flint is an example of a much broader story of American urban tragedy, and it is a story of poverty, race, and toxic environmental injustices that we all must learn as we seek to become effective community leaders.

Anna Clark will be on campus to discuss this pivotal book on Wednesday, January 30th at 6:00 pm EST. Click here to RSVP attend, or sign up for access to the live stream.

"Nobody told us the Gospel was easy" -Reverend José Juan Bernal

In this episode of EDS at Union NOW, Dean Kelly Brown Douglas speaks with Reverend José Juan Bernal, Rector at Saint Christopher's Episcopal Church in El Paso, Texas. They discuss his ministry on both sides of the border and how the recent tension around immigration has impacted his community.  

This interview was part of a trip organized by Trinity Wall Street to bring clergy and lay leaders to the border to visit with asylum seekers in Juarez, Mexico.

Register + Mobilize + Communicate + Advocate

Earlier this semester, Rebecca Linder Blachly and Alan Yarborough from Office of Government Relations for the Episcopal Church sat down with Dean Kelly Brown Douglas and Miguel Escobar to discuss the November election and the many ways that the Episcopal Church is getting congregations and communities involved in the electoral process. Please download the Vote Faithfully toolkit to find information and resources for getting out the vote in your faith community.

Other resources mentioned in the episode include Lawyers and Collars and the Poor People's Campaign.

The Very Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas interviews several founding members of Bishops United Against Gun Violence, a group of more than 80 Episcopal bishops working to curtail the epidemic of gun violence. Panelists include:

The Rt. Rev. Mark M. Beckwith, Bishop Emeritus of Newark

The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop Diocesan of The Episcopal Church in Washington

The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Ph.D., Bishop Diocesan of The Episcopal Church in Connecticut

“A dangerous movement, undetected by many, is now challenging and eroding our great tradition of religious freedom.” -Attorney General Jeff Sessions

On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Department of Justice is creating a new Religious Liberty Task Force. Many fear this task force will use faith to justify discrimination against people of color and members of the LGBTQ community.

Hear Dean Douglas speak with Rev. Dr. Partick Cheng, associate rector at The Church of the Transfiguration, to learn more about this task force and Religious Freedom Restoration Act from both a legal and theological perspective.

The Very Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas was joined by the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and Ms. Karenna Gore for a conversation about their experiences with faith-based organizations engaged in the Care of Creation, and the Episcopal Churches response to the climate crisis. 

The Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas is an EDS alumna, author, retreat leader, and Episcopal priest. She serves as Missioner for Creation Care for both the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts and Mass, Conference, United Church of Christ.

Karenna Gore is Director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary. This organization grew out of the Religions for the Earth conference held at Union Theological Seminary in September 2014.

Dean Kelly Brown Douglas is joined by Rev. Scott Gunn and the Rev. Lydia Kelsey Bucklin for a conversation about what evangelism means in today’s Episcopal Church. 

The Very Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas spoke with the Rev. Eric Law and the Rt. Rev. Jeff Fisher for a conversation about their experiences of doing racial justice work in the Episcopal Church.