The headline itself tells a uniquely American story. From the South Side of Chicago came a young community organizer searching for purpose. He eventually made his way to the South Lawn of the White House as the 44th president of…
Chicago mayor sees Pope Leo XIV as key ally on social justice, migration after Vatican meeting
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson cast Pope Leo XIV as a powerful global ally on social justice, migration and reparations after meeting the Chicago-born pontiff at the Vatican, saying their shared roots and priorities could help amplify efforts to protect vulnerable communities.
Everyone has a part to play in the fight against ICE
I was in Minneapolis the week Alex Pretti was shot more than 10 times by Customs and Border Patrol Agents. I originally went to Minneapolis to write about the aftermath of Renee Good’s murder by an ICE agent. As I…
Clergy are essential to resistance against ICE, Chicago pastor says
The visibility and voice of clergy are indispensable to the protest movement forming against President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration tactics, said Michael Woolf, a Chicago-area pastor recently arrested outside a federal detention center. “Religious leaders are really important in this…
What you need to know about Trump’s Secret Police Force
Democratic-led cities across America are being assaulted by masked men. These federal agents under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security — some Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and some Customs and Border Protection agents — are carrying out…
American Baptist leaders praise clergy protesting ICE
Leaders of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies issued a statement Nov. 18 offering support for clergy who have been arrested while protesting ICE, including an American Baptist pastor in the Chicago area. While many Mainline Protestant clergy have been at the…
What Kristi Noem and DHS won’t admit about clergy-led protests
Last Thursday night, I had dinner at the home of Baptist pastor Michael Woolf, his wife, Anna Piela, and their young daughter. We ate lasagna that Woolf had cooked. The next morning, a Reuters photo of Woolf’s arrest at a…
A conversation with Michael Woolf about ICE and Chicago
On Halloween, ICE agents carried out a number of raids in and around Chicagoland — including in Evanston, home of Lake Street Church, an Alliance of Baptist congregation. In response, Lake Street’s senior pastor, Michael Woolf, joined protests at the…
Surviving white terror in the age of Trump and Miller
Over the past four weeks, I’ve remained close to home, venturing out only when Brad accompanies me. I’ve avoided meeting friends at coffee shops — spaces where ICE has targeted African Americans and immigrant communities. My doctoral work has been…
Jesus is being tear gassed at Broadview
What follows is an open letter from more than 100 Chicago-area clergy issued Friday, Oct. 17. “Can I use my pastoral expense account to buy a gas mask?” It’s a question dozens of Chicago pastors asked our church boards…
United Methodist pastor violently arrested in Chicago
United Methodist pastor Hannah Kardon of United Church of Rogers Park, Ill., was violently arrested along with eight others at a peaceful protest at the Broadview ICE facility this morning. Kardon was part of a clergy group that was to…
In Chicago, Black and brown people are disappearing
The president of the United States has ordered an assault on Chicago. That assault is being carried out by a combination of groups — including uniformed Customs and Border Patrol officers, uniformed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, and plainclothes men…