Brian Albert Smith, PhD., grew up in the Midwest but has spent most of his adult life in the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the US. A brief stint in youth ministry led to seminary and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East studies. His work at Messiah University has been in Campus Ministries and the department of Biblical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies. In addition to teaching courses in Hebrew Bible and Hermeneutics, he co-directs Thriving Together: Congregations for Racial Justice, which challenges local churches to grapple with central Pennsylvania’s racialized past and respond with new work for justice. Brian has a deep fondness for trees and woodworking and enjoys life with his partner Jackie, whom he married this past summer.
Nekeisha Alayna Alexis is a Black Trinidadian woman, academic-activist situated in the U.S.A. who has worked on a number of issues affecting marginalized communities, from anti-war organizing in New York City to the ongoing efforts to restore a local community center in Elkhart. She writes, publishes, and speaks on racism and white supremacy, intersectionality, and animal liberation. A theological Anabaptist with meaningful experiences in Catholic, non-denominational, and African Methodist Episcopal (AME) traditions, Nekeisha helps to maintain “Jesus Radicals”, which is focused on undoing oppressions from a framework of anarchist politics and liberative Christianity. Read more about Nekeisha's work [here](http://https://www.ambs.edu/about/people/749314/nekeisha-alayna-alexis). Follow Drew Hart on [Instagram](http://http://instagram.com/druhart) and [Twitter](http://https://twitter.com/druhart) @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on [Instagram](http://https://www.instagram.com/jarrodmckenna) and [Twitter](http://jarrodmckenna) @jarrodmckenna ...
John Dear is an American Catholic priest, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Christian pacifist, vegetarianism advocate, author and lecturer, and a former member of the Society of Jesus. He has been arrested over 75 times in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience against war, injustice and nuclear weapons as part of his "consistent ethic of nonviolence". ...
From Jarrod's last trip to Ireland. ...