David Klion, Writer and Contributor at Jewish Currents, and Andrew Kadi, Policy Member at Al-Shabaka

Windows on the World (October 18th at 3 p.m.): "Understanding the Israel-Palestine Conflict: Perspectives and Pathways Forward". Join us for a thought-provoking discussion, featuring David Klion, contributing editor at Jewish Currents and writer for The Nation and The New Republic, and Andrew Kadi, an activist and member of Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network. Through their unique perspectives, Klion and Kadi will explore the complexities of the Israel-Palestine conflict, drawing on their respective work in journalism, activism, and policy analysis. The conversation, moderated by Political Science Program Director Alexios Alexander, will provide an exploration of both the historical and current dynamics at play, offering insight into the ongoing struggle for justice and how we can engage in these discussions with empathy and clarity.

David Klion is a contributing editor at Jewish Currents and has written for The Nation, The New Republic, The New York Times, among other publications. He is working on a book about the legacy of neoconservatism. Andrew Kadi is an organizer active for the past 23 years in support of Palestinian rights and working on civil society initiatives among Palestinians. He is a member of Al-Shabaka: the Palestinian Policy Network, spent 9 years with Adalah-NY, and 9 years with the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights. Kadi has written for or appeared in The Guardian, USA Today, The Forward, TRT, CityLab, the BBC, Electronic Intifada, and Mondoweiss.

Regina Young: State Representative, Pennsylvania 185th Legislative District

Windows on the World (November 1st at 3 p.m.): “My Journey as an Educator, Organizer, and Elected Official”. Hear about Regina G. Young’s life of public service and why she believes “teamwork makes the dream work” and “only good things can be produced when we work together”! A product of public-school education and native of New Haven, CT, Regina was elected to represent Pennsylvania’s 185th Legislative District in November 2020. State Representative Young is a community organizer, former educator, social service worker, and certified HIV and grief counselor. She is also a member of the PA Legislative Black Caucus.

Young earned a B.A. in Communications from Central Connecticut State University and a M.A. in Community Development and Urban Studies from Eastern University. Before running for office, she was a community schools coordinator in the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Education. She founded and served as executive director of Empowered Community Development Corporation and was a social service worker with Women’s Christian Alliance in Philadelphia. Rep. Young is married and the mother of two children.

Learn more about Regina Young.

Gregory Thompson: Co-Founder, Convivium, Voices Underground, and The Welcome Table

Windows on the World (January 31st 3 p.m.): “Tables in a Time of War - On the Pain and Possibility of Hospitality”. This conversation will consider how, in time such as ours, with its manifold estrangements and endless recriminations, we might embrace the work of hospitality not only as an important expression of Christian faith, but also as a deeply needed contribution to social healing.

Gregory Thompson is a writer, artist, cook, and creative leader who works at the intersection of moral imagination and social change. He is Founder and Principal of Convivium, a Creative Strategy Studio, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Voices Underground, a public memory firm developing the National Memorial to the Underground Railroad, and Co-Founder of The Welcome Table, a creative project devoted to encouraging the work of hospitality in broken communities. He is author of “The Welcome Table,” a quarterly column on Hospitality and Culture at Comment Magazine, of Blood From the Ground: Racial Healing and Public Memory (forthcoming), and co-author of the award-winning Reparations: A Christian Call to Repentance and Repair. He holds an MA and a PhD from the University of Virginia, and can most likely be found in the kitchen.

Learn more about Greg Thompson.

David Gushee: Ethicist, Pastor, Author, Advocate

Windows on the World (March 21st 3 p.m.): “The Radical Moral Message of Jesus”. Based on Dr. Gushee's new book, The Moral Teachings of Jesus, this talk describes how Jesus turns our way of looking at the world, and living in it, entirely upside down. Are we ready to follow him?

Rev. Dr. David P. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, Chair of Christian Social Ethics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Senior Research Fellow, International Baptist Theological Study Centre. He is also the elected past-president of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Christian Ethics. Dr. Gushee is the author or  editor of 29 books, including the bestsellers Kingdom Ethics and Changing Our Mind. His other most notable works are Defending Democracy from Its Christian Enemies, After  Evangelicalism, and most recently, The Moral Teachings of Jesus. He lectures and consults globally, and is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading Christian moral thinkers. Gushee and his wife, Jeanie, live in Atlanta, Georgia.

Learn more about David Gushee