It's August 13, and the basement of Woolworth’s in Bakersfield is packed. Pastor Curtis Smith, our executive director, rests his hand on a plain countertop and asks everyone to close their eyes for a second. Picture it, he says: Four…
Last month, Faith in the Valley organizer Roman Rain Tree stood in front of a Mennonite congregation and preached a sermon that's been following him around ever since—the same way it follows him to vigils, to doorsteps, and into the…
Before the dialogue and encounter began, Pastor Trena Turner took the mic to welcome Fr. Mattia Ferrari, and what she said set the tone for everything that followed. Here are her remarks in full: “Father Mattia, thank you for making…
Something powerful happened in Fresno this Good Friday, and we think you need to hear about it. More than 100 community members gathered outside the Fresno ICE office to mark the holiest day on the Christian calendar not in a…
A federal court has delivered a decisive victory for religious freedom. In February, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction, blocking the Trump administration's policy that gave U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and…
2025 has been a revealing year. A year that laid bare the fractures of our nation and tested the soul of our communities. We have witnessed mass shootings and mass displacement. Deportations and family separations. Rising costs that crush working…
What happens when people of faith refuse to stay silent in the face of suffering? In Kern County recently, we saw the answer take shape—in prayer, in song, and in powerful collective action. We were proud to stand shoulder to…
At Brookdale Apartments in Merced, families are living in conditions no one should have to endure—mold growing unchecked, broken heating and air, cold water, and landlords who seem more interested in collecting rent than doing their job. This isn’t a…
Kern County, which is already home to two ICE detention facilities, may soon become home to California’s largest immigration detention center—run by CoreCivic, a multi-billion-dollar corporation and one of the largest private prison operators in the US. CoreCivic makes billions…
This story was published in partnership with Move the Valley. By Dorsey Griffith—July 24, 2025 For 17 years, Señor Reyes has picked, planted and pruned crops from grapes to pistachios in and around his home in Delano, the Kern County…