2018 conference keynote speakers

Elvira Arellano

Sanctuario/Sanctuary

Elvira Arellano is an activist for the rights of migrant people. She received worldwide attention and became a symbol for the rights of undocumented immigrants and families when she decided to take sanctuary in Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago. Elivira was deported to Mexico in 2007 after one year of civil resistance.In Mexico, she fought for family reunification and the civil rights of Central American immigrants. Four years ago she returned to the United States and is currently waiting for her request of asylum to be answered.Activista por los derechos humanos de las personas migrantes, recibió atención mundial y se convirtió en Icono de la lucha de los migrantes indocumentados y sus familias en los Estados Unidos cuando tomo santuario en la Iglesia Metodista Unida Adalberto en Chicago, fue deportada en 2007 después de un año de resistencia civil. En México lucho por la reunificación de las familias y los derechos de los migrantes centroamericanos, hace 4 años regreso a los Estados unidos y se encuentra bajo un proceso de solicitud de asilo.

Heidi Schlumpf

"Resistencia/Resistance: What Church and Political Movements Can Learn from One Another"

Heidi Schlumpf is a national correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.  She has three decades of experience covering religion, spirituality, social justice and women’s issues, and is the author/editor of three books, including a biography of feminist theologian Elizabeth Johnson.  She and her family are members of St. Gertrude Parish in Chicago, IL. She will be speaking on our "Resistencia/Resistance" theme.

Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, PhD

“Sacramento/Sacrament”

Knowing intimately that the borderlands are a place of learning and growth, Robyn draws on their identity and heritage as a Transqueer Latinx in everything that they do. From doubt to divine and everywhere in between, their call as an activist-theologian demands the vision to disrupt hegemony and colonialist structures of multi-layered oppressions. As an anti-oppression, anti-racist, non-binary Trans*gressive Latinx, Robyn takes seriously their call as an activist theologian and ethicist to bridge together theories and practices that result in communities responding to pressing social concerns. Robyn sees this work as a life-orienting vocation, deeply committed to translating theory to practice, and embedded in re-imagining our moral horizon to one which privileges a politics of radical difference. Robyn was named 1 of 10 Faith Leaders to watch in 2018 by the Center for American Progress.