I have been a docent at the Mission San Juan Capistrano in California since 1991. I conduct walking tours for fourth graders studying Californian history and adults who want to see this well-preserved historic landmark, which was built in 1776. I also give special tours explaining the mission’s collection of religious art.… Read more >

I met Sister Helen Prejean at Irvine United Congregational Church in 2010. She was a petite woman with a giant message about the death penalty. I bought a copy of her book, Dead Man Walking: The Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty That Sparked a National Debate, which was written in 1994 and made into a movie.… Read more >

The word hijacked is often used as a synonym for steal or seize control. In this blog post, I’m using it in reference to specific groups commandeering ideas.

For the past few months, I tried very hard not to disparage people of the fundamentalist persuasion who call themselves Christians. However, I recently read a letter to the editor in the Los Angeles Times entitled “God’s man in the White House.”… Read more >

I think every human being is racist to some degree. Racism consumes some people. Others don’t realize they are racist and deny it to the bitter end.

I believe racism stems from many factors (upbringing, family, judgments, religion, peer pressure, and negative experiences), but the primary cause is ignorance. For instance, I notice the ways that people are different from me and quickly form judgments, often built on stereotypes.… Read more >

I’ve been waiting for over thirty years for this to happen, and I often wondered why it didn’t before now.

I’m referring to the death of George Floyd and the resulting demonstrations and riots. These are the inevitable outcomes of decades of police brutality, our injustice system, a twenty-first century form of slavery (penal institutions packed with poor people of color), the white nationalism that permeates large segments of our country, and a government that constantly ignores gun violence, police brutality, and our founding principle of liberty and justice for all.… Read more >

What follows is more of a tale than a story for two reasons:

1. I only knew Claire for about two years, and as a very private, unfriendly person, she was in no hurry to share information except as needed.
2. Memories can be tricky, and I originally had no intention of telling her tale, so I didn’t take notes.