Monks and Punks host Sander Hicks and "Co-Monk" Luisa Giugliano interview the phenomenal John Thatamanil, theologican and scholar, about the essence and inspiration of the "historical Jesus." A lively brain stimulator! Our talk covers Martin Luther King, and his favorite book, Jesus and the Disinherited, by Howard Thurman, as well as other landmarks of literature that all spiritual people need to know!

Professor Thatamanil is a past-president of the North American Paul Tillich Society (NAPTS) and the founding (and current) Chair of the American Academy of Religion's Theological Education Committee. He is a frequent preacher and lecturer in churches, colleges and universities both nationally and internationally.

Thatamanil will be appearing at a speaker event, at 15th Street Quaker Meeting, on February 22, and it's free, and you will want to be there - in NYC or on Zoom - so please mark your calendar for:

Let Us Stand With Jesus Against Violent Power is a half-day micro-conference rooted in the radical tradition of the historical Jesus and convened in the spirit of Friends. Jesus did not found an empire-friendly religion; he launched a poor people’s movement grounded in nonviolence, truth-telling, solidarity with the oppressed, and resistance to imperial power. That fire has been dimmed by institutions that bless war, nationalism, and state violence in his name.

This gathering asks a direct question: what would it mean now to stand with Jesus against violent power—not symbolically, but practically and collectively?

Together we will examine Christianity’s entanglement with empire, reclaim Jesus as a nonviolent movement leader, and explore how faith communities can organize with moral clarity amid genocide, militarism, and eroding credibility.

Speakers include Rev. Dr. John J. Thatamanil (Union Theological Seminary), Amanda Daloisio (Catholic Worker), and Marah Sarji, Palestinian feminist liberation theologian with Christians for a Free Palestine. The afternoon includes short talks, Q&A, small-group discussion, and activist sharing.

Sunday, February 22 | 1–4 PM | Free
Complimentary Middle Eastern lunch at 12:30 PM
15 Rutherford Place, NYC 10003 15th Street Monthly Meeting (Quakers)
Sponsored by the Speaker Events Committee

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quakers With Kick
Spirit-Led Mischief for a World on Fire

In this punchy, soulful episode, Sander and Quaker activist Eileen Flanagan explore how grounded spirituality, humor, and nonviolent disruption can shake the financial pillars of climate destruction. From prayerful protests at PNC Bank to peacekeeping in Philadelphia, Eileen shows how joyful, Spirit-centered resistance helps movements stay steady, strategic, and powerful enough to help remake the world.

Eileen Flanagan is a leading Quaker activist and the author of Common Ground: How the Crisis of the Earth Is Saving Us from the Illusion of Our Separation, which explores how spiritual practice and collective action can heal both people and planet.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christian Celeste Tate a/k/a “CCT!” is an anti-poverty activist, and Mamdani campaign field leader. He is the fresh new energy badly needed in AD54. CCT is a DSA-endorsed progressive Democratic Socialist candidate taking on the big money real estate interests as represented by Assemblymember Erik Dilan. In this interview, we cover the key issues of affordability for NYC. With the “volunteer army” of DSA, CCT is sure to be a potent challenge to the status quo.

In this extended interview, CCT lays out a clear vision for what real representation in AD54 should look like—one rooted in community needs, not developer influence. He discusses the economic pressures driving displacement, the structural inequality families face, and why affordable housing is the defining issue of the district. CCT connects his personal background, his organizing work, and his anti-poverty activism to the broader political movement reshaping New York City.

We also break down the dynamics of running against Erik Dilan, a long-time incumbent backed by real estate interests. CCT speaks candidly about voter outreach, diversity within the district, and the lessons organizers learned from the Mamdani campaign. From East New York to Bushwick, he outlines a strategy centered on direct engagement, multilingual outreach, and the consistent presence that residents have been demanding for years.

This conversation goes deeper than a typical political interview. It highlights how DSA campaigns are powered by grassroots volunteers, mutual aid energy, and a shared belief in transforming local politics. CCT explains why democratic socialism resonates in working-class communities, why investment in housing and public safety must be community-driven, and how structural fairness—not charity—is the foundation for long-term change.

For viewers who care about affordability, housing justice, immigrant rights, and progressive political organizing, this interview offers a grounded and realistic look at what it takes to challenge entrenched power in New York.

Get Involved with this Campaign!

https://www.cct4nyc.com/

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Sander and Sophie have a good chat with Professor Linda Rabben, an activist anthropologist who writes about sanctuary and human rights movements. Meet and hear Linda and other great immigration rights activists this Sunday, 9/28, at a free event at the Quaker Meetinghouse, 1-4 PM.

Author, anthropologist and human rights activist, Linda Rabben is the author of Sanctuary and Asylum: A Social and Political History, My Brazil: Reports from the Interior, Journeywoman: A Writer’s Story, and other books and articles on human rights and related subjects. She has written and published poems for more than 50 years. Since 2015 she has been an associate research professor of anthropology at the University of Maryland.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us on Monks and Punks as we sit down with Dr. Sophie Gonick to discuss immigrant rights, sanctuary, and human rights in New York City. From historical Quaker traditions of sanctuary to modern grassroots activism, this conversation dives deep into the challenges and opportunities faced by immigrants in today’s political climate.

Learn about the September 28th free event in Manhattan featuring experts like Professor Linda Rabben, Nuala O'Doherty-Naranjo, Alexa Aviles, and Ravi Ragbir, and discover how you can get involved in supporting immigrant communities.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sander Hicks makes the case Against Assemblymember Erik Dilan

A Hard Look at His Record Might Inspire Someone to Primary Him

For the people of Assembly District 54, the option to re-elect Erik Dilan to the Assembly, in the Primary this June of 2026, is an opportunity to look carefully at his record. If we do, we will choose instead to create something bold and new.

Sander Hicks reports on the affordable housing scandal that Dilan was involved in, and ties it to a larger scandal where $2.5 million was stolen from NYC affordable housing programs.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aharon Dardik is a passionate philosophy and political science double major at Columbia University. He is an Israeli-American ex-settler, conscientious objector to the Israeli military, and nonviolent activist in the student movement against war and genocide.

Fresh from his appearance on Democracy Now, and his arrest at the gates of Columbia University, Aharon Dardik is emerging as a student protest leader, a voice for nonviolence, and Gandhian peaceful confrontation against the forces of genocide. Aharon will also return to speak this Summer at Sander's Peaceful Lake activist retreat. www.nonviolence.works.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.