by Sue Smith | Oct 15, 2021 | Opinion
Carmen knew the family was in trouble when her husband Pedro, a farmer, wore out his work boots. Those boots were his only pair of shoes. “They literally fell apart,” she explained. “And we couldn’t afford to replace them.” Juana’s dad was still living with the...
by Sue Smith | Jul 9, 2021 | Opinion
Nobody’s perfect; we all make mistakes. But it’s especially hard when we make mistakes and there’s a little guy (or gal) watching, a child who just wants to be like their dad. Two immigrant men I know have young sons who are their constant companions. They’ve taught...
by Sue Smith | Apr 28, 2021 | Opinion
It was a steaming hot afternoon in southern Mexico. We left the final small market town and traveled nearly an hour on rutted dirt roads to reach Carmen Grande, an Indigenous riverbank community in Los Altos de Chiapas. This was before the pandemic, and we had come to...
by Sue Smith | Dec 9, 2020 | Opinion
The Christian understanding of human rights begins with an acknowledgement of the imago Dei – that humans are created in God’s own image and likeness. Every person has inherent dignity, worth and certain rights just because we’re human beings. But with rights also...
by Sue Smith | Jul 30, 2020 | Opinion
Juana* (name changed) was barely 17 when she came to the United States. She was invited to live with her cousin’s family and to help care for her three young children while the parents were at work, in exchange for room and board. Her cousin and cousin’s husband would...