{"id":30005,"date":"2021-04-08T18:06:39","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T18:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cst.edu\/?p=30005"},"modified":"2024-05-08T05:56:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T05:56:16","slug":"2013-ma-alumna-committed-to-dismantling-anti-muslim-bias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cst.edu\/de\/news\/2013-ma-alumna-committed-to-dismantling-anti-muslim-bias\/","title":{"rendered":"2013 MA Alumna Committed to Dismantling Anti-Muslim Bias"},"content":{"rendered":"

When asked what had been inspiring her lately, 2013 M.A. alumna Nina Fernando recalled this 2016 quote from Sikh activist and lawyer Valarie Kaur: \u201cWhat if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb? What if our America is not dead but a country that is waiting to be born? What if the story of America is one long labor?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Having experienced pregnancy and becoming a new mother this past year, such a metaphor has recently held special meaning for Nina in her work and life in general. \u201cMaybe we won\u2019t see the fruits,\u201d she explained. \u201cBut maybe future generations will, and we\u2019re all a part of that story. And this work is connected to what work happened before us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nina serves as Program Director at the<\/span> Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign<\/span><\/a>, a \u201cmultifaith coalition of religious denominations and faith-based organizations committed to dismantling anti-Muslim discrimination and violence in the United States and building a society where all are treated with dignity and respect.\u201d Shoulder to Shoulder provides training and resources to faith leaders, builds networks on local and national levels, and \u201cmobilizes faith voices in the public square through advocacy and media efforts on anti-Muslim discrimination.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nina has been navigating and integrating her many passions and interests for many years. In college she designed her own degree at the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands: B.A. in Social Change Through Music and Religious Studies. Nina has served as a Faith-rooted Organizer at<\/span> Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice in Southern California<\/span><\/a>, a<\/span> LankaCorps<\/span><\/a> Fellow in Sri Lanka, and a<\/span> OneBeat<\/span><\/a> Fellow. At CST she earned a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Interreligious and Cultural Studies with \u201ca practical and lived lens.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nina explained, \u201cIn so many ways, [at CST] I was in this space of exploring and thinking about all the possibilities for what I could do. CST really offered the opportunity for that continual exploration and ethos around critical thinking, and I\u2019m so grateful for that. I have 100% used what I learned from those spaces, and I continue to use them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nina\u2019s passion for interreligious community and collaboration goes back to her upbringing as a Sri Lankan Catholic in Southern California. She explained:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe way that my mother raised us\u2014culture, religion, tradition, ritual\u2014it was all intertwined. She essentially taught us about who we were through faith and through culture. My family grew up in interfaith communities with family and friends of different backgrounds, so that has also influenced me being a student of religion working in different spaces. I\u2019m rooted in Catholicism, but I\u2019m also not fully defined by [it].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nina considers herself lucky for this formative teaching she experienced in Catholic school: she could have just as easily been born into a family of a different faith tradition, and such differences are not better or worse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nina explained that CST will always hold a special place in her heart not only because of her academic experience there but also because she and her husband had their wedding reception on the Claremont campus in 2016. \u201cThe space is so sweet to us,\u201d she said. \u201cI loved my experience, and if I know of anyone who is in a place where they might consider a school of theology, I always point to Claremont.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nina also has a message for CST students currently experiencing the stress of transition: \u201cI was there during a lot of change and I\u2019m sure current students are feeling all of the things that we were feeling. It was really mixed and emotional, and yet there\u2019s possibility in the transition space. My thesis was about how bridges are built \u2018in between\u2019 and how change happens at the margins. In this time, even though there\u2019s so much uncertainty, it\u2019s a bud. I have so much love for Claremont and I\u2019m excited for this next chapter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When asked what had been inspiring her lately, 2013 M.A. alumna Nina Fernando recalled this 2016 quote from Sikh activist and lawyer Valarie Kaur: \u201cWhat if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb? What if our America is not dead but a country that is waiting to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":30006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,21],"tags":[127,78,79],"class_list":["post-30005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumniae-news","category-news","tag-alumni","tag-muslim","tag-nina-fernando"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Journey of a 2013 MA Alumna: Fighting Anti-Muslim Bias<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn How Alumna Nina Fernando Is Breaking Down Barriers And Fighting Against Anti-Muslim Bias To Create A More Inclusive And Just America.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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