This is an educational cohort and an opportunity for continued, collaborative advocacy in the city of Pasadena. While our focus is on Pasadena and its unique challenges and opportunities, we recognize the importance of situating our work within a broader context. Throughout the program, we'll draw connections between local issues and state or national issues, inviting guest speakers and looking at case studies from other regions. This broader perspective not only enriches our understanding but also empowers participants to apply lessons learned in Pasadena to wider efforts against racial and geographic disparities.

By addressing these areas, Reconcile Pasadena strives to deepen its impact, fostering a more inclusive, action-oriented, and well-rounded approach to tackling systemic injustice. Our goal is not just to discuss the intersection of race, geography, and oppression but to actively participate in the creation of more just and equitable communities.

Topics addressed throughout the cohort will include:

• Theology of the City
• How Racism Built Pasadena
• Who is Your Neighbor?
• Power and Policymaking
• Loving Your Neighbor in Action

Two Full-Day Retreats:
August 14-15 and November 20-21; from 9am-6pm each day.

Two Meetings per Month:
Pod Sessions: Aug 20, Sep 17, Oct 15, Nov 12 from 6-8:30pm.
General Sessions: Sep 3, Oct 1, Oct 29 from 6-8:30pm.

The total cost of this 4-month cohort is $500. We do not want cost to be a limiting factor, so please reach out and we may be able to provide a sliding scale or scholarship. Email info@cfrjustice.org with any inquiries.

Housing:

Bert Newton is a Pasadena resident and an Organizer with Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH). Newton recently led a successful campaign to get affordable housing approved on a closed school site in Pasadena. Previously, Newton helped lead a successful campaign to get 106 units of affordable senior housing (50% of it for seniors experiencing homelessness) approved to be built in Pasadena’s civic center. He also helped lead a campaign to rezone religious land in Pasadena for affordable housing and participated in a statewide coalition on rezoning religious land for affordable housing across California. Additionally, Newton has worked on a successful rent control campaign, two successful inclusionary housing campaigns, as well as many other housing justice initiatives. Newton is ordained through Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference, was an Associate Pastor at Pasadena Mennonite Church for seven years, and continues to be recognized by that congregation as a Ministry Associate, representing the church in the community.

Immigration:

Andrew Mark is the Pastor for Families and Community at Pasadena Covenant Church. He grew up in Mexico City and values the unique joys and challenges of living between cultures. Andrew spent six years on the Board of Immigrant Hope Santa Barbara. During that time, he led a weekly study group with local immigrants, where he learned to see scripture through the experiences of people who know both the hardships and joys of migration. Now, Andrew helps to connect the Clergy Community Coalition with the Pasadena Job Center, working to build stronger ties between clergy and groups that support migrants in the city. Andrew lives next door to his church and the Job Center with his wife and two daughters.

Nori Ochi is an ordained American Baptist pastor, who is in process of returning to ministry after spending the last twelve years as a house parent. His past pastoral experiences have been as the family pastor of a Black church, assisting their transition to a multiethnic congregation, and as a church planter in downtown Los Angeles.  His passion is to create true multiethnic worship spaces, where everyone is accepted. He has been active as a volunteer for AVAN (Adelanto Visitation and Advocacy Network) for the past eight years as well as with CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice), assisting in court observations, court accompaniments, and the weekly Godmothers of the Disappeared Vigils at the Metro Detention Center downtown.  His family also volunteer with Adventures in Life MInistry on the annual basis, assisting in medical clinics the non-profit conducts in the rural pueblos in the outskirts of the state of Oaxaca.  His wife is the star of the family, a social justice attorney focused on educational equity and mobilization. He just carries the water for her and serves as the Uber driver for their two daughters.

Advisors + Consultants:

Pastor Mayra Macedo-Nolan grew up in East Los Angeles, and has lived in Pasadena for over 20 years. She was on the pastoral team of Lake Avenue Church for over 20 years and is now Executive Director of the Clergy Community Coalition of Greater Pasadena, which seeks to unite and mobilize the local church to bring about a just community where all people can flourish. Her love for her community and the local and global church fuels her speaking, teaching, mentoring and coaching, especially in the areas of leadership, gender equity, embodied faith, race, justice, and the Church. She has served on numerous local, regional, and national boards, currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), an Elder of The Voices Project, and Board Member of The Voices School for Liberation and Transformation. She is married to Chris and they have raised their four children in Pasadena.

Dr. Margaret Lee is an assistant professor in the Social Work Department at Azusa Pacific University. She teaches graduate-level courses in policy, community organizing, organizational development and management, anti-racism and inclusion, and faith-based social justice strategies. She lives in Pasadena with her husband and two young children where she is actively involved with the local community in areas of children, housing, and education justice. She currently serves as a project manager with Making Housing and Community Happen, is on the board of Elizabeth House maternity shelter, and is the Principal Investigator for the Azusa Love My City Project.

Kahlmus Eatman is a Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) parent with two children at Hamilton Elementary (2nd and 4th grade). Kahlmus has been an active participant in his local school community, serving as chair for the School Site Council and founding member of the school’s African American Parent Council. He also served as a parent participant on the steering committee for PUSD’s most recent strategic planning effort. Kahlmus developed his passion for education while earning a degree in Economics at Duke University, where he noticed the large disparities in educational opportunities afforded to different populations long before they arrived on a college campus. He deeply values expanding quality public education options within historically underserved communities as a means to help address the systemic inequalities in education.

John Williams is a strategic teacher and visionary reconciliation leader. He currently serves as the Executive Director of The Center for Restorative Justice after serving 7 years as the Director of the Fellowship Center for Racial Reconciliation. John is passionate about training groups who seek to increase their awareness around race, racism, and racial reconciliation in the U.S. Mentored by Dr. John Perkins, he brings over 30 years of experience and expertise in facilitating and training to this work. He has consulted churches, universities, and non-profits across the country in how to become more equitable and just organizations. He uses critical questions, dialogue, and interactive exercises as a core element in all of his workshops. John serves on the board of Greenline Housing Foundation as he strongly believes that the work of racial reconciliation must be communal and collaborative.Item description