E163: Reverend Kaji Douša - A Vessel for Faith and Change

Pastor Kaji Spellman Douša (pronounced “doe-sha”) is the first woman to serve as the Senior Pastor of her 212-year-old congregation, the Park Avenue Christian Church, in Manhattan. The Park is known as a congregation of fearless activism in New York City. 

 

For the better part of 12 years, Pastor Kaji served as Chair of the New Sanctuary Coalition. Founded in 2007, the New Sanctuary Coalition (NSC) was a grassroots, immigrant-led, multi-faith-based organization that creates support systems for and empowers people navigating the immigration system. Pastor Kaji is known for her work in building networks of thousands of immigrant-led advocates across the country. For her ministry on the US border with Mexico, Pastor Kaji was targeted and surveilled by ICE and CBP, the subject of her lawsuit Douša v. DHS. She has emerged as a key voice in finding a way forward for migrants.

 

In the summer of 2020, Pastor Kaji helped to lead many of the rallies and marches organized in response to the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. In the midst of the uprisings, Pastor Kaji and a group of Black clergy women built a new, member-based organization called Daughters 4 Justice (D4J) to constructively work with and hold to account lawmakers and the NYPD in order to re-envision public safety in NYC. D4J’s basic premise is that a city structured around the safety of Black children will be safe for everyone. 

 

Pastor Kaji is known for her particular ministry in service to the spiritual needs of Black excellence. Many national and world leaders – particularly Black women – call on her for prayer, support, care and discretion.

 

She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and of Yale University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude and a Master of Divinity degree, respectively. Pastor Kaji completed her term as President of the Yale Divinity School Alumni Association in 2020. Her other nonprofit board roles include Planned Parenthood’s Clergy Advocacy Board, where she served on the 2020 U.S. Presidential endorsement committee for the Action Fund. Planned Parenthood regularly invites Pastor Kaji to speak at national rallies, events and press appearances on its behalf.

 

Pastor Kaji’s advocacy expertise helps to build the public and policy imaginary beyond intractable discourse. Her clear moral leadership brings her to a number of venues – from the pulpit to news broadcasts, editorial pages and policy rooms. 

 

 

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