Organizing Intern
Valli Pendyala
Valli Pendyala is currently a rising junior in Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, where they major in Regional Studies in SWANA & South Asia, with a minor in Religion, Ethics, and World Affairs & Arabic. Outside of the classroom, they are involved with Georgetown University Pride, the Georgetown International Relations Association, and the Georgetown Coalition for Workers' Rights, and they write for the Middle East and Africa sections of The Caravel. Additionally, they serve as the president of Queer Dharma, a program of the Dharmic Life chaplaincy at Georgetown, which focuses on creating a space for queer practitioners of the Dharmic faiths, including Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Hinduism. Valli is originally from Connecticut but now calls Washington, DC home, where they enjoy cooking for friends, exploring the Metro network, and reading.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s Attack on Church-State Separation Violates 250 Years of American Religious Liberty
On July 12, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson posted an article on X titled “The True Meaning of ‘The Separation of Church and State.’” In it, Speaker Johnson argues that the original intent of the “separation of church and state” doctrine was to allow religious groups to influence the government while protecting them from government regulation.
Faith leaders have an important role in fighting hate speech
Recently, the Sure Foundation Baptist Church (SFBC) in Indianapolis held a sermon in which the preacher called for the government to institute the death penalty for the LGBTQ+ community. Despite heavy criticism from the Indianapolis community for its hateful remark, the church has refused to back down, instead celebrating the exposure that the incident has brought.
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