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Hadi Jawad's path into activism began with a phone call. In the late 1990s, his sister in Pakistan told him that relatives from Iraq had shown up at her door, having walked the distance to escape the suffering caused by US and UN sanctions. That call set him on a path that led him to the old Dallas Peace Center and eventually to co-founding Human Rights Dallas, an organization built around a simple conviction: dignity is the foundation everything else rests on. In this conversation, Hadi and George Mason talk about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the long push to get Dallas designated a Human Rights City, and why Hadi believes denying people basic rights is ultimately a judgment on their humanity. The conversation turns to the death penalty in Texas, where Hadi lays out the statistics on executions and racial disparities on death row, and closes with a reminder that one person, like Rosa Parks, can shift the world. Hadi Jawad is a Dallas-based human rights activist and community leader with decades of experience advancing peace and justice. He co-founded the Crawford Peace House during the Iraq War and helped establish the North Texas Civil Rights Project, now part of the Texas Civil Rights Project. He is the co-founder and president of Human Rights Dallas.

Robin Lederer's path into voting rights work started with a letter. When her husband received notice from county elections claiming he'd moved, and he hadn't, Robin realized how little she understood about how voter rolls are actually managed, despite years of voting herself. That discovery led her to co-found the National Coalition for Voting Rights with Dr. Andrea Barrero, a gerrymandering researcher at Southern Methodist University, focused on the overlooked mechanics of "voter list maintenance." In this conversation, Robin walks George Mason through how voters end up in "suspense" status, how to check your registration before the October 5th deadline, and why Texas has ranked at or near the bottom of the Cost of Voting Index for decades. They discuss the data on voter fraud, which Robin's research puts at just 150 cases out of 127 million ballots over 20 years, the mid-decade congressional redistricting that cut Dallas-Tarrant County representation from six seats to three, and what voters should know heading into early voting on October 19th. Robin Lederer is a Dallas-based executive, consultant, and civic advocate. She co-founded the National Coalition for Voter Rights in September 2023 and currently serves as CEO of UniBeacon Group LLC.

Every Monday morning, Kim Verriere shows up outside the Dallas ICE field office to pray and organize a public vigil, a role she never expected to play. In this conversation, she and George Mason talk about how her conviction that love of neighbor must extend to the marginalized led her from first-time attendee to central organizer, and how prayer and action work together rather than as substitutes for each other. The conversation turns to Kim's work as a spiritual director, where she describes her role as following the movement of the spirit rather than offering advice, and closes with her encouragement to take one small step outside your comfort zone. Kim Verriere holds an English degree with a minor in religion from Auburn University and a certificate in spiritual direction from SMU Perkins School of Theology. Based in Richardson, Texas, she serves on the board of Spiritual Ministries Institute and the advisory board of Retreat House Spirituality Center, and she founded and led Greater Love Collective, an organization for women, for nine years before stepping away to focus on spiritual direction and retreat leading.

Every time a deportation flight lands at Dallas Love Field, John Putnam is there watching. In this conversation, he tells George Mason how a campaign to stop Avelo Airlines from running ICE flights led him and a small coalition of neighbors to start tracking ICE operations through Love Field, where flights have jumped from 15 in 2024 to 178 so far this year. John and George discuss the racial disparities in who is being detained, the case of pregnant women shackled and moved across state lines, and why John believes resistance is not the work of extraordinary people but of ordinary ones who simply refuse to look away. John Putnam is a therapist by profession and a co-founder of the No Love for ICE Air coalition, a group of neighbors, labor organizers, and faith leaders documenting and resisting ICE deportation flights out of Dallas.

As the nation marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, George Mason sits down with Imam Azhar Subedar, author of "I Am the Other: Debating the Role of Islam in a Divided America," to talk about what that anniversary means for Muslim Americans today. They discuss the rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric in Texas politics, what Sharia actually means and how it functions for practicing Muslims, and why Azhar believes the Muslim community must stop explaining who they are not and start showing who they are. Imam Subedar was born and raised in Canada and completed ten years of Islamic studies in the U.K., graduating in 2000. He holds a Master's in Islamic Sciences and Arabic Literature and has served as an imam and educator at mosques and Islamic centers across the United States since 2002. Known for his commitment to interfaith dialogue, he has worked with state legislatures, governors, and presidents as an ambassador of Islam to the non-Muslim world.

What does it take to turn ordinary people into dissenters? In this conversation, George Mason sits down with his Faith Commons co-founder Rabbi Nancy Kasten to kick off Faithful Dissent, a new series featuring people who never expected to find themselves at a vigil or a protest but have been activated by this political moment. Nancy argues that nonviolent movements against authoritarian rule have always depended on average citizens refusing to comply, and she and George trace how their own religious traditions moved away from that legacy once they became custodians of the status quo rather than critics of it. They talk about what happens when injustice gets close enough to touch, when a neighbor's housekeeper or longtime lawn crew member is suddenly gone, and why that proximity does more to move people than any headline can. The episode closes with George invoking Martin Niemöller's famous warning about the cost of silence, setting the tone for a series built around the conviction that faith should form people for resistance, not conformity. Rabbi Nancy Kasten co-leads Faith Commons with Rev. Dr. George Mason, working at the intersection of interfaith relationships, immigration advocacy, and civic engagement in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Many American Christians want to understand Israel–Palestine but feel overwhelmed by history, headlines, and competing narratives. In this conversation, George Mason and John Munayer cut through that noise with a grounded, deeply human look at the lived experience of Palestinian Christians, the shifts happening in Palestinian theology, and why humility and attentive listening are essential for anyone seeking clarity right now. They explore everyday metaphors like the olive tree and olive oil, the weight of Holy Saturday after Gaza, and how a theology that truly blesses one’s neighbor can guide faithful engagement.John Munayer is the Director of International Engagement at the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue and a Jerusalem-born Palestinian Christian theologian engaged in peace-building, research, and interreligious work.

What does peacebuilding look like in a place marked by fear and trauma?George Mason speaks with Hana Bendcowsky, Program Director at the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue in Jerusalem. Hana describes the Rossing Center’s work fostering understanding and shared society among Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Israel through mindful listening, trauma awareness, and relationship building. Reflecting on the aftermath of October 7, 2023, she shares how the war has intensified polarization while making dialogue more essential than ever.Their conversation closes with reflections on religious identity, nationalism, and compassion, as Hana and George recognize the parallels between Jewish and Christian struggles to uphold faith-based values amid political and social division.Hana Bendcowsky holds an M.A. in Comparative Religion from the Hebrew University and has nearly three decades of experience in interfaith work in Israel and abroad. She teaches in seminaries, academic programs, and government settings, and leads educational tours in Jerusalem focused on the Christian Quarter and Jewish-Christian relations in the Israeli context.

As immigration enforcement intensifies in cities like Chicago, people of faith are grappling with how to respond. In this episode, George Mason speaks with Rev. Mara Richards Bim—Justice & Advocacy Fellow at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas—about what she witnessed during a recent visit, where clergy and community members are confronting tear gas, chemical agents, and tactics that feel more like military operations than targeted law enforcement. Together they explore the theological stakes: What does it mean to love our neighbors—including ICE agents—while rejecting violence and mission creep? How do Christians read Scripture faithfully in a politicized moment? Mara also shares her call story, the need for public theology, and why clergy voices matter when “keeping the peace” isn’t the same as making peace.Rev. Mara Richards Bim is an ordained minister, theater artist, and longtime advocate for justice and inclusion whose work bridges faith, art, and public engagement.

How does someone move from living in the shadows to leading in the light? In this episode, Sandra Avalos shares how her experience as a DACA recipient shaped her calling as a community organizer and advocate for immigrant families. She and her church, St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal in Dallas, have built a network of allies accompanying migrants through court hearings and confronting the human cost of our immigration system. Her story shows how faith can take shape in the small, brave acts of showing up for others—acts that quietly push back against fear and make room for dignity to take root.Sandra Avalos is a Dallas-based community organizer, DACA recipient, and leader with Vecinos Unidos DFW and St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church.

As fear and tension rise around immigration enforcement in North Texas, Rev. Eric Folkerth has helped lead an interfaith clergy vigil outside the Dallas ICE field office—an act of prayerful presence in the face of injustice.In this episode of Good God, George Mason talks with Rev. Folkerth about what happens at these weekly gatherings, how they began, and why he believes prayer can be both faithful and prophetic. Together they discuss the growing anxiety among immigrants, the tragic shooting that drew national attention to the Dallas ICE facility, and the moral toll of policies that harm both migrants and public servants.Grounded in scripture and compassion, their conversation calls people of faith to resist fear, welcome the stranger, and embody moral courage in public life.Rev. Eric Folkerth is senior pastor of Kessler Park United Methodist Church in Dallas. A longtime minister, musician, and activist, he’s known for his work at the intersection of faith and justice.

Peter Brodsky wasn’t always a real estate developer—but when he saw an opportunity to use his business experience to help transform southern Dallas, he stepped in. In this season finale of Good God, George Mason speaks with Peter about his work at the Shops at Redbird, his leadership at Housing Forward, and why homelessness, food access, and affordable housing demand both moral clarity and practical solutions.Together, they explore the structural causes of poverty, the challenge of changing public narratives, and how Peter’s Jewish faith and commitment to tikkun olam—repairing the world—have shaped his decision to invest his time, money, and energy in building a more equitable city.Peter Brodsky is a Dallas-based philanthropist, real estate investor, and chair of the board of Housing Forward, the lead agency coordinating homelessness response in Dallas and Collin counties.

What does it mean to report with compassion in a culture driven by clicks and controversy? George Mason sits down with veteran journalist Sharon Grigsby to talk about her newest venture—The Lab Report Dallas—a bold, nonprofit newsroom rooted in data, equity, and solutions for reducing child poverty in Dallas. They reflect on her decades of writing with kindness and accountability, the changing landscape of media, and how Sharon’s own evolving faith informs her work and voice.Sharon Grigsby is a longtime Dallas journalist, former metro columnist for The Dallas Morning News, and co-founder of The Lab Report Dallas, a new publication powered by the Child Poverty Action Lab.

At the heart of downtown Dallas lies Thanks-Giving Square—a place designed to inspire gratitude, foster interfaith understanding, and call an entire city toward the common good. In this episode, George Mason sits down with Kyle Ogden, President and CEO of The Thanks-Giving Foundation, to talk about the Square’s origins, its bold civic vision, and its evolving role in today’s divided cultural landscape.  Together, they explore how gratitude functions as a foundational virtue, why nonprofits matter in a healthy democracy, and what it means to shift from personal success to public significance. Kyle also shares his own story of professional transition—from leading a family business to helping reshape Dallas through civic reflection, spiritual hospitality, and the quiet power of place.Kyle Ogden is the President and CEO of The Thanks-Giving Foundation, where he leads efforts to cultivate gratitude, bridge community divides, and promote human flourishing in the city of Dallas.

What does it look like to bring your whole self—your values, your faith, your history—into public life? Councilmember Jaynie Schultz joins George Mason for a candid conversation about her years in public service, the joys and challenges of representing a diverse district, and the values that have shaped her decisions along the way. Together, they reflect on civic responsibility, zoning and housing justice, faith-rooted ethics, and the spiritual soul of Dallas. Jaynie also shares why she’s stepping away from elected office and what comes next.Jaynie Schultz is a Dallas City Council member representing District 11. First elected in 2021, she has served two terms and will conclude her tenure in 2025.