In this episode I am joined by Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter, an Assistant Professor of Theology at the University of San Diego, a Faith in Food Fellow at Farm Forward, and the lead pastor of The Loft in Westwood, California. In our conversation, we discuss everything from long-term partnership and marriage, faith and spirituality, and how radical compassion can transform our lives, from the inside, out. Dr. Carter weaves in compelling personal stories which inform his work with environmental justice, food justice, antiracism, as well as his journey to veganism.

Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter’s teaching, research, and activist interests are in Black, Womanist, and Environmental ethics, with a particular focus on race, food, and nonhuman animals. He is the co-creator of Racial Resilience, an anti-racism and anti-bias program that utilizes the combined insights of contemplative practices and critical race theories. His academic publications include The Spirit of Soul Food (University of Illinois Press, December 2021), and “Blood in the Soil: The Racial, Racist, and Religious Dimensions of Environmentalism” in The Bloomsbury Handbook on Religion and Nature (Bloomsbury, 2018).

The passion that informs all of his work evolves out of his family's struggle to loosen the chains of systematic racism – similar to bell hooks he believes that education is the practice of freedom. He believes that at its broadest level, learning should be transformational: it should transform how the student views herself, her neighbor, and her worldview. You can stay connected with Dr. Carter on Instagram @dr_chris_carter and his website where you'll find additional information about his book and his racial resilience work.

In our conversation, I mention Stanford's Cultivate Compassion Training Program, if you are interested in learning more, you can find additional information at their website.

Thank you to Connor Garvey for so generously sharing his song 'Spark' and our Cover photography is by Leonard Von Bibra via Unsplash.