Crystal Walthall has been working for Faith in New York (FINY), an organization that works with people of all faiths by empowering them through social justice and community organizing.Walthall has worked with FINY for 7 years and recently became Executive Director in 2019. Faith in New York is the NYC affiliate of Faith in Action. With many members of different faiths and ideas, the main common ground is the passion for social justice in their communities.
“Though we each come to this work from different religious practices, cultures, races, even languages, what unites us is a fundamental belief that we are called as people of faith to seek the work of justice and liberation in our communities,” said Walthall. “It compels us to put our faith into action, to reach beyond the 4 walls of our houses of worship to be active voices and agents of transformation.”
FINY has currently been working on certain issue areas on both a local and National level, such as immigration work to ensure that immigrant families have access to resources that sustain families, expand rights, and ultimately create a pathway to citizenship. This work includes providing mutual aid cash assistance resources to eligible families, DACA workshops for community education, and working on a pathway to citizenship for essential workers. The nonprofit also works on civic engagement in terms of voting rights, ensuring that their communities have access to safe and fair elections to elect politicians that represent the needs and values of their communities.
“This summer, we will begin a Season of Healing and Connection, a listening campaign to hear the issues that are impacting our communities and our vision for NYC after the pandemic,” Walthall said. “With this year being a pivotal election in NYC, this will also be an opportunity to hold our elected officials accountable to the issues that impact our communities most.”
To learn more about Faith in New York, visit https://faithinnewyork.org/
