​John Ishvaradas Abdallah (meaning “servant of God” in Jewish, Christian, Hindu, and Muslim traditions) is the preferred pen name of Syed Riyaz Mahdi. A speaker and writer and an independent activist Sufi, he is the author of A Sufi’s Ruminations On One World Under God. In addition, he is the Founder and Executive Director of World Without Borders Interfaith Sufi Ashram, which is based on and draws inspiration from the book.

“Sufi John” is passionately involved in interfaith dialogue, conversation, and movement promoting a theology of love, peace, and freedom through active nonviolence. He currently serves on the boards of the Christian-Muslim Consultative Group, Southern California Committee for a Parliament of World’s Religions, South Coast Interfaith Council, and Muslims for Progressive Values Los Angeles chapter.

Speaker: Inspiring Stories: Irreconcilable Differences

Pedro Silva brings a wealth of cross-sector experience to his current position as Director of Engagement with YOUnify.   A veteran of the United States Air Force, who served as both a Satellite Communications Technician and a Mandarin Chinese Language/Intelligence Analyst, he has cultivated the capacity to think missionally and practically–strategically and tactically–on a wide variety of concerns.

In his post military career, Pedro worked as a corporate recruiter for 8 years serving dozens of for profit, not for profit, and B Corporations in the areas of technology, biotech, and more. In 2009, he entered Andover Newton Theological Seminary and for 10 years served as a pastor in the socially active United Church of Christ.  In this role, Pedro built on his passion for civic engagement.

For 3 years he served as the State Representative for the Boulder Caucus of Together Colorado, an organization of the Faith In Action Network, where he worked on a variety of issues at the local to state levels from affordable housing, gun violence, and voting to living wage legislation and the Family Leave Act. He also served on several committees with the local NAACP chapter and worked with the Boulder Community Foundation as an advisor in the wake of the tragic shooting in Boulder.

In addition to these efforts, Pedro hosted numerous in person and online conversations on race in Boulder County, has been an advocate for the homeless community, and has made a mark on the bridging movement through his volunteer work with Living Room Conversations.  

Speaker: Inspiring Stories: Irreconcilable Differences

Dr. Chitra Golestani is the Associate Director of the Wilmette Institute, an Adjunct Faculty at the Institute for Humane Education and Consortial Faculty at the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley. She also works as an educational consultant, guest lecturer, qualitative researcher, and a co-founder of the Paulo Freire Institute (PFI) at UCLA – an organization committed to social justice education. Her areas of interest, lectures and research include Human Rights, Social Justice and Global Citizenship Education, Conflict Resolution and Restorative Justice, Youth Activism in Extended Education, and Conscious Living and Social Action.

Her work is inspired by her lived experience with persecution in the country of her birth, Iran, where members of the Bahá’í Faith are not allowed to practice, are prohibited from accessing higher education, and are denied other civil rights. While still a young child, her family escaped this marginalization and fled to the US in search of religious freedom, equality between women and men and human rights.

Currently, Dr. Golestani is engaged in numerous grass-roots programs aimed at raising human capacity to work towards a more just, united, and sustainable planet. She resides in the Los Angeles area with her family and enjoys time with friends and family in nature, working with youth, community building, music and plant based food.

Speaker: Inspiring Stories: Irreconcilable Differences