Rebecca Koerselman

Americans love a tragedy and redemption story. To use religious language, many of us might call this narratives of transgression and sanctification. But what is the proper amount of both and should it be thoughtfully calibrated to connect with a…

On the floor for the U.S. Senate, debating a bill to fund education for black Americans, Senator Jefferson Davis explained “this government was not founded by negroes nor for negroes,” but “by white men for white men.” This education bill…

In 1883, Mary Mallon immigrated to New York City. Alone. At the age of 14, Mary left her home in Cookstown, Ireland and journeyed to NYC, where she lived with her aunt and uncle. Mary left no record of this…

Lisa was one of our favorite babysitters. Her family lived in our neighborhood and Lisa included us in the neighborhood goings-on. We loved that about her, especially as we got older and recognized the generosity required to include dorky little…

Toshiko Sasaki worked as a clerk at the East Asia Tin Works factory. She made breakfast for her family, cleaned up, then proceeded to her forty-five minute commute to work. Toshiko took charge of the personnel records in the factory…

A few weeks ago, I gave an overview of the ways that Christians wrestled with reforming American society.  What is the best way to change behavior and what is the role of the state in encouraging or enforcing that behavior?…

Whether or not we are willing to admit it, we are all reformers in some way. Most of us spend a great deal of time and energy fixing problems and attempting to make our lives better in some way. Many…

Historian and international relations theorist E.H. Carr famously defined history this way: “My first answer, therefore, to the question, What is History?, is that it is a continuous process of interaction between the historian and his (or her) facts, an…

One of my favorite sounds in the world is the deep laughter of children. A few nights ago, while reading a bedtime story, my two-year-old was clutching her stuffed narwhal, and the tusk somehow managed poke into my nose. My…

I regularly meet with prospective college students and always end up asking the same question. “Out of curiosity, how do you decide where to attend college? How do you make your decision?” I have since learned that I do not…