Chrisaleen Ciro, Author at Public Seminar

An education in wheelbarrows, pin oaks, and herring gulls

September 10, 2025 • by Chrisaleen Ciro

A few weeks into my time here in NYC back in the fall of 2021, I volunteered at an urban farm in East Harlem. The crew of volunteers was diverse—some of us had experience growing food and others didn’t. At the time, I had worked on farms and market gardens ...

Politics

Jesus in a Cowboy Hat

A conversation with historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez about why white evangelicals support MAGA politics

June 8, 2022 • by Chrisaleen Ciro and Kristin Kobes Du Mez

When the thrice-divorced, self-proclaimed billionaire, casino entrepreneur, and unfailingly crass Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the 2016 Republican nomination, his significant popularity among white evangelical Christian voters surprised political commentators. When their support carried President Trump all the way to the White House, Calvin University historian Dr. Kristin Kobes ...