In this inspiring episode of Provoking Peace, we sit down with Nina Fernando, Executive Director of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, to explore the real work of peacebuilding at the intersections of religion, identity, and justice. Nina shares how her Sri Lankan Catholic upbringing shaped her understanding of faith, how she finds beauty and complexity in all religious traditions, and why she believes human dignity must be at the center of confronting rising anti-Muslim, anti-Jewish, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian bigotry.

Nina offers a powerful look into what it means to build trust across communities, hold difficult conversations with compassion, and expand coalitions beyond “the choir.” She also opens up about her creative life as a musician.

Key Takeaways:

• Human dignity is non-negotiable, and must ground all responses to intersecting bigotries.
• Peace work requires meeting people where they are, even when disagreements run deep.
• Trust is built long before moments of crisis, through consistency, presence, and authentic relationship-building.
• Coalitions grow through voice-to-voice and face-to-face connection, not through email or social media alone.
• Women are central faith leaders, even in traditions where clergy roles are male-dominated.
• Art and music can agitate, heal, inspire, and create new paths forward, especially when institutions fall short.

About Shoulder to Shoulder

The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign works to counter anti-Muslim discrimination and build a more pluralistic America. Their work centers on equipping, connecting, and mobilizing communities through trainings, faith-rooted partnerships, national networks, and resources like their new primer on anti-Muslim, anti-Jewish, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian bigotry.

About Nina Fernando:

Nina is a Sri Lankan Catholic, community organizer, musician, and interfaith leader. Her work spans labor rights, faith-rooted justice initiatives, and national coalition building. With a deep belief in human dignity, relationship-building, and creative engagement, she leads Shoulder to Shoulder with compassion and clarity. She is also a singer-songwriter whose music reflects love, longing, and commitment to a better world.

Notable Quotes:

• “Human dignity… it’s not conditional. There’s no ifs and whens.” — Nina Fernando
• “We can work shoulder to shoulder, dream shoulder to shoulder… even disagree shoulder to shoulder.” — Nina Fernando

Resources Mentioned:

Organizations:

• Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign
• Unity Productions Foundation (producers of The Sultan and the Saint)
• Parents Circle – Families Forum (referenced as part of broader peace-related conversations)
• Interfaith Alliance
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Union for Reform Judaism

Initiatives + Tools:

• I Still Love You on Youtube
• Faith Over Fear: a national training program for clergy and lay leaders to counter anti-Muslim discrimination
• Annual Interfaith Ramadan Iftar Map<