Tate Young is a reporter for the 2025 Sojourners Journalism Cohort.
Tate is an unashamed news junkie and overthinker looking to share stories concerning environmental justice and politics.
Coming from a background in anthropology and multimedia journalism, they deeply enjoy digging into people’s relationships with their environment, and how those relationships might be driving change or being changed by outside factors. Breaking down environmental and sociological concepts in an accessible way is a passion and goal for them. On the political side, Tate is especially interested in topics that relate to the public’s access to fair information and human rights. They believe that the path to a less afflicted society means getting serious about the fact that the basic necessities of life should be considered a default for everyone, not a privilege.
Honesty, precision, and ethical journalism are of the utmost importance to them in their work. Outside of work, Tate enjoys wilderness backpacking, drawing in their sketchbook, and capturing the moments around them on camera. They get sidetracked down information rabbit holes frequently, and anyone looking to speak with them should have a blanket warning that they may trap you in conversation about their latest focus.
Posts By This Author
Chicago Faith Communities Say ‘Joy’ Is Key to Resisting the Feds
In response to ongoing federal threats from President Donald Trump, Chicago faith leaders organized a surge of solidarity to protect the most vulnerable. Alongside a deep pride for their city, some of the organized actions share a critical motif: joy.
Community leaders in Chicago were already alert to the threat that Trump posed to immigrant communities in Chicago when the president began hinting at sending the National Guard into the city to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and cut the crime rate of what he falsely claimed to be the most dangerous city in the world. For some of the faith leaders, it was important that they protest not just the dangerous influx of troops, but also the false narrative surrounding their city.
“We’re called to be constantly rejoicing,” Rev. Juan Pablo Herrera told Sojourners. “It’s a spiritual strength that we can have in times of negativity coming against us, that we can choose to live with joy as a way of defying the forces of principality.”
Arkansas Faith Leaders Call for Systemic Solutions, Not More Executions
Faith leaders are speaking out against Arkansas’ efforts to expand its options for carrying out the death penalty, calling for the state to address the root causes of violence rather than doubling down on punishment.
“Some will say, if you really do the research, you’ll find a more humane way for us to kill each other. I say, if you really do the research, you’ll find the laws that won’t put us in that position to begin with,” said Rev. Paul Beedle of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Little Rock.
Beedle joined more than 40 faith leaders signing onto a letter urging Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to refrain from authorizing nitrogen gas as an execution method. Seven leaders gathered and spoke at the state’s capitol in Little Rock on Aug. 21, then delivered the letter to the governor’s office themselves.