Kaji Douša

Kaji Spellman Douša (born August 22) is an American Christian minister and immigration rights activist who serves as the chair of the New Sanctuary Coalition NYC.

Biography[]

Douša is the senior pastor of the Park Avenue Christian Church in Manhattan. From 2018-2020 Douša served as president of the alumni board for Yale Divinity School.^[1] Douša was born on August 22, in the United States to civil rights activists Karen and A.B. Spellman. She is the youngest of their two children and is half-sister to Malcolm Spellman. Douša is married and has one child.

In 2017 Douša protested the detainment of immigrants, including that of her New Sanctuary Coalition co-chair Ravi Ragbir.^[2] In October 2018, Douša spoke at the at protests against the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, in support of fellow Holton-Arms School alumni Christine Blasey Ford, who had accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Her related sermon was subsequently featured in the Washington Post.^[3]

In January 2019, upon her return to San Diego after ministering to migrants in Tijuana, she was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and held for questioning. Following, Douša alleges that she was put on a watch list of more than 50 people who have worked on the migrant crisis currently developing at the U.S.-Mexico border, a process which she says led to an unlawful revoking of her Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection pass.^[4] On July 2, 2019, Amnesty International called for an end to border surveillance programs, referencing Douša's case.^[5] In July 2019, Dousa filed the federal case Douša v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security^[6] alleging violation of her First Amendment rights and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

References[]