2026 ‘First in the Family’ honorable mentions
Mariana Catalan
Overall, people’s use of religion to justify white supremacy is simply an excuse. White supremacy is about control and the making of an enemy. And right now, “the enemy” is my own community. I come from a family of immigrants; I come from Indigenous ancestors — those who were called savages. And, now that I finally have the chance to make at least a small difference through voting, the people who have made my life a lot harder than it already was want to take away my only way of fighting back. Justification or not, it’s clear that white Christian nationalism is complicit in our backsliding democracy.
Mariana, 18, attends the University of Houston.
Christine Cowing
Growing up around people who said unkind things about my skin color, I began believing them at a young age. The one constant among those who treated me this way? They were either explicitly Christian nationalists and white supremacists or were closely tied to those circles.
As a child, I remember having a mother and father lead their child away from me and my sister simply because they didn’t want their child to play with a Black kid. The child didn’t care about my skin color, but the parents did. In doing this, they took away his choice and encouraged discriminatory behavior. Watching that kid grow older, he now displays an aversion to people of color and believes himself to be superior. This was a prime example of social learning through generations.
Christine, 18, attends Montana State University with plans to major in accounting.
Brooklyn Dosen
As an atheist Latina woman, I would be the ideal target for underlying Christian nationalist beliefs and prejudices. Going into a career in aviation, which is largely male-dominated, I believe that no matter what I do, I am destined to experience this prejudice in one form or another in my career. These beliefs seek to recreate an idealized past where white men held the majority of power over others in both a professional manner and in an informal manner, such as the conservative view of the nuclear family.
Brooklyn, 21, attends Cochise College with plans to become a pilot.
Cash Guello
While I was growing up, I was taught about many facts and ideas that imply an equality among religions and races, such as the country’s lack of an official religion and the concept of the melting pot. However, the dominant culture and faith became clear to me as I grew older. I learned about who was expected to assimilate, who is thought to be unable to assimilate, which places of worship exist on every block and which can only be found in isolated homes. These details create a familiarity bias among the dominant culture, and those with political power know how to appeal to it and twist it further to their advantage.
Cash, 18, attends the University of North Georgia with plans to major in psychology.
Gabrielle Horsley
As someone who grew up in a heavenly Christian African American family, I have seen firsthand how Christianity clouds the judgment of my older family members. I often have conversations with my grandma about current events, and we had a talk about high divorce rates. She told me that the reason why the divorce rates were so high were because women did not know how to submit and shut up and stay in their place. I rebutted that by telling her that women are learning how to know when not to submit and when it’s time to leave. She dismissed me and told me that it was the devil speaking in me.
Gabrielle, 18, attends North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University with plans to major in nursing.
Jackson Manis
Letting the idea of the superiority of a certain religion into our government ruins one of the core tenets of our secular democracy: the separation of church and state. Without this ideal, the original purpose of America as a melting pot of people and cultures from all over the world is tarnished. Millions who have lived their entire lives in America will find themselves uprooted. In fact, we can see this already happening with the violent and illegal ICE raids removing undocumented immigrants that never committed a crime, and even documented U.S. citizens just based on their perceived identity.
Jackson, 18, attends the University of Texas, with plans to get a degree in data science.
Iman Merchent
The United States is built upon a few sacred values that ensure that we strive toward a fair and balanced democracy. These values, such as freedom of religion, the right to vote and freedom of speech, are directly threatened by white supremacy and Christian nationalism. These issues are of great importance to me as a nonwhite, non-Christian American. I have faced discrimination and racism for the color of my skin and the nature of my beliefs, from being called a terrorist to racial slurs being hurled at me. These issues aren’t uncommon in Texas, where there has been a sharp rise in anti-Muslim sentiment and policies among both lawmakers and the average Texan. My greatest worry is that if the people who espouse these ideas are able to turn them into laws, the treatment I face will worsen, and I will lose the protections that my parents came here to seek.
Iman, 18, is attending the University of Texas with plans to major in architecture.
Kira Saintvil
Through Christian nationalist narratives about preserving a “Christian nation,” racial inequalities and pressures to assimilate are enforced. The intertwining of white supremacy and Christian nationalism creates a self-validating cycle of exclusion and discrimination. While Christian doctrine can be utilized to validate the ideology of white supremacy, white supremacy in turn validates Christian doctrine by placing Christianity as the religion of the white race.
Kira, 18, attends Rochester Institute of Technology.
Kason Steward
White Christian nationalism has made a targeted effort to strip people who look like me of rights, of a level playing field and of basic considerations. While racism has always existed, Trump’s America and white Christian nationalism have made it OK to be openly racist. As an 18-year-old male, I have been told by my parents exactly what to do if I am ever pulled over by the police. That’s not a conversation white Christian nationalists have with their kids. They don’t have to. Until America is honest about the foundation on which it has been built, acknowledges and takes equitable actions toward repentance and repair, a society of “white power” will remain at the forefront, deepening the hole and covering it up in the name of God.
Kason, 18, attends Sacramento State University with plans to major in nursing and a career goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.
