Romanita H.

"The arc of a moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I have found myself in a number of discussions about the two narratives in our current political debate. Some have described it as the difference between a narrative of hope and a narrative of fear. I've had to think long and hard about these narratives in the past few weeks.....

This blog post looks at the current political narratives to reflect on the question, how does hope rise in… Show more

"The arc of a moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I have found myself in a number of discussions about the two narratives in our current political debate. Some have described it as the difference between a narrative of hope and a narrative of fear. I've had to think long and hard about these narratives in the past few weeks.....

This blog post looks at the current political narratives to reflect on the question, how does hope rise in the face of fear. Show less

Often this conversation is focused on the reasons that people with children are single. We turn it into a moral conversation. While there may well be value in that discussion, I’m not sure we spend enough time understanding the practical impact of this reality – regardless of how it came to be. And I am sure we don’t spend enough time as a society discussing what we can do to help.

How do we view the things we own and the things others need? What happens when the acquisition of "things" for some becomes a disease and the lack of basic things for others is socially acceptable? This post explores how we can fight the cultural pull to attain stuff by giving live changing goods.

“What needs to be eradicated, or at least greatly tempered, is consumerism: the obsession with acquisition that has become the organizing principle of American life. This is not the same thing… Show more

How do we view the things we own and the things others need? What happens when the acquisition of "things" for some becomes a disease and the lack of basic things for others is socially acceptable? This post explores how we can fight the cultural pull to attain stuff by giving live changing goods.

“What needs to be eradicated, or at least greatly tempered, is consumerism: the obsession with acquisition that has become the organizing principle of American life. This is not the same thing as capitalism, nor is it the same thing as consumption. To explain the difference, it is useful to draw on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. At the bottom of this hierarchy are basic creature comforts; once these are sated, more satisfaction is drawn from affection, self-esteem and, finally, self-actualization. As long as consumption is focused on satisfying basic human needs — safety, shelter, food, clothing, health care, education — it is not consumerism. But when, one attempts to satisfy these higher needs through the simple acquisition of goods and services, consumption turns into consumerism — and consumerism becomes a social disease.” Show less

Romanita Hairston of World Vision leads us through our devotional today. She reflects on the juxtaposition between the two events that occurred on this day- the washing of Jesus’ feet by the sinful woman and Judas Iscariot’s betrayal to the religious leaders. Romanita reminds us to lean into Christ through our brokenness- to forgive much that we might love much. The question for today is “How is God’s forgiving power setting you free?”. We hope you enjoy this powerful devotional!… Show more

Romanita Hairston of World Vision leads us through our devotional today. She reflects on the juxtaposition between the two events that occurred on this day- the washing of Jesus’ feet by the sinful woman and Judas Iscariot’s betrayal to the religious leaders. Romanita reminds us to lean into Christ through our brokenness- to forgive much that we might love much. The question for today is “How is God’s forgiving power setting you free?”. We hope you enjoy this powerful devotional! Blessings from SUGM and all of us at LUTC. Show less

The Power of One is about seeing and hearing! We live in a world where perspective matters. It can be the difference between life and death. At the root of what we see and hear is our view on the world or our worldview. Worldview is a powerful force in shaping our behavior, commitments, and actions. The Power of One seeks to engage at the level of how we see the world and all those who live in it. It is my deepest hope that it encourages you to use your power of one to change the world starting… Show more

The Power of One is about seeing and hearing! We live in a world where perspective matters. It can be the difference between life and death. At the root of what we see and hear is our view on the world or our worldview. Worldview is a powerful force in shaping our behavior, commitments, and actions. The Power of One seeks to engage at the level of how we see the world and all those who live in it. It is my deepest hope that it encourages you to use your power of one to change the world starting right where you are with what you have. We live in a time where there is so much to see and hear and we have more ability than ever to engage our world. We can see and hear so much and seeing and hearing are powerful tools. However, there are so many forces that urge us to be blind and deaf! May we all have eyes to see and ears to hear that we might be healed and become healers.


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We can’t wait for you to hear from the keynote speakers at this year’s conference: leaders and visionaries who are helping us dream about how change happens in the day-to-day lives of our communities. One of those speakers, Romanita Hairston, is the VP of US Programs for World Vision, where she works toward raising awareness and meeting the needs faced by the most vulnerable and underprivileged individuals in our country—particularly children.

“If America is to be a great nation, let freedom ring.” –Martin Luther King Jr., "I have a dream" speech, given on this day in 1963.
Children must be free to grow up loved and not harmed. Let us dream a better world, and make it a reality!
Read how our staff and volunteers at a girls' camp are doing just that.

Romanita Hairston, World Vision's vice president for U.S. programs, recently had the opportunity to attend the presidential inauguration on January 21, 2013. Today, she reflects on our nation's future and challenges us to help children in need in the United States.

This post is part of a series produced by Opportunity Nation for The Huffington Post in conjunction with their Week of Action, a seven-day collaborative exercise demonstrating that every American can play a role in the shared effort to restore opportunity and social mobility in our country. More information is available at Opportunity Nation.

Over and over, I find the words of Albert Einstein to be true: “All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for… Show more

This post is part of a series produced by Opportunity Nation for The Huffington Post in conjunction with their Week of Action, a seven-day collaborative exercise demonstrating that every American can play a role in the shared effort to restore opportunity and social mobility in our country. More information is available at Opportunity Nation.

Over and over, I find the words of Albert Einstein to be true: “All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.” This post reflects on the opportunities afforded young people in our country. Show less

Opportunity Nation is so proud to work closely with World Vision, a member of our Steering Committee. Below their Vice President for U.S. Programs, Romanita Hairston, shares about their vital work empowering young people and how it’s connected to our mission as a campaign.

Early last month, I’d been enthralled each night watching the Olympics. Now that it's September, my focus turns back to school and school shopping lists. You can’t miss the signs or commercials urging you to shop now while the specials are good. However, as I began shopping for my three children, my heart was somewhat pained. Our country is a world leader in many ways. The United States won an amazing 104 medals in the Olympics. But many American children who are seeking to take part in that… Show more

Early last month, I’d been enthralled each night watching the Olympics. Now that it's September, my focus turns back to school and school shopping lists. You can’t miss the signs or commercials urging you to shop now while the specials are good. However, as I began shopping for my three children, my heart was somewhat pained. Our country is a world leader in many ways. The United States won an amazing 104 medals in the Olympics. But many American children who are seeking to take part in that greatness by learning and completing school face amazingly difficult conditions. Some don’t even have access to basic school supplies. Learn more about the challenge and how you can help! Show less

Have you ever asked yourself, “What am I doing to make my community, my country, and my world a better place?” Perhaps you asked yourself something similar in your new year resolutions; or perhaps you ask it when you look at your own children. As a mother of three, I find myself doing this. As I reflect on the words of President Obama's State of the Union address from last night, this is the question I hope we are all asking -- and doing something about it. Learn more about the state of… Show more

Have you ever asked yourself, “What am I doing to make my community, my country, and my world a better place?” Perhaps you asked yourself something similar in your new year resolutions; or perhaps you ask it when you look at your own children. As a mother of three, I find myself doing this. As I reflect on the words of President Obama's State of the Union address from last night, this is the question I hope we are all asking -- and doing something about it. Learn more about the state of America's children and what you might do to help! Show less

Editor's note: One of our senior vice presidents recently said that he believes the first thing Romanita thinks and prays about when she wakes up in the morning is the well-being of children in the United States. That thought couldn't be more appropriate for our first February post — a personal reflection from Romanita Hairston, World Vision's vice president for U.S. programs, on Black History Month and its relation to our work alongside children and communities right here in the United States.