By Emily Fromke
In honor of Shared Justice’s 10th anniversary, I interviewed (my former supervisor) the woman who turned the idea for Shared Justice into a reality. In 2012, Katie Thompson started out at CPJ as the Editor of Shared Justice. The program grew significantly under her leadership and expanded into broader programming for young adults through the Hatfield Prize, CPJ’s internship program, in-person and online events, and so much more. Here’s an edited version of our conversation about the publication.
Emily: When did you start working for CPJ? How were you first connected with CPJ?
Katie: I started working for CPJ in August of 2012. My connection to CPJ came via Gordon College, where I did my undergraduate degree. One of my favorite professors, Dr. Timothy Sherratt, Professor of Political Science, incorporated CPJ resources into our coursework and was (and is) a Fellow with CPJ. That was the first time I had encountered CPJ’s work. However, the direct connection to the opportunity to work at CPJ came through another favorite professor and mentor, Jo Kadlecek, who at the time was teaching journalism at Gordon. She recommended I apply for the position after she met Stephanie* at a conference and learned about the available position. I remain so grateful to both Tim and Jo for connecting me to CPJ!
*Stephanie Summers is the CEO of CPJ.
E: Who had the idea for Shared Justice, originally? How did it start?
K: The concept for a CPJ program for Christian college students and young adults began in the summer of 2012. That summer Stephanie tasked a group of interns with proposing what a young adult resource might look like. That team of interns decided a “by us, for us” publication would be best, and tentatively named it “Diligent Justice.” I arrived in August 2012 to implement the idea they had. Soon after the name changed to Shared Justice, which is intended to capture both the need for all of us as citizens to participate, as well as the shared responsibility/task of institutions in public justice. So Shared Justice launched as a publication, and over the years it evolved into a full-fledged program.
E: Where did the idea for the student-faculty research prize come from? What was the first round like?
K: In 2015 we invited some of our top writers to consider working on policy reports. We teamed them up, and they wrote three reports that are available on the website (Closing Youth Prisons, Predatory Payday Lending, Paid Family Leave). That was sort of a good testing ground for what became the Prize. We saw value in doing a longer form policy report, and around that time we also had published Unleashing Opportunity with the Discover, Frame, Engage framework, which seemed like a good format. The first round was called the “Shared Justice Student-Faculty Research Prize” (not very innovative!). Everything was new, we were testing new processes, ideas, formats, etc. But we had an incredible group of recipients that year who were really
E: How has Shared Justice’s online publication changed over the years?
K: I would say the publication has refined its focus, style, and tone. Early on we were still working out what “voice” Shared Justice should have, what made us distinct, and what direction we wanted things to go. Now I think the publication has really identified those things, and has solidified its place as one of the only publications integrating both policy and principle for a Christian young adults audience.
E: What was your favorite part about being the Editor of Shared Justice? About being the Program Director for Shared Justice?
K: My favorite part of being the Editor was working directly with authors and building relationships over the years. I was continually amazed by our pool of writers, many of whom were juggling responsibilities as students or recent graduates, who took the time to write for our publication. They were so passionate and really embodied CPJ’s desire to cultivate “engaged and hopeful” citizens.
As Program Director, I had the privilege of designing and running a program that advanced CPJ’s work with the next generation. Shared Justice evolved and changed tremendously during my tenure, and it was such a joy to be a part of that. A few highlights were the growth of The Hatfield Prize and the expansion of CPJ’s internship program. One of my absolute favorite things was seeing, sometimes over the course of many years, the incredible things that our Hatfield Prize or intern alumni went on to do as a result of their experience with CPJ.
E: Do you have a favorite article you wrote/published for Shared Justice? If so, what is it?
K: I really enjoyed some of the series we were able to publish. A few that come to mind: Sacred-Public Partnerships and some of our juvenile/criminal justice reform series.
E: Is there anything else you hope people will know or remember about Shared Justice?
K: It’s really neat to reflect on the origins of Shared Justice, and the desire for it to be a “by us, for us” program for Christian young adults. Ten years later, I think it’s really stayed true to that original vision. Hundreds of Christian 20- and 30-somethings have written for Shared Justice, participated in our internship program, received The Hatfield Prize, and participated in other meaningful ways. Shared Justice really is powered by Christian young adults who are pursuing a more engaged and hopeful civic presence inspired by their faith. It gives me great hope about the next generation!
Katie Thompson worked at the Center for Public Justice between 2012 and 2022 and had the privilege of serving as the first Program Director of Shared Justice. She is a graduate of Gordon College and The George Washington University.