Alejandra Molina
Alejandra Molina is a National Reporter covering Latinos and religion in the West Coast. She is based in Los Angeles. Previously, she was a reporter for the Southern California News Group where she covered cities, immigration, race and religion for newspapers like The Orange County Register, The Press-Enterprise in Riverside and The Los Angeles Daily News.

Civil rights group sues Facebook over anti-Muslim posts
(RNS) — ‘Hateful, anti-Muslim attacks are especially pervasive on Facebook,’ the lawsuit alleges.

LA Archdiocese to close 6 schools due to hardships heightened by pandemic
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — ‘These six schools had been trying to overcome financial challenges long before the pandemic,’ said schools superintendent Paul Escala.

At second Easter under pandemic rules, Christians glimpse church’s future
(RNS) — The pandemic has ‘redefined for me what church is going to be like and what the definition of membership is,’ said one pastor in North Carolina.

1 in 5 Latino Americans have no religion, the Latinx Humanist Alliance says
(RNS) — In less than a decade, the number of nonreligious Latinos in the U.S. has increased 67%, doubling from about 4 million to more than 8 million, the Latinx Humanist Alliance found.

Eric Talley, ‘a faithful and heroic officer’ killed in Boulder shooting, honored in Catholic funeral Mass
(RNS) — Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila offered his condolences to Talley’s family and offered prayers for law enforcement officers, who he said are too often ‘taken for granted.’

At nationwide rallies, Christians stand up for Asian Americans
CHICAGO (RNS) — An estimated 5,000 people attended Sunday’s rallies in 14 US cities, including Chicago, Atlanta, LA and New York.

LA Buddhist temple seeking balance between security and welcome after attack
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — ‘It’s a balance of maintaining security, but at the same time being welcoming,’ said the Rev. Noriaki Ito.

Muslim groups mourn and raise money for Colorado shooting victims
(RNS) — As further details about the suspect began to emerge, many expressed concern and fear over ramped-up Islamophobia.

Colorado shooting suspect had worried about being targeted for his Muslim faith, acquaintances say
(RNS) — As of Tuesday afternoon, investigators had not established a motive, but authorities believed Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa was the only shooter, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said.

Bishop George Dallas McKinney, founder of St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church of God in Christ, dies at 88
(RNS) — The son of a sharecropper who was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, founded St. Stephen’s Church of God in Christ in 1962.

In Coachella Valley migrant community, the COVID-19 death of a beloved priest helps spur vaccinations
THERMAL, Calif. (RNS) — The passing of the Rev. Francisco Valdovinos has ignited a consciousness around public health and COVID-19 prevention.

In Southern California, Black churches are using their land to build housing for homeless people
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — As Southern California’s housing crisis continues to fuel homelessness across the region, a number of churches, particularly Black congregations, are stepping up to build affordable housing on their church land.

A Los Angeles pilot program will vaccinate hundreds within 2-mile radius of a Catholic church
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — A pilot program aims to vaccinate 600 eligible people who live within a two-mile radius surrounding St. Brigid Catholic Church, a Black and Latino parish hit hard by COVID-19 in South Los Angeles.

Cornel West returns to Union Theological Seminary after Harvard tenure dispute
(RNS) — The move comes after West had threatened to leave Harvard University, which he said denied his request to be considered for tenure.

Junipero Serra’s Carmel Mission to be restored for historic site’s 250th anniversary
(RNS) — A $4 million restoration project is expected to be completed in time for the mission’s 250th anniversary this fall.