Religion and the intersection of faith and culture

Adrian Ashford

Adrian Ashford covers religion for the Houston Chronicle. Ashford studied religion and politics at Harvard University and wrote a thesis on a new theology of religious exemptions. After college, he spent two and a half years as the faith reporter at The Dallas Morning News through Report for America. Before coming back to the God beat, he covered campaigns and elections for the South Carolina Daily Gazette. He’s also covered arts and entertainment for The Boston Globe and USA TODAY. Ashford grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and as a kid memorized 21 chapters of the Bible.

Haajrah Gilani

Haajrah Gilani covers religion for the Houston Chronicle. Before joining Report for America, she led political coverage for the Las Vegas Sun. Her reporting has brought her to growing voting blocs at the Republican National Convention, inaugural celebrations alongside donors for President Donald Trump in Washington and cryptocurrency moguls in Puerto Rico. Gilani holds a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a bachelor's in journalism from Temple University in her native Philadelphia.

Houston Chronicle

The Houston Chronicle has served the greater Houston metropolitan area for more than a century. As the largest newsgathering operation in Texas, the Chronicle covers a vast and diverse region of more than 7 million people, about two-thirds of whom are people of color. Our mission to keep the community informed hasn’t changed in the past century. But the way we carry out that mission is constantly evolving. We embrace digital tools that let us tell the stories of Houston in novel ways and, most importantly, to listen to our community.