August 30, 2026

Dear Friends and Family

Canterbury Dinner with Bishop Trevor and the Katrina’s Dream Team

I first encountered Bishop Trevor in the summer of 2008, when the Swanson family attended the Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops in Canterbury to advance the newly founded ministry of Katrina’s Dream. My father-in-law, the Rev. George Swanson, had arranged dinner with the recently consecrated Bishop of Botswana. That country held a cherished place in the hearts of my family, who had served there in the late 1960s. It  was among the women and the resilient peoples of Africa that my mother-in-law, the Rev. Katrina Swanson,received the call that led her to become one of the first women ordained to the priesthood in The Episcopal Church, and thereafter in advancing both Church and nation towards greater freedom and equality for all God’s children. Following her death in 2006, the family established Katrina’s Dream so that her labours might endure.  So it came to be that we shared a meal with BishopTrevor at a small pub in Canterbury, England. From that simple dinner with Bishop Trevor—together with longtime family friend Rev. Coolidge (affectionately known as Godfather Bob), Pops, my father-in-law, my husband William, our sons River and Harry, and myself—many fruitful things sprang forth!

As Katrina’s Dream developed, our connection with Bishop Trevor matured into a profound and lasting friendship. Some years afterwards, when my husband was suddenly taken from us, I found myself a widow, travelling a solitary path with scant support. In my grief I telephoned friends and relations across the world; their replies varied as I broke the sorrowful news. In due course I sought out Bishop Trevor. In those shadowed hours, the compassion and grace he bestowed upon me renewed my faith and brought stillness to my soul. I recognised then that it was the will of the G-d that I should turn to him for spiritual solace and strength. I asked that he speak with my sons and stand with them. Without the least delay, in my hour of deepest need, he responded and answered the call.

Bishop Trevor welcomes attendees at UN event

In the years that ensued, I have turned to him again and again, and never once has he failed to rise to the occasion, upholding our ministry by prayer and by deed. He accepted a seat upon the board of directors of Katrina’s Dream and has been a steadfast champion of our Let’s Pass the ERA programme here in the United States. The Equal Rights Amendment seeks to secure equality under the law for every person, man or woman, and thereby to address the deep roots of both sexism and racism. In March 2017 Bishop Trevor prayed by telephone with colleagues Tammy Simkins and Cathy Pagnelli Kaelin of ERA Action within the very chambers of the Nevada General Assembly, as we lobbied the legislators. Under the leadership of Senator Patricia Spearman they voted “Yea” with bipartisan conviction, as Nevada became the first state of the twenty-first century to ratify the Amendment. Subsequently, he has prayed with a number of my colleagues, and Katrina’s Dream held its first parallel event, Let’s Pass the Equal Rights Amendment, at the 63rd United Nations Commission on the Status of Women’s conference on March 11, 2019, where Bishop Trevor welcomed the attendees with prayer. More recently, on March 10, 2025, at our third United Nations Commission on the Status of Women parallel event—“AI, Automation, Amazon Labor Unions, and the Equal Rights Amendment”—held at the United Nations Church Center, Bishop Trevor blessed the attendees with prayer. The discussion topics highlighted the balancing of AI and automation’s impact on the world of work through sovereign wealth funds, the challenge of misinformation surrounding the Equal Rights Amendment and the path forward, and the new wave of union organizing. Currently, Katrina’s Dream is deploying The Power of One in urging the U.S. Senate to adopt the ERA, the last step before it is added to the U.S. Constitution.

Bishop Trevor is a visionary and a man of action, guided by a sure moral compass, by integrity, and by an unwavering commitment to the service of all God’s people. He wears, symbolically, the Bishop’s ring bestowed upon him by Archbishop Desmond Tutu—a visible token of prophetic witness and of the sacred trust laid upon him.

In April 2021, on Easter Day itself—that most joyful feast of the Resurrection—Bishop Trevor was elected President of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) of Zambia, the historic party founded by the nation’s first President, Kenneth Kaunda. He succeeded Tilyenji Kaunda, thereby ending two decades of unbroken Kaunda-family leadership and marking the first such transition since the 1960s. He has guided UNIP in recovering its founding ideals of unity and justice, and has entered alliances with other opposition forces, including the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance, continuing his lifelong work of bridging faith and public service for the common good.

Most recently, in the troubled aftermath of Zambia’s general election of August 2026,  Bishop Trevor found himself caught up amid a violent security operation at a residence in Lusaka’s Kabulonga area, surrounded by unsavoury elements amid the disorder of those days, he was among those taken into custody.  He was among eleven people arrested and is now in custody at the Madero Police Station, facing charges of high treason. These events have cast a shadow over a man whose life has been defined by pastoral care, moral courage, and tireless advocacy for justice.

Bishop Trevor at the Madera Police Station

I came to learn of this grievous predicament quite unexpectedly, as I was about my ordinary duties three days ago, tending to the work of Katrina’s Dream following up on a prayer request for my brother-in-law Olof Swanson. Time restraints being what they were–him in the midst of a presidential election and me planning a fourth pilgrimage for the Equal Rights Amendment, realizing it had been a few days since we last spoke. We have long been in constant communication, for he is a true champion of women and I have often sought his guidance. Having just published a piece marking the twenty-first anniversary, I telephoned him to share the news. When he did not respond to my last message—so unlike his usual prompt and thoughtful manner—I grew concerned. Reliable details proved difficult to obtain.  A message reached me—first through a trusted colleague, then confirmed by reports that left no room for doubt—that my Bishop, my dear friend Trevor, was being held.  In my anxiety I turned to my Middle East consultant, Mahmood Al’Baluchi, a man of peace, whom lives in Qatar. Together we sought clarity, and together we prayed:

O Allah, Your forgiveness is greater than our sins, Your mercy is beyond our imagination, and Your rewards far exceed our deeds. 

We place our hope in Your infinite mercy more than in our imperfect actions. May Allah forgive all our shortcomings, accept our worship, grant us lasting success, ease our affairs, and answer every secret prayer in the best way. Ameen.  

I conclude In this hour of trial I commend Bishop Trevor to the mercy and protection of the Most High. I pray for his safety, for the proper administration of justice, and for the triumph of truth and compassion. May G-d, who is our refuge and strength,,  uphold him and all who suffer for righteousness’ sake. I ask also for your prayers and support of his family. Amen

Love and Light in Christ,

Helene de Boissiere – Swanson

Press Release Calling for Justice for Bishop Trevor