Webinars

White America must challenge its high capacity to tolerate racism, to overlook racist acts, and to look past racist behaviors. Personal agency is required to become anti-racist. Disrupting systemic racism requires a shift in public policies as well as a rethinking of institutional norms, traditions, and procedures. These shifts require the work of dedicated people. Equally, personal agency is required to genuinely welcome persons targeted by racism. To shift personal and familial attitudes, beliefs and behaviors persons must speak out for justice. This requires education and action. Our questions for this webinar:

• If racism is so pervasive as to be like “smog in the air” (Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum) – how do we identify acts of racism?
• What does it mean to be complicit with racism?
• What kind of listening is needed to become anti-racist?
• Is there such-a-thing as “microaggression?”

The courses and conversations needed to teach away from white supremacy and toward equity, freedom and humility require new conversation partners, creating new kinds of courses, and bravery. Such a conversation emerged when Dr. Smith (Columbia Theological Seminary) welcomed Dr. Ulrich (Bethany Theological Seminary & Earlham School of Religion) and students from their respective schools into a new course that she developed and taught on African American and Womanist hermeneutics and the Gospel of Luke. Smith and Ulrich will reflect on what they have learned through that experience, which has included consultations and writing supported by the Wabash Center. Learning in consultation throughout the project took imagination, patience, and vulnerability.

The many ways racism infuses the academy require honesty and persistence from white faculty committed to justice, equity and antiracism. Many different layers and kinds of work are necessary. One not to be overlooked is that of allied support for and advocacy with faculty of color. Interracial relationships, characterized by antiracist collegiality, crisscross the boundaries of structural and personal (even as does the racism Black, Brown, Asian and Native American faculty experience). In this webinar, Drs. Melanie Harris and Jennifer Harvey will engage in an interracial dialogue about the challenges to and possibilities for meaningful antiracism that can be manifested if white faculty members make intentional choices about committing to their colleagues and challenging their home institutions to become places where faculty and scholars of color may thrive.

In this time of urgent potential, higher education has a particular role and responsibility to re-frame and fully center our collective commitment around the well-being and thriving of Black and Brown people. Predominantly white institutions have long noted, but tolerated, racial disparities in rates of retention, persistence to graduation, and grade point average–all data that indicate students of color are being negatively impacted by hostile racial climates in so many of our institutions. Those of us who work within higher education, especially faculty, can and must transform our institutions by centering the experiences of Black and Brown students. Rev. Dr. Jennifer Harvey will speak to these issues, by sharing her journey as Faculty Director of the Crew Scholars Program at Drake University. Crew is an academic excellence and leadership development program for students of color at Drake. In its eight years of existence, among students in Crew, Drake has seen the gpa gap close, student of color retention rates soar, and Crew Scholars persistence to graduation outpace and outperform all other Drake students (including white students).

With the peculiar upheaval of COVID-19, and the recent, flagrant events of racist violence, what competencies are needed by institutional leadership? What does it mean to lead change in this moment of volatility? What courage is necessary? What approaches in higher education will bring new stability in a more equitable society? Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Rev. Stephen Lewis (FTE – Forum for Theological Exploration) and Rev. Matthew Williams (Interdenominational Theological Center).

Why don’t white people know the tenets, behaviors, patterns, and core values of racism? What’s at stake for not knowing? What practices, rules, and policies might a faculty agree upon to combat white surprise? Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield will host Dr. Melanie Harris (Texas Christian University) and Dr. Jennifer Harvey (Drake University).

In what forms does racism show itself in faculty cultures? What does it take to identify the performance of racism before it happens and while it happens?  What can be done to combat the visible and invisible practices of racism in a faculty? The conversation with Dr. Melanie Harris and Dr. Jennifer Harvey will be hosted by Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield.

Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Emilie Townes (Vanderbilt University – The Divinity School) and Dr. Valerie Bridgeman (Methodist Theological School in Ohio).

In crisis times, the creative voice speaks to the soul. The scholarly voice does not have to eclipse the creative voice. As published poets and scholars, these womanists will talk about their creative process and its influence upon their scholarship. They will also read original works.

Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Marsha Foster Boyd (Luther Seminary) and Dr. Stephanie Crumpton (McCormick Theological Seminary). Pandemic, crisis, quarantine, homeschooling, working remotely, job loss, grief and sorrow – all experiences of stress, strain and struggle. This conversation will focus upon issues of care for the soul during this time of Covid19. What practices of self-care are needed in this moment?

While the mission of theological education remains solid, the institutional turmoil has been exacerbated by the crisis of the pandemic.  These two prominent presidents will discuss the ramifications, implications and possibilities for seminaries during this societal upheaval.  Additionally, they will discuss the heightened uncertainty of the vocations of religion and theology scholars in the academy.  Dr. Nancy Lynne Westfield hosts Dr. Stephen G. Ray, Jr. (Chicago Theological Seminary) and Dr. Angela D. Sims (Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School).