Rev. Yolanda Pierce, Ph.D., professor and dean of the Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, D.C., will conduct a virtual presentation on “Reimagining Tools for Resistance and Survival: An Everyday Womanist Theology,” for the Willson Lectureship Series on Faith and Spiritual Exploration. This virtual event will be live-streamed on Tuesday, April 6, at 5:30 p.m., on Trinity’s Tiger Network.
Building upon a theology rooted in the Black Church tradition and using the poetry of Black women writers, Pierce’s lecture will examine the tensions of race, spirituality, trauma, resistance, and memory for those living on the underside of history. She will discuss the intersections of race, religion, gender, and justice.
Pierce is the first woman to be appointed as dean of Howard University’s Divinity School’s 150-year history. In 2016, she served as founding director of the Center for African American Religious Life at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). Pierce is the creator and curator of “Touching the Sacred,” an exhibit on material religion and the Black Church. Her research specialties include African American Religious History, Womanist Theology, African American Literature, and Race and Religion.
A widely-published author, Pierce’s work focuses on the historical and contemporary significance of African American religious traditions. She has written over 50 critical essays and articles in academic and trade journals, which consider the relationship between religious faith, race, and gender in the American context.
Pierce previously served as the founding director of the Center for Black Church Studies and associate professor of Religion and Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary. She holds degrees from Cornell University and Princeton University.
The Willson Lectureship on Faith and Spiritual Exploration is made possible by a gift from James and Mavis Willson and Parker Chapel. The Lectureship seeks to bring to campus speakers engaging the Trinity community around conversations of the role that faith and spiritual exploration can play in forming and empowering lives of meaning and purpose.
For more information on this event, visit Trinity’s online events calendar.
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