All posts by Mary Hess

From lament to advocacy

Ordinarily we only blog about media pieces that otherwise don’t fit easily into the bibliography which, let’s face it, is heavily print oriented. But a new book just out — From Lament to Advocacy: Black Religious Educators and Public Ministry — is such a powerful resource that it’s worth highlighting here.

Written by nine African American scholars of religious education, this book weaves together critical pedagogy, theological reflection, and personal/communal experiences into a compelling exploration of religious education. Its clear focus on racial justice is highly effective, and the book is both an accessible read and full of footnotes and other connections to a variety of literatures.

It is a book worth engaging in multiple courses and spaces far beyond religious education.

The pandemic of Anti-Blackness

Macalester College’s Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship recently hosted a webinar that was both deeply engaging and very insightful. It was led by the Dean of the Institute, Donna Maeda, and featured Duchess Harris, Professor, American Studies; Bill Hart, Professor, Religious Studies; Brian Lozenski, Associate Professor, Educational Studies; Kenjus Watson, Postdoctoral Fellow, San Francisco State University, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Occidental College.