A February tradition at Seminary of the Southwest, this year’s Black History Month events focus on the theme “400 Years Later: The Enduring Legacy of Slavery in America.” You are invited to join us as we honor the legacy of African Americans in the U.S. and confront the future of race in the country and the church. All events are free and open to the public.
Tuesday, February 12
Black History Month Keynote
Speaker: The Rev. Melanie Jones
Crump Visiting Professor and Black Religious Scholars Group Scholar-in-Residence
Seminary of the Southwest
7:00 p.m. | Knapp Auditorium
Reception to follow | Howell Dining Hall
The Rev. Melanie Jones is a womanist ethicist, millennial preacher, and intellectual activist. As an emergent scholar in theological education advocating for social transformation in the church, classroom, and global community, Jones was quickly recruited to serve on the BRSG executive board. In her role as the BRSG director of social media and public outreach, she has poised herself as a leading millennial voice with a global public platform teaching in lecture halls and preaching in pulpits across the globe and traveling to cities in North America, Australia, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Ghana, New Zealand, and the United Arab Emirates. Her extensive teaching experience ranges from undergraduate teaching to graduate and seminary teaching in both face-to-face and online courses in humanities, theology, ethics, gender/sexuality studies and writing. She is a third-generation Baptist preacher and the youngest ordained clergywoman at South Suburban Missionary Baptist Church in Harvey, IL, where she serves as associate minister and leads the women’s ministry. Currently, she is a Doctor of Philosophy candidate at Chicago Theological Seminary.
Thursday, February 28
Black History Month Celebration of the Holy Eucharist
Guest preacher: The Rev. Jonathan L. Walton, PhD
Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church of Harvard University
Professor of Religion and Society, Harvard Divinity School
Musical guest: Southwest alumna Christie D. Campbell
5:30 p.m. | Christ Chapel
Dinner reception to follow | Howell Dining Hall
The Rev. Jonathan L. Walton, PhD, is an acclaimed author, social ethicist, and religious scholar. Much of Walton’s scholarship is focused on evangelical Christianity and its relationship to mass media and political culture. His first book, Watch This! The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism (NYU Press, 2009), examines the theological and political traditions of African American religious broadcasters. Walton is also an outspoken advocate for social justice and civil rights, as well as a passionate voice in support of the marginalized. His work and insights have been featured in several national and international news outlets including The New York Times, CNN, and the BBC. Devotion to those social issues are prevalent in his writings, media interviews, speaking engagements and sermons.
Walton’s latest book, A Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World (Westminster John Knox Press, 2018), is an extension of his work from the pulpit and classroom. The book is the interpretative exploration of the Bible from the perspective of the most vulnerable and violated characters in scriptures. A Lens of Love is an aid for Christians who seek to be rooted in faith while pursuing professional lives that are just and ethical and challenge inequity. He lives with his family in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Atlanta, Georgia.
Read more about Jonathan Walton here.
All events are free and open to the public.
