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January 2022

Emilie M. Townes, Dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School and Distinguished Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society, wearing a black blouse in front of a gray background. Her head rests on her fist.

Dear alumni/ae and friends,

A new year.

Possibilities lie before us as question marks of hope and dire warnings of dismay. We have become a nation that wonders when this pandemic will end and how many more people will die before we get a handle on what we all must do to wrestle the pandemic into an epidemic—something though onerous and life-threatening, can often be addressed by medical intervention and the wise choices we seek to make when choosing our health—and remembering that we are also choosing to take care of the health of others.

This is what I find most troubling about the ways in which the ‘rona is holding on. Too many of us continue to treat this as a strictly personal decision to mask, to physically distance, to get vaccinations, to get the booster. Yes, there are some medical conditions that may prevent or make it ill-advised to be vaccinated and boosted. But masking? Distancing? These are sacrifices and inconveniences that we can and must do to help cripple the onslaught of the COVID-19 virus and its mutations. This is a pandemic of the nation—we the people. And it will begin to ebb when we remember that we were founded as a nation, as we the people, not as a group of individuals hoping to create a nation out of their personal desires, wishes, and biases.

We must work together to end what is looking more and more like a curse.

Best,

Emilie M. Townes

Dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School
Distinguished Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society

Medium yellow background with black text that reads $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. There is a white megaphone to the left of this text. Below is a picture of the Divinity School building.

Vanderbilt University received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help Vanderbilt Divinity School expand access to careers in ministry.

The book background is dark purple. Text in blue at the top reads Claire Brown & Anita Peebles. There is a white talk bubble with text in dark purple that says New Directions for Holy Questions. Colors orange, pink, and light blue emanate from the book title. Below is an open book. Text below in pink reads Progressive Christian Theology for Families.

Check out our Alumni publications

New Directions for Holy Questions is co-authored by Claire Brown (MDiv '16) and Anita Peebles (MDiv '18). With accessible language, Bible stories, and connections to daily life, this book guides children and the adults who love them through the core teachings of Christianity.

Read more>>

On the top left, there is a small picture of Phillis Sheppard, wearing a purple shawl. The small picture below this of Amy Steele wearing a white top with a black jacket. On the right reads Women of Faith Panel in white text over a medium blue background.

Join our own Dr. Phillis Sheppard, and Rev. Dr. Amy Steele at the virtual Women of Faith panel during the Nashville MLK Day week of events on Sunday, Jan. 16, 4 p.m. CST.

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The text on the left reads Martin Luther King Jr. Keynote Event in medium blue with a line underneath in front of a light gray background. To the right is a black and white picture of Nikky Finney wearing a black blouse with her hands clasped in front of her.

Join poet and author Nikky Finney for a keynote and moderated Q&A at the MLK Jr. Day Commemorative virtual event, Monday, Jan. 17, 4:30 p.m. CST.

Text reads MLK Commemorative Lecture in white in font of a medium blue background. Below this is a picture of Martha Dawson wearing a black top and pearl necklace. The background is cream and gray halfway through. There is a medium blue box with Martha Dawson's name in white text.

Martha A. Dawson will present the 21st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture on Monday, Jan. 17, 12-1 p.m. CST.

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The background is a cream wall with stacks of books in front of it. Text on the top reads Friday, April 22, 2022 in black text. There is a white box with the text Verba Prophetarum - Alumni in medium blue. Below this says Call for Submissions! in black text.

VDS/GDR alumni are invited to submit their work for consideration to be featured in this event. The deadline for submission is Monday, Feb. 21.

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Visit our job listings for alumni/ae and current students.

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