Third Annual Lecture and Community Conversation on Race and Faith
How can our faith and civic communities inspire prophetic action against the social injustices of our day?
Join us as we explore the prophetic power of the spoken word, reclaim our voices, and embrace the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!
The day's program will highlight the intersection of faith, race, justice, and the arts through spoken word and poetry.
Free and open to all ages; youth especially welcome.
This event is co-sponsored with the Seminary's Metro-Urban Institute.
Schedule
Jan. 14, 2017
2:00 p.m. Kelso Keynote performance and presentation – Erika Gault
3:30-5:00 p.m. Workshops
5:15-6:00 p.m. Community dinner (free will offering as you are able)
6:00-8:00 p.m. Open Mic including performances by Erika Gault and others
Keynote Presenter
Erika D. Gault received her B.A. from New York University, M.A. from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, and Ph.D. from the American Studies Department at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Gault’s scholarly work focuses on the intersection of religious history, technology, and urban black life in post-industrial America. On the topic of black religion and history she has delivered and published a number of papers regionally, nationally, and internationally. She is an ordained minister and an assistant professor of history and religion at Hilbert College in Hamburg, N.Y.
Regarding Dr. Gault’s artistic work, she performs with the Buffalo-based poetry slam team, Njozi Poets. In 2011 and 2014 she toured with North America's largest spoken word concert, When Sisters Speak. Gault is the 2012 first place winner of the Toronto International Poetry Slam, the first woman to hold this honor. She placed seventh out of 60 spoken word poets across North America in the Ontario International Poetry Slam in 2012. Gault is the co-convener of Western New York’s largest poetry slam competition, the Buffalo Niagara International Poetry Slam. In 2013, Gault co-wrote and produced a play of poetry entitled, Ain’t She Brave, which received four stars in the Buffalo News. Ain’t She Brave also has been produced in New York City as part of The New York International Fringe Festival (2014) and at the Black Theatre Troupe in Phoenix (2015).
In both her creative and scholarly work Gault seeks to deconstruct American history, social norms, and accepted biases in order to offer imaginative new possibilities. Her creative work is a meditation on the lived experiences of Africans in America, both now and historically. She is jointly concerned with critiquing social injustices and constructing new paradigms for more meaningful social engagement.
Registration / CEU Credits / Location
- This event is free and open to the public. If you plan to join us for the evening meal, please register online or e-mail so we can prepare sufficient food. To offset the cost of the meal, there will be a free will offering. If you have further questions, call 412-924-1345.
- CEUs: 0.3 If you wish to receive CEU credits for attending this program, please e-mail .
- Location: The program will be held on the campus of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 616 N. Highland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Directions
Registration for dinner is recommended so we can plan for our evening meal. Use the online link or call 412-924-1345.
Registration is REQUIRED if you wish to have childcare provided. Cost is $25/child for the 2:00-5:00 pm sessions.
History
In 2014, our country was left reeling in the aftermath of the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner and the grand jury decisions not to indict the police officers responsible. The pastors of two small churches–one mostly white, the other, mostly black–began to dream together. How can we be together in this painful moment and create something different? PTS joined with these churches to co-sponsor our inaugural Race and Faith Communities event and wondered together how we could transform our relationships and partner for justice.
This event has been planned in cooperation with the following community partners: