Leadership Center for Social Justice Archives - United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

January 23, 2024

Leadership Center for Social Justice

The Leadership Center for Social Justice Presents “Acting Together: A Series on Accompaniment”

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES, January 17, 2024. Now in its second year of operation, the Leadership Center for Social Justice at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities has launched a new event series. “Acting Together: A Series on Accompaniment” was unveiled last October and three justice-centered events are scheduled this year. As Rev. Dr. Ry Siggelkow, director of the Leadership Center for Social Justice explains, “Quaker activists Staughton and Alice Lynd have long been reflecting on the practice of accompaniment in social movements and in their own lives. In memory of Staughton (1929–2022) and in collaboration with Alice, his lifelong companion and co-conspirator, the Leadership Center for Social Justice is excited to feature a series of conversations exploring the various dimensions of accompaniment and the possibilities it holds today for the work of social justice.” On January 31, at 6:30 PM, an expert panel of practitioners and scholars working at the intersections of pastoral and health care, disability, justice, and social medicine will delve into social justice issues related to providing and accessing care. This free hybrid event, titled “Caregivers in a Care-less Society: A Panel on Care Work and Social Justice,” will feature: Rev. Dr. Jessica Chapman Lape, United’s assistant professor of interreligious chaplaincy and program director for interreligious chaplaincy Dr. Michael Westerhaus, faculty, University of Minnesota’s Medical School’s Department of Medicine and Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility, primary care clinician at the Center for International Health, and program director of the Bridge to Residency for Immigrant International Doctor Graduates through Clinical Experience (BRIIDGE) Program. Dr. Aarti Bhatt, assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, associate program director for the Med-Peds residency program, and primary care physician at the Community University Health Care Center Rev. Laura Cannata (’13), a disability justice minister at Robbinsdale Parkway UCC and a member of the Disability Ministries’ Board of Directors for the National UCC. Coming up Wednesday, March 6, at 7:00 PM, we will host “The Right to Breathe: An Evening with the Sacred Ally Quilt Ministry,” an Accompaniment event framed around New Hampshire UCC’s Sacred Ally Quilt Ministry. Rev. Mark Koyama and Kathy Barrett Blair, two of the three allies behind the Quilt Ministry will be joining us in person. Then, on April 10, at 6:00 PM, we will celebrate the seminal work of social justice activists Alice and Staughton Lynd. Presented at the University of St. Thomas, and in partnership with the University’s Justice and Peace Studies Program, “We Make The Road By Walking: A Documentary Viewing & Panel Discussion on Accompaniment” will showcase a new documentary about the Lynds and include an appearance by Alice Lynd and the documentarian. We invite you to participate in one or all of these free social justice events. To learn more, please contact Stella Pearce (spearce@unitedseminary.edu). About The Leadership Center for Social Justice United’s Leadership Center for Social Justice seeks to equip, inspire, and empower leaders to faithfully and reflectively engage in concrete, contextual ministry for social justice. In the spirit of faith, hope, and love, the Center supports leaders in developing skills in contextually sensitive, creative, and effective leadership and social praxis. About United Founded as a welcoming, ecumenical school that embraces all denominations and faith traditions, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities has been on the cutting edge of progressive theological thought leadership since it was established in 1962. Today, United continues to train leaders who dismantle systems of oppression, explore multi-faith spirituality, and push the boundaries of knowledge. Contact Nathanial Green (he/him), Director of Marketing and Communications United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities press@unitedseminary.edu • (651) 255-6138

United to Host Livestream & Discussion of the Rainbow Push Coalition’s Emergency Summit for Gaza

President Molly T. Marshall, on behalf of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, joins fellow “faith leaders and civil and human rights advocates, all united in this moment of moral reckoning to affirm the sanctity of all human life. We call on the Biden Administration and Congress to act for justice and the preservation of Palestinian and Israeli lives now.” “... We collectively urge the United States to leverage its power to end the atrocities underway now in Gaza, atrocities that meet the definition of genocide. A ceasefire is just the beginning.” The Leadership Center for Social Justice and Social Transformation Program also invites members of the United community to join us on campus for a livestream of the beginning of the Rainbow Push Coalition's Emergency Summit for Gaza taking place on January 12 at 11 AM CT. You are encouraged to bring your own lunch. At 12:15 PM, Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis and Rev. Dr. Ry Siggelkow will facilitate a discussion for those gathered. Online attendees can register via Zoom. > To attend the full Chicago gathering and read the statement, click here. >

Rev. Clare Gromoll (’14) & Year One of the Leadership Center for Social Justice

In May 2023, 16 ministers—the inaugural cohort of the Leadership Center for Social Justice (LCSJ)—graduated from the nine-month program of education and formation. For their final project, each minister provided a showcase of their church’s social justice work. Some graduates have partnered with grassroots organizers to support migrant and housing justice. Others have implemented relational curricula for easing intergenerational conversations about race, gender, sexuality, and class. Rev. Clare Gromoll (’14, pictured at right) who participated in the inaugural LCSJ cohort, is the pastor of a church and congregation that was going through a transition. The congregation also had a passion for putting faith into action, but as the pandemic wore on, organizing grew harder. “My experience with LCSJ,” Clare asserts, “helped my roots sink into my way of leadership. I drew upon community organizing principles and strategies so I could equip our Pastoral Relations Committee to engage in one-on-one conversations with church members on the periphery.” Engagement was key since the congregation was experiencing “a significant time of multivalent discernment, change, and growth.” During its first year, LCSJ events have also attracted alums, United students, and others from local universities and faith-based organizations. The three-part Praxis series drew many participants. In December 2022, LCSJ presented “The Praxis of Love: A Community Conversation on All about Love by bell hooks.” In February this year, there was the “Praxis of Hope: An Evening with Ricardo Levins Morales,” and the series concluded in March with “The Praxis of Faith: A Panel on the Life and Faith of James Cone.” LCSJ even hosts its own podcast. Started in December 2022, podcasts have featured national and global social justice and theology experts including Beverly Mitchell, professor of systematic theology at Wesley Theological Seminary; Peter Linebaugh, historian and co-author of The Many-Headed Hydra: Sailors, Slaves, and the Hidden History of the Revolutionary Atlantic; Bridget Anderson, director of Migration Mobilities Bristol and professor of migration, mobilities, and citizenship at the University of Bristol; and Lewis Gordon, author of Fear of Black Consciousness and head of the Philosophy Department at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. Episodes have been downloaded by more than 1,500 listeners from across the globe. As we reflect on a very successful first year, we are inspired by all the possibilities the Center has brought to life. And, in the spirit of hope, faith, and love, we eagerly anticipate the transformational work that will continue to unfold for those affilitated with United’s Leadership Center for Social Justice.