Black Religion, Spirituality, &
Culture Conference
B.L.A.C.K. (Black Liberation, Activism, Community, and Kinship)
Powered by Harambee: Students of African Descent
Feb 11 -12 2021
About The Conference
Two Days of Powerful Talks
February 11 & 12
In 2016, Harambee: Students of African Descent at the Harvard Divinity School decided to organize the first Black Religion, Spirituality & Culture Conference (BRSCC) in the school's 200 years of existence. The organization was established in 1978 as an affinity group for Black students at Harvard Divinity to build intentional community and celebrate Black cultural and historical matters. The conference was conceptualized in response to their commitment to their communities and vocations, and their desire to strengthen already existing efforts, and work towards a more robust and diverse curriculum and representation of Black religious scholars within the faculty. The aim was to advance the exploration of Black religion, spirituality, and culture across the Diaspora. We look to interdisciplinary scholarship and engagement for training in ethical leadership to address the world’s most pressing issues.
Specifically, the conference aims to:
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ask and explore questions of religion, spirituality, and culture from a Black perspective,
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provide a gathering space for Black scholars, students, faith leaders, and civic leaders to foster a sense of genealogy,
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nurture interdisciplinary dialogue and collaborative scholarship,
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explore linkages between scholarship and activism as transformative sites.
Our Call To Action
We recognize that our call is to be faithful, hopeful, prophetic, and undaunted in sustaining, and drawing from, our ancestral legacies and deep wells of transnational Black liberation struggles.
Conference Planning Committee
Meet The Leaders of Harambee: Students of African Descent
Words From Dean Hempton
"Since its inception five years ago, the Black Religion, Spirituality and Culture Conference has drawn hundreds of scholars, activists, artists, and community leaders to Harvard Divinity School to explore linkages between scholarship and activism and to center the voices of those often consigned to the margins. Student-inspired and student-run, the conference is now a permanent part of the HDS community landscape and has made a vital contribution to our educational mission and community values. I am delighted to support the fifth annual conference and am profoundly grateful for its growing strength and influence.”
