Challenging Racism, Antisemitism, and Other Assaults on Human Dignity

A Conversation with Beverly E. Mitchell, Ph.D.
moderated by Ted Gordon, Ph.D.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 4:45 — 5:45 PM 

Due to technical difficulties experienced, we are attempting to reschedule this event

According to Dr. Beverly E. Mitchell, “it is a critical moment in the history of our country as we reckon with the threat of white supremacy becoming more mainstream.” In this webinar, Dr. Mitchell will focus on this threat, including how, as an “overarching ideology,” white supremacy is being used not only against Black people but also against Jews, Muslims, and other minorities in our country. Exploring how different faith traditions emphasize the human dignity of all people, Dr. Mitchell will also explain how interfaith and intercultural solidarity and action are crucial in the stand against racism and other forms of exclusion. 

Beverly E. Mitchell is professor of historical theology at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C., where she teaches courses in historical, systematic, and contextual theology; church history, including African American religious history; and human rights. She is the author of numerous journal articles, book chapters, and two books, Black Abolitionism: The Quest for Human Dignity (Orbis Books, 2005) and Plantations and Death Camps: Religion, Ideology, and Human Dignity (Fortress Press, 2009). Her recent scholarship has focused on challenges to human dignity in the face of white supremacy, economic injustice, and genocide. Dr. Mitchell earned her B.A. with a major in sociology from Temple University, her M.T.S. from Wesley Theological Seminary, and her Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston College-Andover Newton Theological School. 

Ted Gordon is visiting assistant professor in the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University Department of Sociology and he teaches courses in the CSB/SJU Integrations Curriculum and Education Department. He also directs the Transforming CSB/SJU for Native and Indigenous Inclusion Project, which is a part of the Becoming Community Initiative funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The author of Cahuilla Nation Activism and the Tribal Casino Movement (University of Nevada Press, 2018), Dr. Gordon earned his B.A. with a major in anthropology at Muhlenberg College and both his M.A. in anthropology and Ph.D. in socio-cultural anthropology at the University of California, Riverside. 

Sponsored and organized by
Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning at Saint John's University  
Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies at the University of St. Thomas

with generous support from
Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota