VDS Voices
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the power of words to harm and heal
Emilie M. Townes Spring Faculty Assembly Presentation Delivered 1 April 2021 download a PDF of this presentation with its original formatting. perhaps you are familiar with this childhood chant: sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me i remember my… Read MoreApr. 2, 2021
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A response to Atlanta area killings
by Emilie M. Townes, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society Hearts and souls reach out to the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities in Atlanta and beyond. The senseless deaths of eight people, six of them Asian women, joins the list of massacres that are… Read MoreMar. 18, 2021
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A statement of solidarity from the Vanderbilt Divinity Student Government Association
To the Vanderbilt Divinity School community, In the wake of Tuesday’s murders of Asian American persons in Atlanta and amidst a disturbing nationwide trend of violence, discrimination, and xenophobia directed against the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander community, the Vanderbilt Divinity School Student Government Association declares our solidarity… Read MoreMar. 18, 2021
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Looking for joy
A monthly reflection from Emilie M. Townes, Vanderbilt Divinity School dean. Our family has been dealing with the deaths of three of our elders over a five-month period in the last months of 2020. Their passing would have been hard without a pandemic raging around us, but the… Read MoreMar. 4, 2021
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A blessing for the imposition of ashes
Maker of all things, In a season when we long for touch, presence, connection, we remember our place in the vastness of creation. As we enter a season of 40 days of spiritual preparation, we confess the habits of oppression often come more easily than the practices of sharing resources… Read MoreFeb. 17, 2021
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The end and the beginning
Image: Glitter Ashes in a small terra cotta dish. They are on a woven blanket of rainbow colors in the sun. There are candles and other bowls in the background. Provided by the Rev. Lyndsey Godwin. Read a blessing for the imposition of ashes >> An Ash Wednesday reflection… Read MoreFeb. 17, 2021
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We the people
Dean’s message from the January 2021 Spire e-newsletter It begins with a country being formed by taking the land of others because darker-skinned people were (and are still) judged as less than lighter-skinned people. This founding kernel of our country has grown over the years and has emerged at… Read MoreFeb. 1, 2021
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My vote counts
Chicago artist Mac Blackout’s new mural encouraging Americans to get out and vote in the upcoming election. Guest post by Emilie M. Townes, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society. This reflection originally appeared in the November 3, 2020 “Spire”electronic newsletter. Growing up in the liberal segregated south of Durham,… Read MoreNov. 3, 2020
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When a Bird Crashed Into My Window on a Pre-Yom-Kippur Jewish Meditation Virtual Retreat
Saturday 26 Sept / 8 Tishrei When a Bird Crashed Into My Window on a Pre-Yom-Kippur Jewish Meditation Virtual Retreat It was yoga time The instructor was guiding us from downward dog to cobra, when I heard a loud thunk. My mind began to race. I noticed it racing… Read MoreSep. 27, 2020
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Zoom crashed. Now what?
Helpful tips and contingency planning for Zoom Compiled by Sophia Agtarap, Vanderbilt Divinity School Director of Communications Though Zoom has proved to be a helpful tool for online teaching, learning, and meeting, every system has its limits–some of which we… Read MoreSep. 18, 2020