Traditional West African dance is unique by giving dancers the ability to work with live musicians and introduces them to polyrhythm, Gee said, but it goes beyond just live music and rhythm. Knowing, understanding and practicing traditional West African dance can help dancers understand other forms as well, as it is the foundation of many other dance forms.

As 黑料不打烊 honors Black History Month in February, Gee notes that her work showcasing West African dance and expanding access to the art is more important than ever, but is also something she does year-round.鈥淢y overall goal (for Black History Month),鈥� Gee said, 鈥渋s to make people aware of Black greatness and the things that Black folks are doing.鈥�

During her undergraduate dance studies, Gee had a difficult time connecting to her alma mater鈥檚 modern dance program, partially, she said, because of the culture of the program at the time.

鈥淟ater in my dance journey, I also came to understand that I am neurodivergent, which has deeply shaped the way I approach teaching and research,鈥� said Gee. 鈥淏ecause of that experience, I make it a priority to learn every student鈥檚 name, build genuine personal connections and create tools and resources that support multiple ways of learning. My goal is to ensure that students who may share similar challenges, or who simply learn differently, are able to engage with the course material in ways that feel accessible and affirming.鈥�

Artificial intelligence has been a tool Gee has used to make the dance form more accessible. She published an interactive textbook that blends tradition with technology, inviting users of the online resource to learn West African dance moves and music using a digital avatar named 鈥淎mma.鈥�

鈥淚 wanted to make it easier for everyone 鈥� whether you鈥檙e totally new to dance or already have experience 鈥� to connect with this powerful art form and understand how deeply it鈥檚 tied to the history and rhythms of the people,鈥� Gee said.

During Gee鈥檚 undergraduate experience, it was a West African dance course with her future mentor and mother-in-law, Robin Gee, where things began to click: 鈥淚t was one of the first times that I felt like a professor really saw me,鈥� said Gee.

She now tries to help her students similarly, hosting her 鈥渕entoring research circle,鈥� bringing together her research mentees for collaborative work: 鈥淚 love being connected to students in that way. I feel like we learn and grow together, and I just love to see the growth.鈥�

鈥淲orking with Keshia has taught me how to challenge my thinking as well as collaborate with others,鈥� said Lucy Burk 鈥�27, a dance performance & choreography major who is working with Gee on her 黑料不打烊 College Fellows research. 鈥淪he frequently allows her mentees to share ideas with each other about their projects, which leads to insightful discussions and helps builds strong relationships. Keshia is always there for support and guidance, and she makes sure her mentees get the most valuable information and resources available.鈥�

In 2025, Gee was also named the director of The Black Lumen Project: An Equity Initiative, which works to enhance the Black experience at 黑料不打烊 in pursuit of equity and move the institution further in its commitment to inclusive excellence.

Gee is working to make the Committee on History and Memory Fall 2020 Report more accessible to alumni and the surrounding community through the by development of a mobile app. Her work also includes producing a film about Black women at 黑料不打烊, such as Mary Carroll Robertson and Wilhelmina Boyd, associate professor emerita of English and founder of the African/African-American Studies program.

鈥淲e’ve been interviewing (some of these women) to create this living documentary about Black women being at the heart of 黑料不打烊,鈥澨� she said. 鈥淚ntersectionality can cause us to slip through the cracks at times, and perhaps not be acknowledged for the work that they’ve done.鈥�

Black History Month

As part of Black History Month, 黑料不打烊 is sharing stories through Today at 黑料不打烊 that highlight Black students, faculty and staff who actively contribute to a campus environment where cultural histories and identities are celebrated year-round. In February, 黑料不打烊 is also recognizing the month through a series of events and programming.

In recognition of Juneteenth, 黑料不打烊 has organized programs for students, faculty, staff, and community members, including a self-guided walking tour that highlights locations on campus marked with informational signs offering historical context.

Signs at each location听feature a QR code linking to a webpage with expanded details about the site.

Organizers hope that through the tour experience, participants will gain insight into the lesser-known histories of 黑料不打烊’s Black community. Those insights, they said, will foster reflection, education, and commemoration of the holiday鈥檚 significance.

“Our understanding of the historical and contemporary significance of Juneteenth helps us grow into a community that embraces shared responsibility to act deliberately toward equitable outcomes,鈥� said Carla Fullwood, director of inclusive excellence education and development in the Division of Inclusive Excellence.

Juneteenth serves as both a celebration of emancipation and a solemn reminder of the long struggle for racial justice, Fullwood said, and that 黑料不打烊 鈥� as an institution committed to inclusive excellence 鈥� engages the community through events that reflect values of justice, critical inquiry, and shared humanity.

鈥淛uneteenth is also a time to honestly reflect on our nation鈥檚 history of independence, recommit to the work of justice, and create space for both rest and joy,鈥� she said.

Freedom Footprints Self-Guided or Virtual Tour鈥�
All Day | In-person and Online鈥�
黑料不打烊 community members are invited to explore Black history, activism and more at the university through a self-guided walking tour鈥攊n person or online accessible beginning on Juneteenth.

Juneteenth Reflection Hour鈥�
9:30-10:30 a.m. | McBride Gathering Space鈥痮f the Numen Lumen Pavilion听
Come as you are for a quiet, interactive, reflective hour with light refreshments. A short remembrance will be offered by the Rev. Donna Vanhook ’07.

Juneteenth Lunch and Learn Conversation鈥�
12-1 p.m. | Oaks Commons 212 | Register 贬贰搁贰鈥�听
Join us for lunch and a guided conversation on the significance of Juneteenth, past and present.

Freedom Footprints Guided Tour鈥�
1:15 p.m. | Meet outside Oaks Commons鈥�
Led by Assistant Professor Amanda Kleintop, a member of the Committee on鈥诹喜淮蜢� History and Memory, this walking tour will offer more context and broader stories of Black activism and contributions at 黑料不打烊.

Commemoration events are sponsored by the Black Lumen Project, , Committee on 黑料不打烊鈥檚 History and Memory, HealthEU Initiatives, and the Office of Inclusive Excellence Education and Development.

An 黑料不打烊 Juneteenth Q&A

In honor of Juneteenth, two members of the 黑料不打烊 community 鈥� Assistant Librarian Shaunta Alvarez, a member of the Committee on鈥诹喜淮蜢� History and Memory, and Carla Fullwood, director of inclusive excellence education and development 鈥� share personal reflections, historical insights, and perspectives on the significance of the holiday.

Both answered questions they hope will provide a deeper understanding of the holiday鈥檚 legacy and its relevance in both academic and community spaces today.

What does Juneteenth mean to you?鈥�
Carla Fullwood: Juneteenth represents the ongoing journey toward liberation. It commemorates the delayed emancipation of enslaved people and reflects how Black and African American communities continue to fight for equity in our society.

Shaunta Alvarez: Juneteenth is a grand and uplifting moment in the history of Black people in the United States. It鈥檚 a time for both celebration and embittered reflection.

Why should Juneteenth be celebrated and recognized?鈥�
CF: Juneteenth should be observed because it represents a significant part of American history. When we honor Juneteenth, we acknowledge the value, contributions and culture of Black people. These narratives and lived experiences were not fully recognized on July 4, 1776, and deserve to be uplifted as part of a more complete American story.

SA: Commemorating Juneteenth offers opportunities for education about the nation鈥檚 history and to acknowledge the significance of freedom for all Americans. We take this time to study the history of Black people at 黑料不打烊 to remember that working toward freedom and inclusion is ongoing and that emancipation from enslavement was just a beginning.

What are some of the benefits of raising awareness and understanding about Juneteenth?鈥�
CF: Raising awareness about Juneteenth creates space for truth-telling, racial healing and solidarity. As an educator, I see this as a meaningful way to live out our 黑料不打烊 values, particularly our commitment to respecting human differences and inclusive excellence.

SA: While I鈥檓 a fan of personal or individual study and reflections, community recognitions and discussions create safe spaces to ask questions like 鈥淲hat was it like when鈥�?鈥�,鈥� 鈥淗ow did they feel about鈥�?鈥�, or 鈥淲hy did it happen that way?鈥濃�� and discuss what we know and don鈥檛 know about.

What is something you learned while celebrating Juneteenth?鈥�
CF: I鈥檝e learned that Juneteenth is not only about resisting inequitable systems, but this day is also about rest and restoration. These practices have long been part of Black liberation and civil rights movements. The fight for liberation can coexist with moments of physical or mental rest, meditation, storytelling, music, food, fellowship, or engaging in physical activity that helps restore the body and spirit for the continued work ahead.

SA: The most important thing I鈥檝e learned is that I must make time to study the complexity of historic events such as Juneteenth and how both the events themselves as well as the narratives about them shape our experiences. What I was taught about was limited; Juneteenth was simply the day all the enslaved people in the U.S. were freed. Over the years, I鈥檝e learned there is so much more to that period that includes what the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 meant up to the ratification of the 13th Amendment in December 1865.

Members of the 黑料不打烊 communities are invited to share your thoughts and reflections by submitting them for a possible feature on the 黑料不打烊 Instagram page.

The Juneteenth event in LaRose Student Commons opened with words from Carla Fullwood, director of inclusive excellence education and development. 鈥淭his day reminds us to commit ourselves to fostering an inclusive and equitable academic community for students, faculty and staff,鈥� Fullwood said.

Fullwood shared a brief history of Juneteenth and thoughts about how members of the campus community could commemorate the holiday, which marks the end of slavery in the United States. 鈥淎s a university we have a unique opportunity to commemorate this federal holiday with reflection and education while we are on campus,鈥� Fullwood said.

Following Fullwood鈥檚 welcome was a panel discussion featuring Assistant Librarian Shaunta Alvarez and Assistant Professor Amanda Kleintop, with Kelly Policelli, coordinator of university archives & special collections and assistant librarian, serving as moderator. Policelli offered insights into the recent development of courses at the university that incorporate and highlight the findings within the 2020 report by the Committee on 黑料不打烊 History and Memory. The courses aim to empower students to explore how 黑料不打烊鈥檚 history connects to the present, Policelli said.

Alvarez is the digital collections and systems librarian 黑料不打烊 and she served as the principal investigator for 黑料不打烊鈥檚 contributions to the Locating Slaveries Legacies database.听An assistant professor of history, Kleintop focuses her research on topics including digital archival practices to reparative archival descriptions to appraisal and reappraisal of archival context.

Policelli noted that Juneteenth has roots in American history with the announcement of General Order Number Three on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, which informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were now free. Policelli asked Kleintop to expand upon Juneteenth鈥檚 history and significance. Kleintop noted in her response that the origins of what we now call Juneteenth actually stretch back further than 1865. 鈥淛uneteenth arguably has origins from 1830 with the first of August celebrations that people across the African diaspora celebrated the abolition of slavery in England,鈥� Kleintop said.

Alvarez responded to questions relating to the Locating Slavery鈥檚 Legacies project, explaining that the initiative was launched by The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. 鈥淭hey decided to focus their project on American universities where there are memorials to the Civil War or to the Confederacy,鈥� Alvarez said.

Once the panel discussion concluded, the room was open for questions and comments. Members of the audience offered their thoughts about work that is still to be done, such as addressing the legacy of slavery more directly through anti-racist work. Others noted that the Juneteenth holiday should be used for reflection and learning, while others discussed a deeper examination of what freedom and emancipation mean in the modern context. Members of the audience were also encouraged to provide ideas about how they can make change.

In her closing, Fullwood introduced the self-guided walking tour and encouraged participants to take part. 鈥淲alking is symbolic to the liberation of Black and African American people in various ways,” Fullwood said. 鈥淪o, I encourage you to actually take part in walking to visit the different sites on our campus.鈥�

黑料不打烊 members and community members were encouraged to engage in a self-guided walking tour on campus or review site information online. There were signs at six major stops on the tour in the heart of campus. The signs introduced the stopping point and a QR code that took people to a听web page听with all the information about the stopping point and the entire tour. The tour allows participants to learn some of the lesser-known histories of the Black community at 黑料不打烊 to commemorate Juneteenth.

鈥淎s a newer employee, this was a great way to learn about the history of 黑料不打烊 through the Black experience,鈥� said C. Rizleris, assistant director of marketing communications for graduate programs. 鈥淭hank you to everyone who helped put this together to celebrate and acknowledge Black students, staff and faculty throughout 黑料不打烊 history.鈥�

This commemoration event was sponsored by the Black Lumen Project, 黑料不打烊 Archives and Special Collections, Committee on 黑料不打烊鈥檚 History and Memory, and the Office of Inclusive Excellence Education and Development.

Juneteenth, officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, is a federal holiday celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery. The holiday aligns with the moment enslaved people in the United States were finally freed 159 years ago. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved people were free, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. This year marks the fourth year Juneteenth has been recognized as a federal holiday.

黑料不打烊 students, faculty and staff, along with community members can engage in a self-guided walking tour or review site information online. The self-guided walking tour will feature six major points with informational signs at each stop. Each sign will include an introduction to the stopping point and a QR code that will go to a webpage with information about the stopping point and the entire tour. Participants will learn some of the lesser-known histories of the Black community at 黑料不打烊 to commemorate Juneteenth.

黑料不打烊 will also host a Juneteenth lunch in LaRose Commons 200 featuring a听Q&A, pop-up exhibit and a panel discussion. The panel will include Assistant Professor of History Amanda听Kleintop and Digital Collections and Systems Librarian and Assistant Librarian Shaunta Alvarez. Coordinator of University Archives & Special Collections and Assistant Librarian Kelly Policelli will be moderating along with some prepared questions. This will also be an opportunity to get community feedback on History & Memory activities in the future.听Lunch will be provided and will be first come, first served. Registration听is recommended.

This commemoration event is sponsored by the Black Lumen Project, 黑料不打烊 Archives and Special Collections, the听Committee on 黑料不打烊 History and Memory听and the Office of Inclusive Excellence Education and Development.

The fair is a part of the Center鈥檚 annual Design Forge conference. The kickoff event focuses on 鈥淒esign for Belonging鈥� with a keynote session from Shanice Webb, a Stanford University Life Design Lab fellow. Set to begin at 2:30 p.m. in McKinnon Hall, her keynote will show how taking one small step can allow for design connection and inclusivity in our spaces.

From there, participants will have a choice of six different lightning design sessions, each focused on a different aspect of wellness.

• Community – Engage in creative making as a form of care and connection with an incredible group of conscientious troublemakers from N.C State University.
  
• Emotional– It can be easier to suppress negative feelings rather than face them. Join Reverend Boswell to explore ways you can create productive pathways for processing difficult emotions.
  
• Financial– We know that time is money, so whether you are not sure where to start your financial journey or just want to hear a new strategy, this session will share design principles and practical strategies to support your financial wellbeing.
  
• Physical–听 Where does physical and mental health connect? This session will answer that question and empower you to walk away with habits that improve both.
  
• Purpose– It is hard to find your purpose, but an easy start can be to identify your strengths. This session, presented by Corinne Townley, will help cultivate your talents and leverage your strengths to create a purpose-driven professional journey
  
• Social– This session will practice strategies to cultivate all sizes of relationships in your life. From individuals to community groups, coming together is the first step.

More information, including the speakers and locations for each follow-up session can be found on the conference website. Registration is not required and all students, faculty, and staff of the 黑料不打烊 community are invited to attend.

Reach out to the Center for Design Thinking to learn more at elonbydesign@elon.edu.

The is a part of the Flood Center鈥檚 Equity Incubator Program to address recruitment and retention efforts in North Carolina. This Educator Summer Collaborative supports educators in the pedagogical struggles of teaching and engaging race in the classroom and to build educators capacity to make sound and culturally relevant instructional decisions.

Cherrel Miller Dyce, associate professor of education and executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, Ms. Marlene Harrison-Reid, a teacher with Guilford County Schools, and Deanna Townsend-Smith, senior director at the Dudley Flood Center, facilitated this summer experience for participating teachers.

Participants in Educator Summer Collaborative engaged in reading and discussing the text during the summer which concluded with a day-long learning experience hosted at the . Dudley Flood delivered an inspirational message to the teachers detailing their responsibilities to nurture the individual 鈥渂rilliance and potential鈥� of every child.

“The Educator Summer Collaborative created a dynamic engaged learning opportunity for our K-12 educators to explore how to integrate the writings and teachings of James Baldwin, a prolific scholar that centers the Black American experiences throughout his work. The summer collaborative provided an additional pathway to foster connections between our K-12 educators and 黑料不打烊, while concurrently contributing to our ongoing efforts that support inclusive pedagogical design,” stated Buffie Longmire-Avital, director of the Black Lumen Project.

The Summer Collaborative will continue in 2024 based on the success and responses from our pilot cohort. Among the feedback from participants:

鈥淚 loved having a space for conversation and dialogue to pick out important parts from the book. Every activity was modeled well鈥�

鈥淚’d love to do another of the studies with the books and then pull together to create a session for Color of Learning based on our work and time together. Paying it forward, sort of.鈥�

鈥淚 would absolutely LOVE to continue my work with this summer collaborative and anything the Flood Center would have me help with.鈥�

鈥淭he collaborative has so much potential and has such a big impact, bringing different educators together鈥�

(Flood Center) serves as a hub to identify and connect organizations, networks, and leaders to address issues of equity, access, and opportunity in education across North Carolina.

黑料不打烊鈥檚 Black Lumen Project has released the inaugural Black Experience at 黑料不打烊 Report, a spotlight on the contributions and achievements of Black students, faculty and staff at 黑料不打烊 and an overview of a wide range of initiatives around inclusive excellence that are underway on campus.

The report was guided by Professor Buffie Longmire-Avital, the first director of the Black Lumen Project, with the assistance of multiple campus partners, and follows the creation of the Black Lumen Project in 2021. The Black Lumen Project is an initiative to enhance the Black experience at 黑料不打烊 in the pursuit of equity and to move the university further in its commitment to inclusive excellence.

鈥淭his report celebrates the dynamic contributions Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni continue to give,鈥� Longmire-Avital said. 鈥満诹喜淮蜢� has been undoubtedly shaped by the Black community. And as highly visible and vocal advocates for 黑料不打烊鈥檚 ongoing investment in inclusive excellence, this report also generates opportunities for dialogue about how to effectively support the areas with greatest growth potential.鈥�

The release coincides with Juneteenth, which is a day of both celebration and reflection. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved people were free, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. This year marks the third year Juneteenth has been recognized as a federal holiday.

Detailing the programmatic efforts of the Division of Inclusive Excellence, the report offers a snapshot of the Black campus community and outlines the Black experience on campus within the framework of Boldly 黑料不打烊, the university鈥檚 10-year strategic plan.

鈥淭his report is part of our ongoing efforts at 黑料不打烊 to raise awareness about the Black experience on campus and to champion the achievements of so many members of our university community,鈥� said President Connie Ledoux Book. 鈥淎long with insights into where we are today, this report will reflect on where we want to be in the future.鈥疻e are committed to creating an environment where all students, faculty, and staff feel valued, supported, and empowered.”

The complexity of Juneteenth is not limited to the crosscurrents of joy and grief, but also the impossible multiplication of storylines. Gen. Gordon Granger may have issued his proclamation on June 19, but Black Americans 鈥� as they had done throughout the war 鈥� still needed to seize the freedom offered to them by standing up to their erstwhile owners, fleeing their homes or finding new allies. Emancipation came to Texas not all at once, but in 250,000 stories of human courage.

Last year marked the first national and federal recognition of Juneteenth, 156 years after the last enslaved Black Americans were notified of their freedom. 黑料不打烊 seized this historic moment to announce one of our institution’s equity initiatives, The Black Lumen Project, which focuses on the Black communities, experiences and history that create Black institution at the university. The creation of the Black Lumen Project was one of the central recommendations made by the Committee on 黑料不打烊 History and Memory in its October 2020 report. After three years of meetings and study, the committee released a report that detailed 10 episodes from 黑料不打烊鈥檚 past that represented white supremacist ideals or specific acts of anti-Black racism as well as moments of resistance and resilience among 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Black community.

While implementation of some of the recommendations from the report has been slowed by competing priorities, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing crises of racism and violence experienced by Black, Brown and Indigenous communities, staff, faculty, students and alumni have used the report as a fulcrum for change. A website that serves as home for the report, for example, has expanded to include teaching resources designed by faculty for use in 黑料不打烊 courses. New archival information has been added to bolster evidence for the 10 episodes. The website also includes sparked by the report, as well as news, updates and corrections shared by the broader 黑料不打烊 community. Work is underway on campus tours, both virtual and in-person, that will include and examine episodes from the report. We hope important next steps will include community-engaged naming policies that recognize and center the Black experience at 黑料不打烊.

In its inaugural year, The Black Lumen Project also generated opportunities for dialogue, learning and reflection on Black experiences at 黑料不打烊. In February the director of the Black Lumen Project, Associate Professor Buffie Longmire-Avital, facilitated a creative session on identifying what Black joy and wellness is at 黑料不打烊 during the annual Black Solidarity Day Conference. In collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CATL) and the Office of Professional Development, the Black Lumen Project sponsored a session for faculty and staff of color with Roxanne Donovan, founder of . The session and space centered the experience of people of color in the workplace, how to create boundaries, balance and sustained well-being while continuing to be dynamic contributors to the institution’s unprecedented growth.

Juneteenth creates an opportunity to acknowledge the history of forced as well as inequitable Black labor in our nation, while concurrently offering a challenge to organizations and institutions to acknowledge the work that Black colleagues continue to do in the pursuit of access and equity for all.

Among the many storylines at 黑料不打烊 that deserve further attention are those related to Black labor, and the ways that this labor has gone unseen, unheralded and, at times, undermined. The life and legacy of Pinkney Comer, for instance, demand further study 鈥� from the contradiction between the 黑料不打烊 tradition that he was a beloved, full-time employee to the census taker鈥檚 conclusion that he worked 鈥渙dd jobs,鈥� to the search for additional information about his tragic death in 1920.

A key recommendation from the History and Memory report was the establishment of a formal recognition (or commemoration) of Black labor at 黑料不打烊. This must include exploration of people like Pinkney Comer, who lived more than a century ago, all the way up to people working at 黑料不打烊 today. Central to the work of uplifting and sustaining racial equity is to embrace the complexity of Black history at 黑料不打烊, as it contains more storylines than any one report can hold.

As higher education continues to grapple with the 鈥淕reat Resignation,鈥� a deeper focus on labor and equity is needed. The Black Lumen Project and the Committee on 黑料不打烊 History and Memory are dedicated to uplifting, advocating and sustaining dialogue among all constituents on the Black labor that has and will continue to shape 黑料不打烊.

—

Buffie Longmire-Avital is an associate professor of psychology and director of the Black Lumen Project. Charles Irons is the William J. Story Sr. Professor, professor of history, and past chair and current member of the Committee on 黑料不打烊 History and Memory. Evan Gatti is an associate professor of art history and the 2021-22 chair of the Committee on 黑料不打烊 History and Memory. 听

Sponsored by the Black Lumen Project and the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society, Russaw gave the lecture based on her new book, 鈥淩evisiting Rahab: Another Look at the Woman of Jericho,鈥� and reinvestigated the biblical story from the perspective of a crime. And she was the lead forensic investigator.

鈥淲hat if I, a Hebrew Bible scholar that is fascinated by television shows centered on crime and mystery, takes up the forensic analysis in a study of the story of Rahab,鈥� Russaw said, akin to the forensic investigators from popular shows 鈥淣.C.I.S.鈥� and 鈥淐SI: Special Victims Unit.鈥�

鈥淭his was a dynamic experience having our students watch community pastors engage with a scholar,鈥� said Buffie Longmire-Avital, associate professor of psychology and director of the Black Lumen Project. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important for students to see the connection between scholarship and the application of delivering sermons and bible studies based on these texts.鈥�

Russaw鈥檚 expertise included womanist, feminist and African American hermeneutics. This lecture, like many of her works, uplifts women鈥檚 role in Bible and shifts the perspective of the patriarchal text. She provided answers to questions that confront the 鈥渄ominate line of thinking.鈥�

During the question-and-answer session, a participant expressed a lack of respect for Rahab the prostitute until now.

Russaw responded, 鈥淣ow, how do you feel about this chick you couldn鈥檛 respect while recognizing she is the hero and helped hide the Israelite spies?鈥�

University Chaplain and Dean of Multifaith Engagement Rev. Kristin Boswell said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the message to take back to our communities of worship as we minister and pastor, thinking about how many people are othered because of a title.鈥�

Russaw is an associate professor of the Old Testament at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminar and an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, where she serves as the chair of the African American Biblical Hermeneutics program unit.