BSK faculty and staff recently participated in the first phase of a new initiative taking place over the course of the next year entitled, Civil Rights Pilgrimage as a Vessel for Teaching through Trauma. The proposal for this initiative, submitted to the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning, reads:
“This Civil Rights Pilgrimage as a Vessel for Teaching through Trauma initiative aims to strengthen teaching practices that support and uplift minoritized and marginalized faculty and students. It fosters opportunities for faculty dialogue, interpersonal exchanges, and meaningful connections, particularly for a geographically distributed faculty. Recognizing the profound impact of racial trauma, the initiative acknowledges its effects on cognitive processes, emotional regulation, and coping mechanisms, which can hinder effective responses to stress.”
During the Fall 2025 Faculty Workshop, BSK faculty and staff met for the “pre-work” stage of this initiative, at the headquarters for BSK’s Institute for Black Church Studies in Louisville, KY. The pilgrimage itself will take place in October 2025, with trips to Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, AL. Post-work will include a faculty retreat in January 2026 for debriefing of the pilgrimage, as well as podcast interviews for dissemination.
