A two-day virtual event hosted by the Vanderbilt community will feature the creators of The Black Trans Prayer Book, an interfaith collection of stories, poems, prayers, meditations and more about the experiences of trans and nonbinary Black people.
Trans people—and, disproportionately, Black trans people—face violence and dehumanization in the U.S. every day. The Black Trans Prayer Book is a denouncement of transphobia and religious-based violence that aligns with the shared values of the Carpenter Program at Vanderbilt Divinity School and the K.C. Potter Center and Office of LGBTQI Life, entities of the Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence. The Carpenter Program and K.C. Potter Center/LGBTQI Life are the primary sponsors of the Feb. 18–19 event.
The two-day event includes:
- A workshop, “Where White Supremacy, Transantagonism and Religious Violence Collide,” scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18, from 3 to 5 p.m. CT
- A healing space for trans people of color scheduled for Feb. 18 from 7 to 9 p.m. CT
- A reading, performance and discussion of The Black Trans Prayer Book featuring co-editors J Mase III and Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi on Friday, Feb. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. CT
“The Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence is honored to be a part of this remarkable event that highlights the multitude of identities within Vanderbilt’s community and unites our offices and our work,” said Franklin Ellis, director of the Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence. “We are committed to the care and protection of Vanderbilt’s Black and trans communities.”
For more information about the event, visit the Divinity School website.
Additional sponsors of the event are:
- Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center
- Divinity Library
- Kelly Miller Smith Institute in Black Church Studies
- LGBT Policy Lab
- Latino and Latina Studies Program
- Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center
- Office of the University Chaplain and Religious Life
- Peabody Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Public Theology and Racial Justice Collaborative
- Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture
- Vanderbilt Divinity School Office of Admissions, Vocation and Stewardship
- Vanderbilt Hillel