{"id":3603,"date":"2023-01-29T13:42:21","date_gmt":"2023-01-29T18:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/?p=3603"},"modified":"2023-01-29T13:48:41","modified_gmt":"2023-01-29T18:48:41","slug":"an-invitation-to-co-create-the-world-we-imagine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/2023\/01\/an-invitation-to-co-create-the-world-we-imagine\/","title":{"rendered":"An invitation to co-create the world we imagine"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"We<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dear Colleagues, friends, and James Lawson Institute (JLI) Community,<\/div>\n
\n

We are yet again learning of the death of a Black man by those who have sworn to uphold Justice, pursue peace, and to protect. \u00a0What we know is that five police officers in Memphis, TN have been charged with the brutal beating and murder of 27 year-old Tyre Nichols.The Memphis police chief described the violence inflicted on Mr. Nichols by five Black police officers, as inhuman. Mr. Nichols\u2019 mother and father can barely give a name to their feelings or these acts because, \u201cit\u2019s like a nightmare.\u201d \u00a0The name for the wanton disregard for human life and Black bodies is called evil.<\/p>\n

The evil that runs through society cannot be thwarted by turning away. We must confront the systemic, spiritual, political, and cultural forces raging through the veins of US American society. We must stop the flow of blood and tears; we must apply ashes and, as a nation, repent for what Rev. James M. Lawson calls our love affair with violence. We must together mourn so deeply that our feet move us to rise up and resist, provoke, and use every resource available to demand change\u2014inside and in our cites and across the nation.<\/p>\n

Today, let us say, \u201cas for me and my house,\u201d we join the movement for non-violence to hold police departments, our cities, and one another accountable for the violence wreaking heartbreak and rage.<\/p>\n

If you, like us, are ready to commit with heart, hands, and feet to imagining and creating change, join the the Jame Lawson Institute on\u00a0Wednesday February 1st at 5:30-6:30<\/b>\u00a0p.m. on a zoom to begin to co-create the world we imagine.<\/p>\n

Join us here on zoom >><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you are unable to join us for this meeting, contact Dr. Phillis Isabella Sheppard at\u00a0jameslawsoninstitute@vanderbilt.edu<\/a>\u00a0and let us know if you are interested in the next gathering.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

Either way, may peace and peaceful ways fill your hearts and guide your steps.<\/p>\n

Onward,<\/p>\n

\"Dean-Townes-signatureresized1\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emilie M. Townes
\nDean
\nE. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Chair
\nUniversity Distinguished Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society
\nand Gender and Sexuality Studies
\nDivinity School and College of Arts and Science
\nDirector, VDS Public Theology and Racial Justice Collaborative<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Phillis Isabella Sheppard
\nInterim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
\nE. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Chair
\nProfessor of Religion, Psychology and Culture
\nDirector of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Rev. Laura Mariko Cheifetz
\nAssistant Dean of Admissions, Vocation, and Student Life
\nVanderbilt Divinity School<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Colleagues, friends, and James Lawson Institute (JLI) Community, We are yet again learning of the death of a Black man by those who have sworn to uphold Justice, pursue peace, and to protect. \u00a0What we know is that five police officers in Memphis, TN have been charged with the brutal beating and murder of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6668,"featured_media":3604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1064,14,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dean-townes","category-events","category-feature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6668"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3603"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3612,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3603\/revisions\/3612"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}