BU President Melissa Gilliam told guests who attended a post-worship luncheon that Marsh Chapel is a guiding light, at a time when “I am pained by the inability to see our common humanity.”

University News

At Marsh Chapel Celebration, President Gilliam Calls for Finding Common Humanity in Times of Struggle

In remarks, she points to the chapel as a beacon of spiritual guidance, a place of reflection that serves the community in times of “trial and triumph”

Boston University President Melissa Gilliam, at a luncheon on Sunday celebrating the 75th anniversary of Marsh Chapel, referenced discord in the community last week after a BU student posted on social media claiming credit for initiating a November 4 immigration raid at an Allston car wash.

Federal officials have since said the student did not inspire the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainment of nine employees at the car wash. However, the situation has sparked debate, with concerns and tensions among members of the community and more broadly on social media. 

The following are excerpts from Gilliam’s remarks:

The role of Marsh

For generations, the Boston University community has looked to Marsh Chapel as a place for spiritual guidance, as a place to affirm our university’s values, and as a place to fortify our worldview as we journey outside our campus walls.

As you may be aware, this week, events at Boston University have led to tensions between members of our campus and community…and a painful sense of being unfairly judged and misunderstood. We are struggling with issues of identity, belonging, and political perspectives.

As a leader, my mind goes to security and the deep responsibility of ensuring the safety of each and every one of our community members no matter their viewpoint or actions. And, yes, I feel sadness, knowing there is discord among people who view the world differently. I am pained by the inability to see our common humanity. 

At this time when we are sometimes confused and divided, at the heart of our campus is this chapel that has stood strong throughout times of trial and triumph. 

Open to all 

Our university’s values are clear. Presidents who have come before me, beginning with our first president, William Fairfield Warren, envisioned a school in which no person regardless of race, religion, or sex would be turned away from the university. Indeed, our founders bucked the common practices of the day and opened our doors to all.

Our founders’ boldness makes us who we are today. We come from across the country and around the world to form this community. We were raised in different environments, with different religious traditions, economic realities, and family values and yet come together as a community. Our diversity fosters excellence in the laboratory, classroom, and playing field. And sometimes our community is harmonious, and sometimes our community erupts with misunderstanding and anger. But, we should not fear discord and struggle. Because in the wake of struggle, we can reflect. Marsh Chapel is a symbol of that reflection…which has served those before us and will continue to inspire those who will come after.

The legacy of Howard Thurman

In 1953, [Rev. Howard] Thurman [Hon.’67] joined Boston University and became the first Black person to serve as dean of a predominately white institution. That decision would give Boston University one of its greatest leaders.

In this moment in our history, I read Dean Thurman often, and look to his words, for guidance. Born in the rural south and well versed in the pain of hatred and discrimination, Thurman believed that the task before us was not to look outward in judgment of others, but to look inward to gain understanding. 

Thurman defined compassion as: “…the awareness that where my life begins is where your life begins; the awareness that the sensitiveness to your needs cannot be separated from the sensitiveness to my needs; the awareness that the joys of my heart are never mine alone—nor are my sorrows.” 

Defining our values

Over the past year, we embarked on a journey to define and embody the values that have guided us over time and will guide us into the future. 

After conversations with thousands of community members, we have identified eight shared values and words to define them:

Integrity

Inclusion

Community

Collaboration

Excellence

Learning

Service

Global

Opportunity for hope

In this moment, I’m compelled to focus on our value of inclusion.

Our community defined “inclusion” to mean “believing that our diversity makes Boston University a better place to work and learn, we continue to seek ways to be more accessible and inclusive of differences in identity, background, ideas, and abilities.”

Over these 75 years, community members from across the spectrum have found respite in Marsh Chapel’s beauty, have protested near its steps, and held vigils on its plaza. They have also found solace in its message of inclusion and hope and gone out into the world to do great things. 

Our campus will erupt in anger and disagreement, but that is also our opportunity for hope.

“Hate is too great a burden to bear”

In his life, the great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [GRS’55, Hon.’59] experienced anger, fear, bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination and yet, he said: “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

If we learn to care about one another despite our differences and mistakes, we will create a university that is stronger, more inclusive, and more dynamic. We will create a university ready for the challenges of our day, honoring its roots while shaping a future of limitless possibility. 

Melissa Gilliam’s comments on Sunday marked the second time both she and the University addressed the Allston raid. A University statement released Friday said: “The University seeks to support the safety and well-being of all members of its community, which includes providing support to those who are distressed by this situation, as well as ensuring the safety of all others.”

Gilliam personally added: “We must affirm the dignity and worth of all people. Too often, we fail to see one another’s full humanity, overlooking the rich complexity and unique gifts each person brings. When we focus only on differences—skin color, political views—we risk fostering division and pain where there should be unity and understanding.”