In a now classic Latin-American folk song, adapted from an original poem by Horacio Guarani, Merces Sosa sings: “Si se calla el cantor, calla la vida. Porque la vida es ella misma un canto.” If the Singer is silent, life is silent. Because life itself is entirely a song. In the context of the “School of the Prophets,” as we sometimes call ourselves, these verses resonate deeply: they metaphorically speak to justice and equity as conditions for a life worth living.
Our community is our song. STH faces many challenges. We thrive, however, in our communal living. The lively worship service, the weekly shared meals, and the synergy among various groups and associations to advance our prophetic voice. Even classrooms become expressions of our singing together.
It has become a trope to say we are living in challenging times. It is important not to minimize current dangers, especially as they affect the most vulnerable among us most harshly. Despite these challenges, STH flourishes with a vivid communal life that is truly global, prophetic, engaged, courageous, and sensitive.
Looking back, our community has made impressive strides in meeting the needs of diverse backgrounds. I arrived at STH in 2019 when our current academic Dean was the DEI director. Thanks to the work of the DEI office (with Sangwon Yang first, and Nicolette Manglos-Weber and Andrew Kimble (’19) later at the helm), our school “sings better”: we had a beautiful community back then, and we have a more prosperous, more diverse, and more caring community now.
Despite the attacks on DEI efforts and other financial constraints, STH remains committed to supporting diversity because we understand it is the only way to strengthen our community. Community-building requires a set of structures that facilitate gathering, a set of processes that empower us all, and the creation of opportunities to reach across differences in the midst of tensions and celebrations.
On this front, the DEI director’s role is both challenging and straightforward. It is simple because, in the end, the office’s primary role is to enhance the school’s life in a way that celebrates difference. It is also complicated because we are living in a world where difference is equated with threat. Our role as a community grounded in solid theological and religious beliefs should start from a place of trust, from a commitment to appreciate our differences for what they really are: sparks of divine presence.
The first DEI event of this academic year is a celebration of the global community we are. Please join us on December 3, 12:15-2:00 pm for a conversation about the differences and commonalities that bring us together in this place!
– Luis Menéndez-Antuña, Associate Professor of New Testament; Director, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion