The Center for Reconciliation, in collaboration with its partner the Americas Initiative for Transformation and Reconciliation (AITR), is offering session two in the third module of the Second Institute of the Americas for Transformation and Reconciliation.
Module 3: On Hope and Liberation
Session 2: Panel on indigenous and Afro-descendant theologies of hope and liberation in the Americas
Panelists: Dr. Maricel Mena López (Colombia) and Jocabed R. Solano (Panama)
Facilitator: Yohan Alvarez (El Salvador)
- Maricel Mena López is a feminist theologian with 28 years of experience in research and teaching in biblical studies. López holds a masters degree in theology and a doctorate in religious sciences from the Methodist University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. She did post-doctorate work in feminist hermeneutics with a scholarship from the Foundation for Research Protection of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil. She also holds a degree in religious sciences from the Javeriana University in Bogotá, Colombia. López serves as a guest teacher in several countries in America, Europe, and Africa and is the author of numerous articles and books published nationally and internationally. Her ongoing research is in feminist cultural studies, emphasizing gender, race-ethnicity, and class. She also focuses on African American and intercultural studies, and ancient history's relationship with religion and theology. López serves as a frequent consultant advisor in the areas of gender, race/ethnicity, vulnerable communities, and human rights.
- Jocabed R. Solano is part of the Gunadule nation of Panamá. As a daughter of the Gunadule nation, Solano’s formation is rooted in the cosmic coexistence of being Gunadule in dialogue with the other worlds with which she has coexisted. Since she was a child, her family has lived and served both from the perspective of the Christian faith and their identity as Gunadule in the city of Panamá. Solano serves as director of Memoria Indígena and is finishing a Master’s degree in interdisciplinary theological studies for integral mission at CETI Continental. She is also a member of the steering committee of the Americas Initiative for Transformation and Reconciliation.
- Yohan Alvarez is a political scientist with a degree from the University of Antioquia in Colombia and a specialist in project management. He is the founder and national director of Paz y Esperanza Colombia, a Christian human rights organization that is part of the Peace and Hope International Fellowship in Latin America. Alvarez is also a member of the steering committee of the Americas Initiative for Transformation and Reconciliation. He will begin a Masters of Divinity degree at Duke Divinity School in 2022.
Free registration for the event is required. Simultaneous translation into English is available.