The Office of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School will host an online public presentation and panel discussion on a specific topic related to gender-based violence as part of an ongoing series of discussions during the 2020-21 academic year.

Panelists for this event will include Kiricka Yarbough Smith, director of Human Trafficking Programs for the Women and Youth Involvement Office at the N.C. Department of Administration; Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller, First Lady at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Penn., and creator of "She's My Sister," a program that seeks to raise awareness of human trafficking in the faith community. Waller also partners with the Greater Philadelphia Salvation Army by supporting its Drop-in Center, participates in street outreach, and advocates on behalf of victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. This free discussion will be moderated by Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley, associate dean for Vocational Formation and Christian Witness at Duke Divinity School, and the director of Black Church Studies.  

The event's title references the Thursdays in Black: Resistance and Resilence campaign, which grew out of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women (1988-1998), in which the stories of rape as a weapon of war, gender injustice, abuse, violence, and many other tragedies that grow outward from such violence became all the more visible. But what also became visible was women’s resilience, agency, and personal efforts to resist such violations.

In every country, gender-based violence is a tragic reality. This violence is frequently hidden, and victims are often silent, fearing stigma and further violence. Everyone has a responsibility to speak out against violence, to ensure that women and men, boys and girls, are safe from rape and violence in homes, schools, work, streets—in all places in society.

The event will be available via Zoom at https://duke.zoom.us/j/93772356372. The meeting ID is: 937 7235 6372