Thanks to the work of Dalit students at our institution, Union Theological Seminary has added caste as a protected category in our non-discrimination policy. With hard work and research, they have informed and encouraged their peers in caucus meetings and classroom discussions to support this effort. Union's administration welcomed the student advocacy around this important issue with the help of the entire community. Please watch this video from some of the Union's Dalit community to hear more about what this addition to our policy means to them.

Build community through both TC and Columbia with: student groups, like QueerTC and additional options at Columbia; alumni groups, like the TC LGBTQIA Alumni Network on LinkedIn and Columbia Pride, which welcomes you to march with them during the NYC Pride March on June 25.Learn More > https://www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/2023/june/celebrating-pride-with-the-tc-community

Union Theological Seminary recently added caste to its non-discrimination policy – making it the first independent seminary in the nation to do so. In doing so, Union takes a small step towards dismantling pervasive discrimination stemming from caste systems and furthers its commitment to justice, equity, and inclusion.Caste systems – which were first used in ancient India – assign worth to groups of people based on their occupations and religious status. Throughout history, the caste designation, which passes through birth, has dictated the entire course of a person’s life – including their societal rank, who they can marry, their career, and more. While India and other countries have banned these systems, the discriminatory repercussions remain alive and well.The Dalit community knows this all too well. Dalit people – who were historically known as “untouchables” and fall outside of the caste...

Union faculty member Rev. Dr. Patrick Cheng and alum Rev. Dr. Mary Barber are panelists at “Iconic Pride: Faith Perspectives Panel” at @StJohnDivineNYC on June 5. The conversation will examine the intersection of religion and the LGBTQ+ community. https://t.co/N9K5oclTjh * Union faculty member Rev. Dr. Patrick Cheng and alum Rev. Dr. Mary Barber are panelists at “Iconic Pride: Faith Perspectives Panel” at @StJohnDivineNYC on June 5. The conversation will examine the intersection of religion and the LGBTQ+ community. https://t.co/N9K5oclTjh— Union Seminary (@UnionSeminary) May 30, 2023 Source by Union Seminary

On May 3rd, 2023, the AAPI Caucus at Union held their second annual AAPI Arts Showcase, titled ‘AAPI Legacies and Futurisms’. The Showcase proceedings, which spanned from noon through 5 PM, began with a chapel in honor of AAPI Heritage Month. The service was filled with Tai Chi, poetry, a metta meditation, and an announcement of Union’s incorporation of caste as a protected category in their anti-discrimination policy. Following chapel, community lunch, featuring a variety of Asian drinks and snacks, as well as the Asian American classic Panda Express. As lunch concluded, showcase stations and workshops run by AAPI students began in earnest in James Chapel. All throughout the day, attendees explored a variety of activities – from Arabic poetry to calligraphy stations (in Tamil, in Chinese, in ink, and in pen), from a boba station to a tea ceremony...

On June 11, Union has partnered with Ganesh Space to offer a conversation on Reclaiming Queerness in Spirituality. Join four queer speakers from a multitude of traditions as they redefine what it means to be queer today. Click the link to register: https://t.co/KepRlIYsxu https://t.co/fccJxIJmuG * On June 11, Union has partnered with Ganesh Space to offer a conversation on Reclaiming Queerness in Spirituality. Join four queer speakers from a multitude of traditions as they redefine what it means to be queer today. Click the link to register: https://t.co/KepRlIYsxu pic.twitter.com/fccJxIJmuG— Union Seminary (@UnionSeminary) May 22, 2023 Source by Union Seminary

Today, Reginald Evans of Riverside’s Maranatha Ministry & Rev. @MiraSawJoy1 our Minister for Justice, Advocacy & Change were in Albany advocating for policies that lead to a more equitable state for all LGBTQI New Yorkers with @EqualityNewYork! https://t.co/bUBrygMLMb * Today, Reginald Evans of Riverside’s Maranatha Ministry & Rev. @MiraSawJoy1 our Minister for Justice, Advocacy & Change were in Albany advocating for policies that lead to a more equitable state for all LGBTQI New Yorkers with @EqualityNewYork! pic.twitter.com/bUBrygMLMb— The Riverside Church (@RiversideNYC) May 16, 2023 Source by The Riverside Church

Barnard has joined other colleges and universities in honoring #Pride in April, so students can celebrate together on campus! Today, we hosted LGBTQ+ Wellness Day, complete with catered lunch, a clothing swap, crafts, and more 🌈 https://t.co/VogGvStXnJSource by Barnard College

For more information about LGBTQ+ resources, visit our LGBTQ+ @ Barnard page! https://t.co/sNRF2nXXTeSource by Barnard College

There’s still time to visit CARES and LGBTQ+ at Barnard for information about safety week and Trans Day of Visibilty - complete with sweet treats! Join us in the Diana lobby 💙 https://t.co/DIE4YyZ3prSource by Barnard College

On Monday, January 30, 2023, the Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) hosted a reception, welcoming the 34th cohort of the Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP). Since 1989, HRAP has offered frontline human rights advocates from around the world an intensive program consisting of coursework; networking with the human rights community in New York City and Washington, DC,; skill-based workshops led by organizations including Human Rights Watch, WITNESS, and Amnesty International-USA; and faculty mentoring. The advocates contribute to the intellectual life at Columbia through their participation in graduate-level courses, speaking engagements, and interactions with student groups, programs, centers, and institutes.Columbia faculty, students, staff, and supporters welcomed the group. The cohort is comprised of 10 advocates already working on issues ranging from LGBTQI+ rights in Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and South Africa; Indigenous rights in Bolivia and Mexico;...

Join members of Riverside’s Maranatha Ministry as they head to Albany next week to advocate for equitable policies for all LGBTQI with @EqualityNewYork! https://t.co/oRcJLv9gsz * Join members of Riverside’s Maranatha Ministry as they head to Albany next week to advocate for equitable policies for all LGBTQI with @EqualityNewYork! https://t.co/oRcJLv9gsz— The Riverside Church (@RiversideNYC) May 8, 2023 Source by The Riverside Church

With Easter coming, Union students Brendan Nee & Eric Busby wrote on a queer perspective of resurrection. “If not even the binary categories of life & death are fixed, then our conception of gender must expand...The resurrection is undeniably trans.” https://t.co/zMOIYJBPE5 * With Easter coming, Union students Brendan Nee & Eric Busby wrote on a queer perspective of resurrection. “If not even the binary categories of life & death are fixed, then our conception of gender must expand...The resurrection is undeniably trans.” https://t.co/zMOIYJBPE5— Union Seminary (@UnionSeminary) April 7, 2023 Source by Union Seminary

MSM Jazz Faculty Damien Sneed (second on left in photo) is featured this Saturday, Oct 2 at the March on Washington Film Festival (Sept 30 to Oct 4) in a special performance saluting THE IMPORTANCE OF PAULI MURRAY. Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray was a 20th century pioneer in many senses of the word: human rights activist, social justice strategist, legal scholar, poet, first African American woman Episcopalian priest, a founder of the National Organization for Women, and transmasculine member of the LGBTQ community. The Special Original Performance features actor Regina Victor, composer/pianist, Damien Sneed with Amyr Joyner, violin and Johnny Walker, cello.For more information: https://www.marchonwashingtonfilmfestival.org/

Today, graduating seniors will gather to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community at Barnard! Read here about a recent panel in this year's Barnard Bold Conference that explored Transgender Day of Visibility and trans inclusivity in academia. https://t.co/orIIa2gE3MSource by Barnard College

Across the country in Republican-controlled states, anti-trans bills are being introduced and sometimes passed into law, criminalizing gender-affirming care, restricting participation in school sports programs, policing bathroom use, banning drag shows for children and instituting so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bills. And yet polls show a majority of Americans strongly oppose these efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights.Today, two trans women activists join us to share their personal story, talk about living with transphobia and how to fight it. Jennifer Finney Boylan is a transgender activist, English professor and author of many books including her groundbreaking memoir, She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders, and Raquel Willis is the co-founder of Transgender Week of Visibility and Action and the board president...

Teachers College’s highest honors — our Medals for Distinguished Service — will be awarded this May to @SecCardona; psychology scholar and queer activist @kevinnadal (Ph.D. ’08); Chef @MarcusCooks and artist and filmmaker @ellychoworld (M.A. ’11). https://t.co/UfZ0NpP5L6 * Source by Teachers College, CU

Three years on from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as we look ahead to the federal state of emergency ending in May, there are still many gaps in knowledge. At Columbia Mailman School, faculty continue to work to find answers to a host of questions, from assessing the impacts of COVID-19 to identifying ways to prevent the next pandemic.From the earliest days of the pandemic, our faculty have been at the forefront of developing computer models that draw on real-world data to forecast the spread of COVID-19. These forecasts provided actionable information on infections, hospitalizations, and deaths that have been used by public health leaders at all levels of government. Ongoing research aims to improve on these models and extend them to other infectious disease threats.Wan Yang, assistant professor of epidemiology, is using wastewater surveillance data to study SARS-CoV-2...

Today is #TransDayOfVisibility! We're celebrating with images of trans joy from LGBTQ+ Outreach Coordinator Dylan Kapit & Lab Specialist Jesse Graves. This week, we've hosted a #TDOV info session & the panel "Creating Trans & Nonbinary Inclusive Classrooms" in our Bold Conference https://t.co/FlnetETrVOSource by Barnard College

Celebrating 100 Years of Harlem as the Mecca Of Black CultureAn Initiative Gathering Over 40 of Harlem’s Most Treasured Institutions in an Unprecedented PartnershipCommunity-wide Events will Take Place Over the Course of the YearCelebration Launches with Harlem Culture Crawl on February 1st HARLEM, NY - (January 24, 2020) – Organizers today announced the official launch of the Harlem Renaissance 100, a multi-year celebration and tourism initiative commemorating the milestone 100th Anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance and the artistic brilliance born from that movement. Spearheaded by Harlem One Stop, this unprecedented partnership comprised of over 40 of Harlem's most esteemed cultural institutions will not only celebrate the centennial and its cultural legacy but also spotlight the vibrancy and creative energy of...

“I am so proud that Union is a place where we can create spaces for religious institutions & spiritual communities to come together to fight the erosion & active backlash against women’s & LGBTQ rights." - Union Prof. Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White in honor of #WomensHistoryMonth https://t.co/qaLVyX7GMs * “I am so proud that Union is a place where we can create spaces for religious institutions & spiritual communities to come together to fight the erosion & active backlash against women’s & LGBTQ rights." - Union Prof. Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White in honor of #WomensHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/qaLVyX7GMs— Union Seminary (@UnionSeminary) March 30, 2023 Source by Union Seminary

With the @BrownInstitute, we're excited about this event on Fri April 21 - Computing &: A conversation series on computing and storytelling, which explores the relationship btwn tech + spaces in public life through 3 themes: Carceral Tech, Queer Tech, & Reproductive Justice. https://t.co/mIh9zehtV4Source by Barnard CSC

Written by union students eric busby and brendan neeMarriage equality was heralded by many as the final word on LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion, especially in the Church; but cisgender Christians, both gay and straight, miss the full hope of the resurrection when they believe the exchange of wedding vows is enough. In a volatile and hostile political climate, transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming (TNBGNC) Christians are reckoning with a dramatic loss of life and liberty. As we move through the Easter season, a queer perspective of the resurrection proclaims hope out of fear, and life out of death, for TNBGNC Christians.The language used here to describe gender identity may be unfamiliar to some readers. Put simply, “transgender” (often shortened to “trans”) and “nonbinary” are terms to describe people who transcend the sex and gender binary of man and woman. For...

THE PUBLIC THEATER ANNOUNCESALEXA SMITH AS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ANTI-RACISM, EQUITY, AND BELONGING Smith’s Appointment Builds Upon the Nonprofit Theater’s Anti-Racism and Cultural Transformation PlanJanuary 19, 2023 – The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced today that Alexa Smith has been named The Public’s Senior Director of Anti-Racism, Equity, and Belonging, a newly created position, following a nationwide search. Smith, who joins The Public on March 6, 2023, will report to and work directly with the Executive and Artistic Directors, serving as a leading voice and advocate for The Public’s commitments to equity within and outside of the organization. The creation of this role builds upon The Public’s commitment to being an anti-racist and equitable institution and is a key component of the nonprofit theater’s Anti-Racism and Cultural Transformation Plan created in 2021,...