The purpose of the Hesed lectureship at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is to promote awareness and church involvement in the area of social justice, thus enabling hesed, which is Hebrew for love in action. The Hesed lectureship was a grassroots effort started by Austin Seminary students of the (then) African American Student Group and Hispanic Student Association in 2014 to bring scholars from black, LatinX, and other marginalized communities to Austin Seminary’s campus, in hopes that their voices would deepen the community’s conversations in response to issues of justice as faced by these students and their communities.
The HESED experience has created community and formed leaders that have helped transform Austin Seminary and the communities the students have entered after graduation. Since its establishment in 2014, HESED organizing committee members and chairs have gone on to serve as student body presidents, student senators, and in other campus leadership capacity, as well as numerous recipients of graduate fellowships and awards. HESED leaders are also hard at work in their communities: leading congregations, advocacy organizations, working as chaplains, and even continuing to serve as employees of Austin Seminary.
Sponsored by the LatinX and African and African Diaspora Student Groups
