Dr. Yolanda Pierce is Professor and Dean of the Howard University School of Divinity in

Washington, DC. She is the first woman to be appointed as Dean in the Divinity School’s 150-year

history. In 2016, Pierce served as the Founding Director of the Center for African American

Religious Life at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

(NMAAHC). Previously, she served as the Director of the Center for Black Church Studies and

The Honorable Suzan Johnson Cook was the first female and African-American to hold the position of U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom. Nominated by Secretary Hillary Clinton, and appointed by President Barack Obama, she was the principal advisor to the President of the United States and Secretary of State, for religious freedom, globally, having all l99 countries in her portfolio, and  integrating religious freedom into the foreign policy and national security discussions.

William H. Lamar IV is the pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, District of Columbia.

Please join the Chapel for the time-honored tradition of Senior Sunday

 May 2nd 11:00 A.M. on the link YouTube.com/RankinChapel

#HU2021 #SundaysAreForChapel

Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. is a senior managing director of Lazard Frères & Co. LLC in New York. He works with a diverse group of clients across a broad range of industries.

Dr. Cornel West, affectionately known to many as Brother West, is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. Dr. West teaches on the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as well as courses in Philosophy of Religion, African American Critical Thought, and a wide range of subjects -- including but by no means limited to, the classics, philosophy, politics, cultural theory, literature, and music. He has a passion to communicate to a vast variety of publics in order to keep alive the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Reverend Dr. Gina Marcia Stewart is a pastor, preacher, builder, mentor, adjunct professor, and daughter of Christ Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.  She has led the congregation of Christ Missionary Baptist Church since March 1995.  She is a native Memphian and “daughter” of Christ Missionary Baptist Church where she was baptized, and mentored for ministry by her predecessor and former pastor, the Rev. Eddie L. Currie. On March 4, 1995, she was elected by majority vote to serve as the pastor of Christ Missionary Baptist Church.

Reverend Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. is one of America’s most influential leaders. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College, his Master of Divinity degree from Morehouse School of Religion/Interdenominational Theological Center and his Doctor of Ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary.

Reverend Dr. Renita J. Weems is a writer, a minister, a biblical scholar, public intellectual, and ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal church. Rev. Dr. Renita Weems earned a Ph.D. degree at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1989 making her the first African American woman to earn a doctorate in Old Testament Studies. She received her Master of Divinity from Princeton Seminary, and her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College. In addition to being a former professor at Vanderbilt Divinity School (1987-2004), Rev. Dr.

The Rev. Judy Fentress-Williams’ doctoral dissertation entitled, “What Has Happened to the Son of Kish? A Dialogic Reading of Saul in I Samuel” reflects her interest in a literary approach that celebrates the multiple voices and inter-textuality of scripture. With a passion for an equipped and informed laity, Dr. Fentress-Williams lives at the intersection of the church and the academy.