Austin Seminary and the African American Experience
Toward Beloved Community
This online exhibit looks at the history of African American students, faculty, and staff at Austin Seminary.
Featured are photographs and documents chronicling Austin Seminary from the 1940s to the present. These selections from the archives tell the stories of some of the people who have helped shape the Seminary into a more inclusive and diverse institution and community.
This exhibit was created in 2019 and may not reflect ongoing changes to our community. Although we were only able to feature selected members of our community in this exhibit, the archives has documentation on other community members and is always happy to help with research or information gathering.
This exhibit is based on archival research by Hierald Osorto (MDiv 2018), and designed by Rodrigo Leal, Austin Seminary Archives Assistant, January 2019.
Austin Seminary and the African American Experience
Opening Doors
December 17, 1947 - Austin Seminary faculty makes the following decision on the application of a black student:
“The application of Lonnie R. Proctor, a Negro, for admission to the Seminary as a theological student was presented. No action by the faculty was deemed necessary, inasmuch as the application goes automatically to the Board of Trustees.”
Opening Doors
May 19, 1948 - Austin Seminary Board of Trustees approves admittance of African American students, but does not approve accommodations such as housing.
“That the Board approve the admission of Negro candidates for the Presbyterian ministry to the regular courses in the Seminary, provided... that it be clearly understood the Seminary cannot at the present time provide housing, room or board for such men.”
Opening Doors
May 9, 1950 - Faculty approves the admission of Austin Seminary’s first African-American student, Daniel Clark Jr., a graduate of Tillotson College (now Huston-Tillotson University).
Opening Doors
May 9, 1950 - Faculty approves the admission of Austin Seminary’s first African-American student, Daniel Clark Jr., a graduate of Tillotson College (now Huston-Tillotson University).
Opening Doors
September 16, 1950 - Shortly after the start of classes, the faculty voted to make an exception to the a policy preventing African American students from eating in the dining hall on behalf of Daniel Clark Jr.
“[The faculty] voted that Dan Clark could take his noon meals in the dining hall if necessary to facilitate his attendance on afternoon classes and eliminate a trip across the City to Tillotson College and return.”
Opening Doors
May 23, 1960 - The Austin Seminary faculty meet and make the following motion:
“The faculty of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in light of our understanding of the Christian faith and in keeping with the declarations of the General Assemblies of our Churches, record our convictions that all people regardless of color or national background should be sought as members of local congregations; that the churches should offer guidance to the community in times of tension, both by act and word. We support the right of everyone to be served in eating places without discrimination based on color or national background.
We record the fact that the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a non-segregated institution by action of the Board of Trustees of May, 1948; that Negro students are accepted on the same basis as white students and enjoy full and equal privileges in classroom, dormitory and dining room”
September 7, 1960 - The above statement on racial integration is passed with small modifications at a faculty retreat.
Opening Doors
May 23, 1960 - The Austin Seminary faculty meet and make the following motion:
“The faculty of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in light of our understanding of the Christian faith and in keeping with the declarations of the General Assemblies of our Churches, record our convictions that all people regardless of color or national background should be sought as members of local congregations; that the churches should offer guidance to the community in times of tension, both by act and word. We support the right of everyone to be served in eating places without discrimination based on color or national background.
We record the fact that the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a non-segregated institution by action of the Board of Trustees of May, 1948; that Negro students are accepted on the same basis as white students and enjoy full and equal privileges in classroom, dormitory and dining room”
September 7, 1960 - The above statement on racial integration is passed with small modifications at a faculty retreat.
Students
Ellis L. Green
In 1958, Ellis L. Green becomes the first African American graduate of Austin Seminary.
Students
Ellis L. Green
A native of Edna, TX, Green is the third African American matriculant at the Seminary when he begins his studies in 1954.
Students
Ellis L. Green
After graduation, he is ordained in the Northeast Texas Presbytery and becomes the first African American officer in the Austin Seminary Association.
Students
Ellis L. Green
Green would serve at the Harrison Street Presbyterian Church in Longview, Texas, the Berean Presbyterian Church in New Orleans, and the West Hills Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
Students
Ellis L. Green
In 1971, Green, at the age of 41, suffers an untimely death in Washington D.C. while attending a conference on school dropouts.
Students
David O. Shipley
A native of Missouri, World War II veteran David O. Shipley starts his studies at Austin Seminary in 1958. Shipley would return to Missouri to serve as a pastor for both the Presbyterian and Baptist denominations. He would author and edit several books, sometimes in conjunction with his wife, Alberta D. Shipley.
Students
David O. Shipley
In his book Neither Black Nor White (1971), Shipley offers a glimpse into a black student’s experience at Austin Seminary during the 1950s, one that marks a stark departure from the alumni recollections published in the official history of the seminary. Consider the following painful episode:
"Even while in seminary, on Sunday nights I found it a frustrating and agonizing experience to consider where I could secure food. So deeply hurt was I one night as I attempted to purchase a carry-out package, I vowed to leave the seminary because even within the seminary there were almost insurmountable problems. Their ministers were trained for their lifelong witness, with fieldwork as an integral part of this training. But there were in the area no churches of our denomination willing to accept a Negro as a trainee. No wonder I traveled over five hundred miles one way every other week to serve a small Negro parish."
Students
Marion Childress-Usher
In 1980, Marion Childress-Usher, then Marion C. Oliver, becomes the first African American woman graduate of Austin Seminary.
Students
Marion Childress-Usher
Rev. Childress-Usher has served at St Mark's United Methodist Church in Lockhart, TX, has been an active member of the National Council of Negro Women - Greater Austin Section, and is a member of First United Methodist Church, Austin with her husband Mauricio.
Faculty
Stephen B. Reid
Dr. Stephen B. Reid joins Austin Seminary as the first African American faculty member in the Fall of 1990.
Dr. Reid, who has a Ph.D. from Emory University, is hired as the Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies. In 1999, Dr. Reid is inaugurated as Professor of Old Testament Studies, holding that position until 2003 when he would be appointed Academic Dean for Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Indiana. Currently, Dr. Reid serves as Professor of Christian Scriptures for George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University.
Faculty
Monya Stubbs
In 2004, Dr. Monya Stubbs becomes the First African American woman on faculty as the Assistant Professor of New Testament.
Holding both the Master's and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University, Dr. Stubbs' teaching interests include a wide range of New Testament subjects, as well as African American Christianity, theological themes in contemporary novels, theology and economy, and the Book of Job.
Dr. Stubbs presently holds the rank of Lieutenant and serves as a Staff Chaplain for the Navy at the United States Coast Guard Academy.
Faculty
Asante Todd
In 2013, Dr. Asante Todd joins Austin Seminary as Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics.
Dr. Todd obtained his Master of Divinity degree from Austin Seminary in 2006. During his time as a student, Dr. Todd served as student body president and received the Rachel Henderlite Award for his significant contributions to cross-cultural and interracial relationships while at Austin Seminary.
He obtained his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in 2016. His general area of research is public theology, including the ways in which theological and religious commitments impact public debate, policy, politics, and opinion.
Faculty
Margaret Aymer
After joining the faculty two years prior, Rev. Dr. Margaret Aymer, a native of the Caribbean, becomes the first black woman to be made full professor at Austin Seminary in 2017.
Dr. Aymer is The First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport, D. Thomason Professor of New Testament Studies, and teaches in the areas of New Testament, Exegesis, and Greek, as well as elective courses in numerous disciplines including African Americans and the Bible, and feminist and womanist biblical interpretation. She served as the faculty representative to the Austin Seminary Board of Trustees from 2016-2018. Dr. Aymer obtained both the Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees from Union Theological Seminary.
Faculty
Bridgett Green
Bridgett Green joins Austin Seminary faculty in 2019 as an Instructor in New Testament.
Green obtained her Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2005, and a Master of Arts from Vanderbilt University where she is finishing her Ph.D. She has previously taught at Chicago Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt and is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Staff and Administration
Noble Monroe
Noble Monroe joins the Austin Seminary maintenance staff in 1921, working for 27 years before retiring. The 1948 Theolog is dedicated to him, honoring him for his service, and for his notably cheerful and friendly character.
Staff and Administration
Sharon Alexander
In 1969, Sharon Alexander becomes the first African American administrative assistant at Austin Seminary, serving as the assistant to Prescott Williams until 1978.
Alexander, a lifetime resident of Austin, has since worked for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, and the Austin Public Health Department.
Staff and Administration
Sharon Alexander
Alexander is a member of Ebenezer Third Baptist Church, a national champion in the game of bridge, and a skilled artist.
Staff and Administration
Elsworth "Pete" Wright
In 1976, Elsworth "Pete" Wright becomes the first African American to receive the Austin Seminary Association (ASA) Award for Service.
Staff and Administration
Elsworth "Pete" Wright
Wright was part of the Seminary's maintenance staff for 40 years, from 1956 to 1996. Known as a fishing enthusiast, Wright was gifted a fishing pole at time of his retirement.
Staff and Administration
Jacqueline Saxon
Jacqueline Saxon is the first African American to serve as a cabinet member and Vice President of Austin Seminary. She is a 2000 graduate of Austin Seminary with a Master in Divinity, served as Admissions Counselor from 2006 to 2009, and Vice President for Student Affairs and Vocation from 2009 to 2017. She currently serves as the Executive Minister of Mid-American Baptist Churches.
Campus Life
Student Groups
Students are the core of Austin Seminary, and they have historically been sources of cultural change and spurred new ideas and movements.
Beginning in the 1990s, African American Austin Seminary students have come together in official and unofficial groups to enjoy fellowship, advocate for one another, and plan activities that celebrate and support students of color on campus.
Since then, student groups continue to form and evolve, holding a shared goal of enhancing the Seminary experience for students of color and Austin Seminary as a whole.
Groups like the Racial Ethnic Fellowship (formed in the mid-1990s), help to lead the way for the founding of the Multicultural Student Fellowship (later the Multicultural Student Association) in the early 2000s. These groups hold forums such as "Racial and Cultural Issues in Ministry," and work to open conversation about how to address issues of marginalization in the Presbyterian church.
Campus Life
HESED Lectures
Starting in 2014, the African American Student Group and the Hispanic Student Association (now the African and African Descendent Student Group and the Latinx Student Association) founded the HESED Lecture Series, an annual lectureship with the purpose of promoting awareness and church involvement in the area of social justice, thus enabling "hesed," the Hebrew word for justice, lovingkindness, and mercy.
Past lecture topics include:
2014: "Youth Violence in Urban Centers"
2015: "Building Safe Neighborhoods"
2016: "Which Lives Matter?"
2017: "The Politics of Care"
2018: "The High Costs of Economics and Power"
Community Leaders
Board of Trustees
Marvin Griffin
Marvin Griffin (1923-2013) was a member of the Austin Seminary Board of Trustees, serving from 1993 to 2001. Griffin was also an Austin Seminary 1990 Doctor of Ministry graduate, adjunct instructor, recipient of the Distinguished Service Award in 2009, the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Worship preacher at Austin Seminary in 1986, and the Commencement speaker in 1998. Known as an Austin community leader, Griffin served forty-two years as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Austin and founded the East Austin Economic Development Corporation. Often a door opener, he was the first African-American graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the first vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and the first African American president of the Austin school board. Governor John Connally appointed Griffin to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents. He also served as a delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
Community Leaders
Board of Trustees
James Lee
James Lee was an Austin Seminary Board of Trustees member from 2010 until his death on May 6, 2016. He held a degree in economics from The University of Texas at Austin and is a 2000 Master in Divinity graduate from Austin Seminary. Additionally, Lee was a staff member from 2000 to 2003 and served on the Austin Seminary Association Board from 2004 to 2007. At the time of his death, Lee was the pastor at New Covenant Presbyterian Fellowship as well as the Moderator of Mission Presbytery. The Distance Education Center in the future Mary and Robert J. Wright Learning and Information Center will be dedicated in his memory.
Community Leaders
Board of Trustees
Current and former African American members of the Board of Trustees include:
- Roland Carpenter (1984-1993)
- Marvin Griffin (1993-2001)
- Walter Harris (2006-2015; 2016-present)
- Jeffrey Richard (2008-2017)
- James Lee (2010-2016)
- Rhashell D. Hunter (2013-2018)
- Janice Bryant (2014-present)
- Denise Pierce (2017-present)
Community Leaders
Austin Seminary Association Distinguished Service Award winners
Valerie Bridgeman Davis
Dr. Valerie Bridgeman Davis is a 2018 Distinguished Service Award winner, the 2013 Austin Seminary Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Worship preacher and has been a member of the Austin Seminary Association Board of Directors. Dr. Davis is a 1990 Austin Seminary graduate with a Master in Divinity and has her Ph.D. from Baylor University. She has edited several publications including The Africana Worship Book and Those Preaching Women: A Multicultural Collection. Presently, she is the Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Homiletics and Hebrew Bible for the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
Community Leaders
Austin Seminary Association Distinguished Service Award winners
Sharon Risher
Sharon Risher is a 2017 Distinguished Service Award winner and a 2007 Master in Divinity Austin Seminary graduate. She is a minister, author, and activist from Charlotte, North Carolina. After her mother became a victim of the 2015 Emanuel AME Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, Risher resigned her position as a trauma chaplain in Dallas, Texas to become an activist against gun violence and racism. A memorial space next to the Shelton Chapel at Austin Seminary was dedicated to the memory of Ethel W. Lance, Risher's mother, in 2016. She has appeared on several high profile media outlets, provided testimony to judicial committees on the state and national levels, and has co-authored a book, For Such a Times as This: Hope and Forgiveness after the Charleston Massacre. She presently serves as an Associate Minister at New Emanuel Congregational United Church of Christ.
Community Leaders
Austin Seminary Association Distinguished Service Award winners
Distinguished Service Award African American honorees include:
- 1976: Ellsworth “Pete” Wright (staff member)
- 2009: Marvin Griffin (DMin 1990)
- 2013: Helen Locklear (MDiv 1989)
- 2015: Cheryl Kirk Duggan (MDiv 1991)
- 2017: James Lee (MDiv 2000)
- 2017: Sharon Risher (MDiv 2007)
- 2018: Valerie Bridgeman (MDiv 1990)
Looking Forward
Days of Memory and Hope
On February 19 and 21, 2019, Austin Seminary hosted the Days of Memory and Hope: “African Americans and Austin Seminary: Toward Beloved Community" event as a time to reflect on the history of African Americans in our community and express our hopes for the future.
Looking Forward
Days of Memory and Hope
February 19th began with a panel of former Austin Seminary faculty, staff, and students sharing their memories of their time.
Looking Forward
Days of Memory and Hope
Following the panel the community participated in our traditional Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative worship service in the Chapel with Daryl Horton (MDiv 2015) preaching and featuring the choir from Huston-Tillotson University.
Looking Forward
Days of Memory and Hope
After a community lunch, Hierald Osorto (MDiv 2018) presented on the early history of African American students at Austin Seminary, based on his research in the Austin Seminary Archives, and alumni oral history interviews were recorded.
The event continued on the 21st with a worship service in the Vickery Atrium presented by the African and African Diaspora student group. In the afternoon, the community collaborated on an art project and added hopes and memories to a Seminary time capsule. The event ended with worship and a reception.
Looking Forward
If the energy that Austin Seminary student groups pour into their events reveals one core theme, it may be that there is always room for progress.
There will always be more work to do in making Austin Seminary an institution that represents all members of the Presbyterian community. The selected students, faculty, and staff mentioned in this exhibit (along with many others) have made their contributions to that goal, but it's up to the present and future Austin Seminary community to continue making strides toward the Beloved Community.
Desegregation is only a partial, though necessary, step toward the ultimate goal which we seek to realize. Desegregation will break down legal barriers, and bring men together physically. But something must happen so as to touch the hearts and souls of men that they will come together, not because the law says it, but because it is natural and right. In other words, our ultimate goal is integration which is genuine intergroup and interpersonal living.
Only through nonviolence can this goal be attained, for the aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation and the creation of the Beloved Community.
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1958