Rev. Dr. Katie G. Cannon

1974 FTE Black Doctoral Fellow

		Rev. Dr. Katie G. Cannon Annie Scales Rogers Professor of Christian Ethics Union Presbyterian Seminary

I found my voice in seminary. It was a heady time at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in 1971…a fascinating time to be in Atlanta studying religion and ethics. Almost all of the students participated in the Civil Rights movement, some on the front lines.

We were on the cutting edge of something remarkable. I completed that journey empowered to teach for transformation. I realized that Christianity could be a liberating force, and my job, my calling, was to get the word out to people.

Being a teacher has been a love, and it's in the marrow of my bones.  School has always been a place where I was affirmed, where I excelled.  In a segregated society, you only had home, church, and school.  So home was all with kinfolk.  Church was all kinfolk, and school was where the world was larger than kinfolk.  It was other people's kinfolk.

The call for me was to get the word out that Christianity is not a slave religion, but Christianity is a liberating religion.  When I realized the majority of people in congregations were not getting that news, that was my call.  Those of us who felt that were just a little young to be Civil Rights freedom riders, but old enough to understand what the march on Washington in '63 meant.

I wanted to tell that group, ‘No, we don't have to give up Christianity.  What we need to be free is right here in this religion.  It just hasn't been unleashed, and that's our job as theologians…to get the good news of the Gospel out – to set the captives free.’  That's what we're here to do.

The only way we're going to live in harmony and justice in a world as diverse as ours will be to have variety in teaching and leadership.  We have to have people trained to walk the walk and talk the talk at the highest levels.  We need the best and the brightest minds of all races, all creeds and colors to be able to carry forth civilization, especially in religious studies.  We've got to prepare professionals capable of reaching across the divide in every discipline.