Member congregations and volunteers gathered for Liberating Love to learn about our social justice victories and current campaigns, meet our board members and staff, and hear from guest speakers.

This assembly focused on the movements of today! The theme was Liberating Love and one of our study scriptures was Galatians 5:13 -- “For you were called to freedom, siblings; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love to serve each other.”

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Rev. Dr. Danielle J. Buhuro is Executive Director and CPE Supervisor of Sankofa CPE Center, LLC, which offers innovative online Clinical Pastoral Education programming along with unique social justice-oriented clinical work settings and prepares clergy chaplains for board certification. Dr. Buhuro is passionate about issues of race, gender and sexuality. She is author of “Spiritual Care In An Age of #BlackLivesMatter: Examining the Spiritual and Prophetic Needs of African Americans Living In A Violent America.” Rev. Dr. Danielle J. Buhuro also serves as a CPE Supervisor at Advocate Aurora South Suburban, Trinity and Christ Hospitals in Chicago, Illinois. 

Dr. Buhuro attended Chicago Theological Seminary, where she earned the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees respectively. She’s currently a Ph.D student studying in the area of social media identity, violence and pastoral theology. Dr. Buhuro serves on the national board of directors of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. She facilitates numerous workshops nation-wide on African American Pastoral Care and African-centered psychology. Visit Rev. Dr. Danielle Buhuro’s website: www.SankofaCPE.com. 

SPOKEN WORD ARTIST:

Kwyn Townsend Riley “Kwynology” is a poet, speaker, and organizer from the Southside of Chicago. She has been writing for as long as she could remember, first performed on the mic in high school and has been in love ever since. Her writing helps others heal as well as herself.  As a black woman, she has experienced many poems to preach on ;  racialized violence, womanism, gentrification and womanhood, homophobia and more. She has performed all across the world from Germany to California. As a speaker, she has interviewed for CBS, WBEZ, Windy City Live and the Late Night Tammi Mac Show. As an organizer, she is passionate about justice for all black people, especially black queer and gender non conforming folks. She organizes through a Black Queer Feminist Lens alongside her BYP100 fam.

Kwyn is an author of two books “And She Wrote” and “And She Will” and finished her first album "and She Worthy". Both of her books and her album can be purchased at kwynology.com. Kwyn loves her family, God, Chicago and french fries. 

You can find Kwyn on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.