Scarritt Bennett Center Blog

Martin Luther King at Scarritt College, 1957

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALq7DFbmIyE On April 25, 1957, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke in Wightman Chapel at Scarritt College to the Conference on Christian Faith and Human Relations. The Conference on Christian Faith and Human Relations was hosted by Scarritt College and Vanderbilt Divinity School and co-sponsored by...

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Welcome Refugees: A Call to Action

*Hover over "here" to click on hyperlink! A Letter to Faith Leaders As you know, in the wake of recent global tragedies, our nation is experiencing a surge in anti-refugee, anti-Muslim, and anti-immigrant rhetoric. Sadly, this is not new to Tennessee. Over the past several years, some...

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Getting to Know You, God

Lent begins this year with Ash Wednesday on February 10. This holy season of the church year is a time of preparation as we move toward Good Friday and Easter. It is a time of prayer, reflection, silence, repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation, and renewal on...

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Lectures focus on Southern Black Women’s activism

https://youtu.be/tB2zIyd8HAU Video: Ash-Lee Henderson opens the first Ina Corinne Brown Lecture with singing. During the fall of 2015, we heard from two powerful women – Ash-Lee Henderson and Nikky Finney. The annual “Ina Corinne Brown Lecture” series was established at Scarritt Bennett Center to honor Brown, professor of...

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Integration at Scarritt College, 1952/4

By 1942, the Scarritt College administration and the Methodist Woman’s Missionary Council had already attempted to integrate the school’s student body and admit black students. The college tried to make itself an exception to Tennessee’s strict segregation laws on the basis of its “international clientele...

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Sanctity of Life for All

A couple months ago I was listening to NPR during my drive home from my internship, when a segment came on discussing the death penalty. They were interviewing a man who worked for a non-profit fighting to end the death penalty. He discussed the history...

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“I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me”

“I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me” I’m gonna live so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime! I’m gonna live so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime! I’m gonna work so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime! I’m gonna work so God can use me...

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Reflection

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. I have had the privilege of being raised in a black Baptist church that has welcomed,...

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