Black August: Hugh Page and Elvine Belinda on African Liberation Today

August 01, 2024, 7:30pm Eastern Daylight Time

In the opening session of our 2024 Black August Series, we will take a big picture look at our series theme: Panafricanism, Internationalism and African Liberation – what is going on today, and what does the Bible have to do with it?

Elvine Belinda Andjembe Etogho, Gabonese anti-colonial and activist and diaspora organizer, will ground us with an overview of the liberation movements currently unfolding in Africa and in PanAfrican communities. Rev. Dr. Hugh Page, Jr., general editor of The Africana Bible: Reading Israel’s Scriptures from Africa and the African Diaspora, 2nd Ed., will discuss how Africana (African and African-Diasporan) understandings of the Hebrew Bible have developed in relation to social, political-economic, and historical circumstances, especially the continuing legacy of the colonial era. We will then discuss the interpretive questions that are alive and urgent in the current moment.

This session will be hosted by CLBSJ Board President, Rev. Nicholas Johnson.

Logistical Notes:

Please register separately for each session that you wish to attend. Donations are encouraged on a sliding scale basis, based on what you can pay. All are welcome regardless of ability to donate. We are using a new “cart” technology which allows you to register for multiple events at once – please reach out to info@clbsj.org if you have any questions or technical issues with it!

Speaker Bios:

Rev. Dr. Hugh R. Page, Jr. is Professor of Theology and Africana Studies as well as Vice President for Institutional Transformation and Advisor to the President at the University of Notre Dame. His research interests include early Hebrew poetry, Africana biblical interpretation, the role of mysticism and esotericism in Anglican and Africana spiritualities, and the Blues aesthetic. In addition to The Africana Bible, he is the author of Israel’s Poetry of Resistance: Africana Perspectives on Early Hebrew Verse (Fortress, 2013) and has co-edited numerous volumes, including Esotericism in African American Religious Experience: “There is a Mystery” (Brill, 2015) and Black Scholars Matter: Visions, Struggles, and Hopes in Africana Biblical Studies (SBL Press, 2022). He is an elected member of the Society for the Study of Black Religion (SSBR), a Research Associate of Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) at Yale University, the Chair of the Council of the Society of Biblical Literature, and a member of the CLBSJ Advisory Committee. See full bio at https://clbsj.org/about/leadership/hugh-r-page/

Elvine Belinda Andjembe Etogho is a Gabonese political activist and community organizer, a 3rd-year Doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at the University at Albany, and an adjunct lecturer at the City College of New York. Her academic pursuits and professional expertise span Gender and Sexuality, Collective Trauma, Sociopolitical Behavior, and the History and Culture of Central Africa. Her counseling work focuses on interpersonal issues and trauma-informed care. Since 2016, she has been instrumental in raising awareness about the international struggle for democracy in Central-West Africa. She is the spokesperson of CGR New York, a US-based Gabonese organization that that advocates for the welfare and civil rights of African peoples (mainland and diaspora), including for the just treatment and release of political prisoners, and has amplified the organization’s message via various media outlets, including Radiolab, Euro News, and The Washington Post. Elvine’s expertise also extends to her role as an ad hoc guest speaker for the United States Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute. She regularly delivers presentations on contemporary political events, gender dynamics and LGBTQIA rights in Central African countries. In addition to her activism, she is a prolific blogger. She founded a Facebook page, “La Minute AfroPsychologie” to educate and popularize psychological concepts among francophone African communities. Her content aims to improve self-knowledge and increase mental health awareness.

Rev. Nicholas A. Johnson is a pastor at Raritan Valley Baptist Church, teacher of philosophy and religion at New Jersey City University, and a PhD candidate in New Testament and Early Christianity at Drew University in Madison, NJ. His research focuses on Paul’s epistles, Revelation, and the intersections of Africana, postcolonial, and New Testament studies. Nick serves as the president of the CLBSJ Board. See full bio at clbsj.org/about/leadership/nicholas-a-johnson