Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

Diversity tableBy history, intention, and design, the Yale Divinity School community embraces a wide range of Christian traditions. Committed to serving church and world, it also welcomes people of various religious and nonreligious traditions, drawing wide the circle to include myriad perspectives.

Seeking to foster the knowledge and love of God through critical engagement with the traditions of the Christian churches, the Divinity School upholds the value of broad inclusivity and diversity in our academic, worship, and communal life.

Action & Impact: Read stories

We celebrate the fullness of race and color; denominational, political, theological, and cultural difference; the range of expressions of sexual and gender identity; and the varied voices that come with age, life experience, national and community service, and socioeconomic status.

In ecumenical conversation and in the space created that crosses traditionally entrenched positions, profound educational value is gained and diverse perspectives are presented.

To this end, we foster inclusivity and diversity through our academic, social, and spiritual practices. At the core of our intention is the deliberate encouragement of conversation across the lines of difference; attention to offering access to all aspects of our common life; consistent sensitivity to the uniqueness of each person’s background; and particular attentiveness to our words in speech, writing, prayer, and praise.

We value the worth and dignity of every member of the Divinity School community, as we build an environment where inclusivity and diversity are central and consistently affirmed.

Action & Impact

January 15, 2022
Dean Greg Sterling has issued an unprecedented acknowledgment of Yale Divinity School’s historical complicity in slavery and racism and has announced a series of actions to...
December 21, 2021
By Lauren Yanks ‘19 M.Div. When he graduated from YDS and returned to his hometown in the Chicago area, Allen Reynolds ’15 M.Div. figured he would go into young adult...
November 29, 2021
Noah Humphrey ’23 M.Div. is a person who becomes more interesting with each new thing you learn about him. Among his multiple talents and roles: He published a book of poetry...
November 19, 2021
By Timothy Cahill ‘16 M.A.R. Among its numerous and far-reaching effects, the Coronavirus pandemic compelled many to reassess the directions of their lives. This “Covid pivot...
October 25, 2021
By Dr. Moses Moore ‘77 M.Div. The social and political activism of contemporary clergy such as the Rev. William Barber illuminates the “applied Christianity” that marked the...
October 21, 2021
By Leah Silvieus ’21 M.A.R. Braxton Shelley, Associate Professor of Music, Sacred Music, and Divinity, has long been fascinated by how gospel music turns musical sound into...
September 20, 2021
By Kimberly Winston There was point, about two decades years into her career as a church pastor, when the Rev. Dr. Susan Williams Smith ’86 M.Div. was so exhausted she...
September 13, 2021
By Emily Judd ‘19 M.A.R. White Christian nationalism in the United States is radicalizing, warns Yale Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies Philip Gorski in the latest...
August 29, 2021
By Paul Massari, Harvard University Akhil Thomas held his pregnant mother’s hand as they took shelter from a fierce monsoon. They stood under the tin roof of a cobbler’s shop...
August 2, 2021
August 2, 2021 YDS Dean Greg Sterling made the following announcement to the campus community today. —— Dear Colleagues,   I am writing with news about an...
August 2, 2021
By Lauren Yanks ‘19  M.Div. As a child growing up in Panama, Marta Illueca ’18 M.Div. became accustomed to life in the public eye. “My father was dedicated to social justice...
July 21, 2021
By Justin Harmon The Rev. Frederick J. “Jerry” Streets ’75 M.Div., who has taught pastoral theology at YDS since 1987, is used to a busy life. In addition to his work at YDS...
July 12, 2021
By Moses N. Moore ’77 M.Div. As faculty, students, alumni/ae, and friends of Yale Divinity School reflect on the challenges posed by COVID-19, we can gain insight from the...
June 21, 2021
By Pressley Peters A significant new scholarship underwritten by the MRW Education Fund and partially matched by the Divinity School Scholarship Challenge Fund honors the...
May 27, 2021
By Bryce Tapp ’22 M.A.R. Wherever Christians are active –– in the academy, in local churches, in chaplaincy –– “their gifts and talents, and certainly their intellect, will...
May 27, 2021
May 27, 2021 Yale Divinity School Dean Greg Sterling sent the following letter to students, faculty, and staff today, celebrating faculty promotions and other milestones....
May 25, 2021
May 25, 2021 Yale Divinity School Dean Greg Sterling issued the following statement today to the Divinity School community. —— It is my pleasure to share the...
May 18, 2021
May 18, 2021 Dean Greg Sterling sent the following message to the campus community today. —— Dear Colleagues,   Greetings. I am writing to provide a brief update...
May 14, 2021
By Pressley Peters Ademuyiwa Bamiduro ’13 M.Div. had two reasons for starting a fund to help YDS students pay for their divinity education, both learned through personal...

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