Herstory Lecture to be Given by Rahiel Tesfamariam
03-01-2022
Expect the fire, but don’t expect it to consume you is the resilient stance of this year’s Herstory Lecture speaker, Rahiel Tesfamariam.
An activist, public theologian, writer and speaker, Rahiel Tesfamariam is the founder of the online community, Urban Cusp, and a former Washington Post columnist. Her unwavering strength and hope are rooted in the overcoming words of Scripture. They are lived out in her work for justice initiatives nationally and humanitarian projects worldwide.
At a recent presentation at the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel at Howard University, Tesfamariam reframed the world’s current pandemic crisis as the opportunity it can be. “During seasons of dryness, solitude and isolation,” she explained, “we are purged of things we used to think are so important… our lives become empty of the things that we thought were valuable. The drought becomes a holding place…a hiding place where we turn to the face of God… hear the voice of God…so that all that is left is you and God.”
Born in Eritrea, a country in East Africa that borders the Red Sea, Tesfamariam came to the U.S. at age 5. She has traveled the world on various delegations and humanitarian projects and has spoken at prestigious universities and historic churches nationwide. Tesfamariam was a contributing author to the NIV Bible for Women by Zondervan and Talking Taboo: American Christian Women Get Frank About Faith. Her honors include the National Newspaper Publishers Association “National Leadership Award,” National Association of Black Journalist’s “Salute to Excellence,” and the National Action Network’s “Who’s Got Next.” Black Girls Rock! Inc. has recognized Tesfamariam because she “leads with her faith, inspiring awareness and inciting change around the world.” She continuously draws attention to the tension between institutions and movements, and individual transformation verses systemic change.
With degrees from Stanford and Yale universities, Tesfamariam directed a Washington, D.C. citywide juvenile justice reform effort where she oversaw case management for 500 youth, trained 40 nonprofit organizations and managed a $4M annual budget. At age 23, she was the youngest editor-in-chief in the history of The Washington Informer.
During the 2014 Ferguson protests, Tesfamariam led the national Black Friday economic boycott, #NotOneDime. As a leading generational voice, she has appeared in countless media outlets, including The New York Times, Forbes, MSNBC, and Democracy Now. She has been listed among The Root 100, featured in Ebony and Revolt TV. Essence Magazine named her one of six women to watch as “The New Civil Rights Leaders.”
Rahiel Tesfamariam will speak from the topic, “Lessons from the Wilderness: Liberation, Trauma, and Healing,” on Wednesday, Mar. 2 at 4 p.m. CST. Register here.
Rahiel Tesfamariam, Herstory Lecture speaker