"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Context

On June 21, 2022, one day after the national Juneteenth holiday, Leanne Van Dyk, President of Columbia Theological Seminary, sent a brief and trite email announcing her decision to abruptly terminate Rev. Samuel L. White III, Director of Admissions and Recruitment. President Van Dyk's decision comes in the final days of her tenure.

Rev. White is a dedicated employee and invaluable resource for the entire CTS community, particularly for Black and other students of color. His leadership in the admissions office resulted in the recruitment of one of the largest incoming classes in recent history, and the most diverse incoming class in the school’s history. Without fail, Rev. White is committed to ensuring that the seminary upholds the values and ethics it professes around justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

History

Despite public relations bids to whitewash history, the truth is that President Van Dyk’s tenure has been defined by racial injustice. Discriminatory and retaliatory actions against people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and other minoritized groups have abound since her arrival in July 2015. To be sure, her retaliatory actions against Rev. White and other Black staff seriously jeopardize the future success of incoming president Dr. Victor Aloyo, the seminary’s first non-white president.

Under President Van Dyk, we have witnessed a series of systematic attempts to uphold white supremacy and perpetuate violence against people of color. Additionally, this administration has effectively undermined the infrastructure supporting the seminary’s growing network of diverse students, faculty, and staff. These include, but are not limited to:

• cuts to funding and support for international students, faculty, and staff
• racial discrimination and microagressions toward students of color
  silencing and erasure of immigrant student voices
• mistreatment, demotion, and firing of Black, Hispanic, and Asian faculty and staff
• dismantling the Office of International Programs as part of a “strategic realignment”
• tokenization of immigrant students, particularly those of Korean and African descent
• tokenization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender students

Most recently, the forced resignation of Rev. Brandon Maxwell, Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs, and the termination of Rev. White have given us ample reasons to be distrustful of the administration.

Diligent efforts have been made over the last several years to rectify ongoing institutional racism at the seminary. Under the failed leadership of President Van Dyk, and the egregious neglect of Board chair, Jane Fahey, Columbia Theological Seminary has become far removed from its missional focus on “compassion, justice, creativity, and the care of all creation,” and has devolved into a breeding ground for the flourishing of covert and overt white supremacy.

We will not sit by idly, nor will we be silent about these matters.

Call to Action

We demand the following actions be taken without delay:

1. Leanne Van Dyk must resign or be terminated from her position as President of Columbia Theological Seminary effective immediately.
2. Jane Fahey must resign from her position as chair of the Board of Trustees effective immediately.
3. Rev. Sam White must be provided a generous hiring offer to be reinstated in his position as Director of Admissions and Recruitment.
4. As previously demanded by the Hispanic and Latinx Association in March 2019, an independent advisory board overseeing the President’s Council must be established prior to the start of the Fall 2022 semester.

We invite all students, alumni, donors, faculty, and staff of Columbia Theological Seminary who truly believe in justice and equity to join us in solidarity by signing and sharing this petition. Your support will make it clear to the administration that violence in the form of retaliation, intimidation, and discrimination will not be tolerated. The President's Council and Board of Trustees must make reparations by reversing these injustices through these swift and necessary actions. Only then can the CTS community finally begin the process of reconciliation and healing.

With clarity, conviction, and moral courage,

The African Heritage Student Association of Columbia Theological Seminary

 

*Read the full letter here.