Souls A’Fire Fellow: Rev. Terence Mayo Rev. Terence Mayo is a scholar-activist passionate about the work of racial justice, specifically the psycho-spiritual well-being of Black queer young adults. He holds a B.A. in Business from St. Augustine’s University, an M.Div. from Howard University School of Divinity, and an M.Ed. from Virginia State University. Terence’s research interests include Black queer activism, Black queer belief and meaning-making, critical pedagogy, abolition, Black psychology, liberation theologies, and transnational Black liberation movements.
Terence is currently pursuing a doctorate at Chicago Theological Seminary (C.T.S.), where he serves as the President of the Bayard Rustin Society. He also serves as the Graduate Assistant for the Racial Justice Curriculum & Virtual Programming at Northwestern University. Additionally, Terence serves on the Antiracism Transformation Team at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and as a community leader with S.O.U.L. (Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation). In the past he has also served as a Racial Justice Fellow with Vanderbilt Divinity’s Racial Justice Collaborative, and a Public Humanities fellow at Georgetown University. Most notably, he was the first Faith & Public Policy Intern in the District of Columbia’s Mayor’s Office of Religious Affairs. When he is not in the community or traveling, you can find Terence reading the works of Audre Lorde, Frantz Fanon, and Ignacio Martín-Baró.
Paper Abstract: Coming Back to Ourselves: Liberating our Black queer divinity and minds
This paper explores the intersections of psycho-spiritual healing, racial trauma, and Black queer meaning-making. Turning to our intersectional and multilayered ways of being, this paper considers how Black queer people understand, fight against, and heal from racial oppression within the US. In particular, consideration is given to trauma informed frameworks created for the liberation of BIPOC communities.