Candler’s Black Church Studies Program will welcome Stephanie M. Crumpton, associate professor of practical theology and director of the Trauma Healing Initiative at McCormick Theological Seminary, as this year’s distinguished guest speaker for the 2026 Anna Julia Cooper Lecture.
Crumpton will present “On Our Terms: Black Women’s Resistance & Healing in the Movement (2012-2021)” on Thursday, March 5 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Room 252 of Candler’s Rita Anne Rollins Building. A virtual option is also available. The event is free and open to the public, with registration required.
This annual lecture honors Anna Julia Cooper, one of the most influential Black scholars of the 19th and 20th centuries. Born into slavery in 1858, Cooper graduated from both Oberlin College and the Sorbonne, becoming the fourth African American woman in the United States to earn a PhD. She dedicated over 30 years to serving as a public-school teacher and principal in Washington, D.C., and remained a prominent educator, activist, and author throughout her life, passing away at the age of 105.
Crumpton’s work sits at the intersection of Black resistance, Black joy, and collective healing within African American communities. Her new book, We Gon’ Be Alright: Healing and Resistance in Black Movement Spaces, 2012–2021 (University of Arizona Press, 2025), traces nearly a decade of organizing through the Obama years and the first Trump presidency, examining how Black activists used care practices, reflection, creativity, and communal wisdom to navigate trauma and sustain resistance in the face of unrelenting sociopolitical pressure. The book is both a historical account and an invitation to consider how healing shapes the durability of movements.
In her role as director of McCormick’s Trauma Healing Initiative, funded by a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., Crumpton focuses on forming educators and learners who are equipped for trauma-informed, healing-centered teaching and community engagement.
Beyond her institutional leadership, Crumpton is an in-demand speaker and thought partner. She regularly curates professional development experiences for community leaders, educators, pastors, organizers, and teams across both the public and private sectors. Her presence in these spaces reflects her broader mission: supporting individuals and communities as they imagine and build toward more humane, spiritually grounded, and justice-oriented futures.
Register here to attend the 2026 Anna Julia Cooper Lecture.
This year’s Anna Julia Cooper Lecture is presented in collaboration with Candler’s Women, Theology, and Ministry programs.