This spring, we celebrated the graduation of Union’s Master of Arts in Social Justice (MASJ) first-ever graduating class. The MASJ, a fully online program that launched in Fall 2022, is among the only degrees of its kind, preparing graduates to think critically, intersectionally, and creatively about human and planetary flourishing and the ongoing pursuit of a more just society and equitable world.
All three of our graduates had different journeys to Union. But each of them found immense value in studying at an institution with an 188-year history of progressive religious scholarship – and each plans to use their degree to pursue impactful social justice work.
Rhonda Brown came to Union with a long history of advocacy and community building. Her aunt was president of the Albany, NY NAACP branch and brought Brown in to help when she was just 14. Later in life, Brown worked at a nonprofit establishing community centers and coordinating activities.
Her passion for social justice comes from her childhood struggles in education. She was born differently-abled and took remedial courses. She reflected, “There’s a lot of people like me who fall through the cracks and don’t have a voice… That’s what drives me.”
Brown first heard of Union by happenstance. Her aunt drove up Broadway Ave and said “There’s Union.” Brown asked, “What’s that?” Her aunt started speaking about the legacy and history of Union. That lit a fire in Brown.
Brown joined the MDiv program in 2015. Unfortunately, she had to go on medical leave after just a year. But later, she found the MASJ program.
Sarah Raynor’s path to Union was quite different. She is the head of the mathematics department at Wake Forest University. Before Union, she was on a journey with her weight and integration into diet culture, and started reading books on fat liberation. That brought her to learn more about other forms of systemic oppression. Simultaneously, the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement shone a light on grave societal inequities.
An academic by nature, she started searching for educational programs to learn more. She came across Union’s program and realized that there were no comparable options in the country. She decided to join.
Dom Chatterjee, meanwhile, is a long-time editor and leads an organization focused on mental health for queer trans people of color.
Years ago, they happened to go to the Future of American Buddhism Conference, where they met Prof. Vesely-Flad, who taught at Union. She used the term “double-belonging,” and Chatterjee was immediately struck. Chatterjee is biracial and was born in a multi-religious household – and the term “double belonging” spoke to them.
So they started researching Union and found the MASJ program – only a week before applications were due. They rushed to apply.
From there, Brown, Raynor, and Chatterjee began their journey in the MASJ program, which aspires to empower students to reimagine the work of justice and build more equitable communities. Notably, every single student in the program has received scholarship support.
All three MASJ inaugural graduates found that the coursework expanded their thinking in profound ways. Brown highlighted Prof. Niang’s Bible and Nature course – which explored the relationship between religion and the environment, sustainable ways to live with nonhuman creatures, the history of Black farmers, and more. Raynor was moved by Prof. Rodriguez’s class, Fat: A Religious History. And Chatterjee connected deeply with Race, Racialization, and Religion in Historical Process, a course from Prof. Guzman. It helped them “feel really strengthened to actually dismantle racism in the moments that I’m coming up against that, instead of reinforcing it” – a crucial skill for their work in mental health activism.
Brown, Raynor, and Chatterjee also spotlighted the power of the Union community. While the remote environment had its challenges, they created strong connections with their fellow classmates. These connections deepened their learning and provided a strong sense of support and belonging.
When asked to consider the program as a whole, Brown shared that the MASJ program is special because, “The coursework is teaching us to sit within ourselves and wrestle with scholarship so we can understand: How do we overcome these challenges that we’re faced with?” She can see how Union shapes people to be “revolutionary leaders.”
Raynor echoed this sentiment. “Union’s way of looking at the world is unique… It’s really important that Union be training people to protest and sending them out into the world.”
The graduates spoke about how the lessons of the MASJ program are already having an impact – and what they plan to do next.
Brown felt compelled to keep going in her educational studies, and is now enrolled in Union’s DMin program. She said, “I have to continue to sit at the feet of these forerunners at this institution who are making monumental change… We’re the next generation.”
Brown also helps run a transitional housing program in Long Island for formerly incarcerated men. Down the road, she hopes to build faith-centered schools and community centers.
Raynor is using her degree to be a “warrior for justice within the system of higher education.” She is also working to become a scholar in fat justice, and is considering getting a second PhD.
Meanwhile, Chatterjee is focused on raising their new infant. With the tools from the MASJ program, they aspire to teach their child to hold space for the complexity of identity – rather than feeling boxed into societal expectations. Chatterjee said, “I’m biracial, my child is tri-racial, and I’m multi-religious. My child has an even more multi-religious family.”
Chatterjee also leads The Burnt Out Activist Club, a weekly peer support group for QTIBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Intersex + Black, Indigenous, People of Color).
When asked why the MASJ program, which has grown to more than 30 students, and Union are so impactful to advance social justice, Brown summed it up well: “Everything you will see in the world or face in the world is at Union at some point — from interreligious dialogue to racial and ethnic studies to gender studies. Everything is there. So we’re being prepared.”