2019 Graduates

BY MICHELLE J. WALKER, (Vice President for Community Life, Dean of Students, and Director, Financial Aid)

It is my pleasure to introduce four of our African American graduates for 2019. Linda Fox, graduating with the M.Div./M.A.C.E. dual degrees and Bessie Taliaferro, graduating with the MACE degree the Richmond campus.  Also graduating from the Charlotte campus will be Brent Edwards and Donna Singletery.  However, we were unable to gather their information in time for this newsletter.

Linda S. Fox (pictured above)
My time at Union Presbyterian Seminary has been a life-altering experience.  Professors facilitated intellectually stretching while the travel seminars further expanded my worldview. New and unexpected global connections were made with sisters and brothers in foreign lands. Especially memorable were my course studies with Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon. It was both an impactful and a rewarding experience that I will never forget. I was taught my voice mattered and ensured it was valued. Her pedagogical style and love for her students always left me and others encouraged and determined to accomplish more. She inspired me to accept an internship at Westminister John Knox Press where I was given my first opportunity to professionally write and to have my devotions published. Dr. Cannon emboldened us all to commit our thoughts to paper, always instilling in us that the faithful analysis of biblical texts that resulted in a fresh and new perspective was equally valid and deserved to be heard.
Upon graduation, I will serve as a chaplain at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women and as a pastoral representative for the facility’s onsite chapel. As opportunity permits, I will also serve as Associate Minister in Christian education at Trinity Baptist Church, Richmond Virginia. Research, writing, and proposing alternative biblical perspectives on varied topics through an African American lens has become my new passion. My future efforts for educational development will include pursuing a doctoral degree.

Bessie Taliaferro
Learning how to correctly interpret the Bible and dispelling the myths that I have learned over the years held profound meaning for me. I particularly enjoyed the small campus atmosphere.
My favorite memories are the times I spent with my mentor, Dr. Katie G. Cannon. She was a living paragon of a strong Black woman, and I loved the chats that we had. She was always willing to share her wisdom and expertise, and her encouraging words meant the world to me. Dr. Cannon gave me a brooch that I wear whenever I am in the pulpit. I wear it as a badge of honor, and I will never forget her generosity.
I plan to take time off to relax and reflect on my journey through seminary. Afterwards, I will be looking for a position where I can attempt to bridge the gap between the African-American community and other cultures.  I will help to build the kind of “beloved community” that Dr. Martin Luther King dreamed about. As Christians, it is time to do our part to build bridges to unity, understanding, and respect within the faith community; to come together in Christian love and have truthful conversation about our past. I will seek God’s guidance, as He alone, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can bring us together. He is the bridge builder who is bigger than the racial divide, stronger than our generational curses, and He alone is our path to reconciliation.

Please join me in congratulating these outstanding graduates!