"Why This Moment Feels Like the Blues" by Dr. Anthony Pinn

All Souls Indianapolis

Using personal narrative and attention to recent socio-political developments, special guest Dr. Anthony Pinn explores the manner in which the current historical moment speaks to the continued troubling nature of difference in the United States. Through the lens of humanism, and the insights of key commentators on American life, such as W. E. B. Du Bois as well as the sensibilities of the blues, this talk reflects on ways to think about the ethical challenges facing as well as what we might anticipate as the outcome of struggle for change.

Anthony B. Pinn received his BA from Columbia University, Master of Divinity and PhD in the study of religion from Harvard University. He is currently the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and professor of religion at Rice University. Pinn is the founding director of the Center for Engaged Re-search and Collaborative Learning (CERCL) also at Rice University. Pinn’s research interests include religion and culture, humanism, and hip hop culture. He is the author/editor of over 35 books, including, "The Black Church in the Post-Civil Rights Era" (2002), "Terror and Triumph: The Nature of Black Religion" (2003), "Noise and Spirit: Rap Music’s Religious and Spiritual Sensibilities" (2004), and the novel, "The New Disciples" (2015). Pinn is also director of research for the Institute for Humanist Studies, a Washington DC-based think tank.