Lake Fellowship welcomes Rev. Dr. Qiyamah Rahman, who will be joining us via Zoom for this program.
“If the surviving lions don’t tell the stories, the hunters will get all the credit.” - African Proverb
Five years in the making, Rev. Dr. Qiyamah A. Rahman birthed and created an anthology, "The Rough Side of the Mountain: Black Women’s Ministries in Unitarian Universalism"; She recognized the need to lift up the voices of Black UU clergywomen in a space solely devoted to their unique experiences, the joys and challenges. In dedication to Women's History Month Rev. Dr. Qiyamah will share some of those stories, on and off the record.
Her book can be ordered from Skinner House Books (www.skinnerhousebooks.com) or Amazon (www.amazon.com).
Rev. Dr. Qiyamah A. Rahman is the Executive Director of Sister Souurce, Inc. a non-profit devoted to developing and identifying resources and uplifting the presence of Black UU women and girls (womxn, lgbtqia+, non-binary and inclusive).
Ordained and fellowshipped in 2008 she served as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. Croix, VI (UUFSC) from 2012 to 2018. Previously, she served as the Director of Contextual Ministry and Senior Lecturer at Meadville Lombard Theological School from 2008-2012; and as the District Executive for the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Southern Region as the first Black female., 1999-2005
Rev. Qiyamah began her research on Black UU women as a doctoral student and a new UU with a research paper on Frances Ellen Watkins Harper in 1992. After reading Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed’s book, Black Pioneers in a White Denomination she was curious about the stories of Black UU women. After waiting for years she finally concluded that perhaps she would have to be the one to capture Black UU women’s voices. Her intent was to write about the presence of Black women in UUism. However, finding nothing on Black UU clergy women she abandoned her research and focused on Black UU clergy women. She is the editor of the recently published anthology, 'Climbing Up the Rough Side of the Mountain: Black Women’s Ministries in UUism." Her writings have appeared in "Darkening the Doorways: Black Trailblazers and Missed Opportunities in UUism," "Standing Before Us: Unitarian Universalist Women and Social Reform," "Voices from the Margins, and The Spirit that Moves: Readings and Rituals for Times of Change and Transition."
"Everything I do, everything I write at this stage of my life is my legacy work. It is what I will be remembered for. As a writer, researcher and historian I realize the production of knowledge is the essence of storytelling. ..If our stories are not held sacred and preserved then it is like we did not exist. And that is not acceptable. This is my contribution as a Black UU female.”
Rev. Qiyamah earned her Bachelor’s in Education and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Michigan; a Masters of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School and a Doctorate of Arts from Clark Atlanta University in Africana Women’s Studies.
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