Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley Scholarship Recipients

Rev. Joyce Palmer chairs this scholarship committee which was established in recognition of the work of the now deceased Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, a well-loved minister and mentor who worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the need for more inter-racial, and inter-cultural congregations in our UU movement. A number of women of color who are entering the UU ministry, education ministry or music ministry have been aided with this scholarship over the past decade. Please help us spread the word about the availability of these funds.

In 2017, a scholarship in the amount of $2,000 was given to Aisha Ansano of Cambridge, MA. She explains, “Identifying as a minister of color has shifted some of my own understandings of my place in Unitarian Universalism, and being in community with other ministers of color has kept calling me to speak up on behalf of myself and other UUs of color to make sure this denomination continues to be accountable to all of its members.”

In 2016, a Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley scholarship was awarded to Ms. Claudia Jimenez, as a woman of color entering the UU ministry.

 

In 2014, a grant of $1,500 was given to Ranwa Hammamy, of New York City, a Muslim-raised, Egyptian-Lebanese American who writes, “I am called to offer the spiritual leadership that encourages Unitarian Universalists to bring a new identity narrative to issues around interreligious engagement and social justice.”

In 2013, grants of $1,500 each went to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2011, grants of $1,500 each went to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2010, a grant of $1,500 went to Alex White, Cambridge, MA, who is studying for her Master of Divinity degree at Episcopal Divinity School. She is a 2009 graduate of Mount Holyoke College, where she majored in religion and psychology.

 

In 2009, grants of $1,500 went to:

Natalie Maxwell Fenimore, Gaithersburg, VA, is a Master’s level religious educator serving the UU Congregation of Fairfax, Oakton, VA, as Director of Religious Exploration. She is an incoming member of the UUA Journey Toward Wholeness Committee.

Dr. Denise Hall, Greeley, CO, finished her studies at Iliff School of Theology in 2010. She was intern minister at Foothills Unitarian Church, Fort Collins, CO.

Kathleen McGregor, Pasadena, CA, is a student at Claremont School of Theology who resisted the call to ministry until reading “Soul Work,” edited by Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley.

Jodi Tharan, El Cerrito, CA, begins her third year in Starr King’s M.Div. program in the fall and is a co-author with the UUA’s Tapestry of Faith program.