The Theodore Parker Lectures were inaugurated in 2014 to honor the legacy of the Rev. Theodore Parker, the 19th century minister, abolitionist, theologian, and bold proponent of social justice for whom our church is named. The annual lectures feature talks by clerics, theologians, or activists whose work reflects Rev. Parker’s drive to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice.

Rev. Rahsaan Hall delivered the eighth lecture on March 26, 2023. His topic was “Policing Black Communities, 1854-2023: Changing Public Safety Narratives.” Rev. Hall is an advocate for community engagement, legal reform, and racial equity. He has served as director of the Racial Justice Program for the ACLU of Massachusetts, deputy director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, and assistant district attorney in Suffolk County. He is ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and is on the board of the Who We Are Project and the Hyams Foundation. Rahsaan’s talk is available on You Tube.

Ronel Remy, statewide coordinator with City Life/Vida Urbana, delivered the seventh Theodore Parker Lecture on March 20, 2022 after a two year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ronel spoke passionately and personally on the topic of “Housing: The Key to Community.”  CL/VU is a grassroots organization committed to fighting for racial, social and economic justice and gender equality by building working class power. Ronel’s talk is available on You Tube.

The Rev. Willie Bodrick II, associate minister of the Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury, delivered the sixth Theodore Parker Lecture on November 10, 2019. He spoke on the topic, “We Still Can’t Wait: The Urgency of Equal Education for All.”  In addition to his duties at his church, he is currently enrolled in the J.D. program at Northeastern University School of Law and is the local coordinator of the Network for Black Student Achievement. Click HERE to listen to his lecture in its entirety. (Rev. Bodrick’s remarks begin at  10:45.)

The Rev. Kathleen McTigue, director of the Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice, delivered the fifth Theodore Parker Lecture in October 2018. Her topic was “Immigration Justice: Prophetic Witness in Dangerous Times.” Click HERE to listen to her lecture in its entirety. (Rev. McTigue’s remarks begin at 10:57.)

Samer Naseredden delivered the fourth Theodore Parker Lecture in December 2017 on “Islam and the Beloved Community.” Samer is the MAS Youth Programs Director, Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center; Muslim Spiritual Advisor, Northeastern University; and Muslim Co-Chaplin, MIT. Click HERE to listen to his lecture in its entirety. (His remarks begin at 5:40.)

The Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, a well-known Boston minister and activist for climate justice, delivered the third Theodore Parker Lecture in November 2016. Her topic was “The Best Is Yet to Come: The Opportunity of the Climate Crisis.” Click HERE to listen to her lecture in its entirety. (Her remarks begin at 11:30.)

The Rev. Paul Robeson Ford, senior pastor of Union Baptist Church in Cambridge, MA, and general secretary of the Cambridge Black Pastors Alliance, delivered the second Theodore Parker Lecture in November 2015. His topic was “Turning the World Upside Down: Strategies for Lasting Criminal Justice Reform.” You can listen to his lecture in its entirety HERE.

Rabbi Brian Walt, a founder of Rabbis for Human Rights North America, delivered the inaugural Theodore Parker Lecture in December 2014. His talk, which addressed the challenges of the situation in Israel and Palestine, was entitled, “The Prophetic Challenge: Breaking Silence, Speaking Truth.” You can listen to his lecture in its entirety HERE. (Rabbi Walt’s remarks begin at 19:25)