معرفی
Traci West serves as the James W. Pearsall Professor of Christian Ethics and African American Studies at Drew Theological School, Drew University. Her academic leadership centers on the relaunched Partnership for Religion and Education in Prisons (PREP) program, which provides graduate-level theological education to incarcerated individuals in New Jersey correctional facilities while fostering dialogue between prison and seminary students.
Her educational credentials include:
- PhD in Christian Social Ethics from Union Theological Seminary
- MDiv from the Pacific School of Religion
West's research critically examines intersections of Christian ethics, African American studies, and systemic oppression, with particular focus on racism, gender violence, and restorative justice. Her seminal works Solidarity and Defiant Spirituality and Disruptive Christian Ethics challenge traditional theological frameworks through Africana perspectives. Through the PREP program, she cultivates transformative learning environments where students analyze prophetic leadership legacies of figures like Ida B. Wells and Malcolm X to address contemporary social justice challenges.
As director of PREP, West pioneered New Jersey's first graduate-level certificate program for incarcerated learners, breaking new ground in prison education by creating intellectually rigorous spaces that validate lived experiences and foster critical engagement with complex social issues through shared academic inquiry.
