Chamberlin Lectureship

The Chamberlin Lectureship is coordinated by the Office of Spiritual Life and was established at Lewis & Clark College in 1979 by the Rev. Mark and Dr. Corinne Chamberlin. Rev. Chamberlin was a minister in the United Methodist Church and Dr. Chamberlin practiced medicine in the Gresham area of Portland for over thirty years. Their hope was to bring nationally acclaimed speakers to our campus who exemplify through their scholarship or professional work a deep commitment to social justice as rooted in the faith traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Previous Chamberlin Lecturers include, among others, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Rev. Andrew Young, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Rabbi Michael Lerner, and James Foreman, Jr.

Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson Ash-Lee Woodard HendersonIn 2019, the Office of Spiritual Life at Lewis & Clark College hosted Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, Co-Executive Director of the Highlander Research & Education Center in New Market, Tennessee, as the Chamberlin Social Justice Lecturer and MLK 2019 Week Speaker. Woodard Henderson spoke at 7:00pm on Thursday, January 31, 2019, in the Council Chamber. Her topic was, “Reclaiming the Legacy of the Black Liberation Movement.” This Chamberlin Social Justice event was open to students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson is a 33 year old, Affrilachian (Black Appalachian), working class woman, born and raised in Southeast Tennessee. She is the first black woman in the role of Co-Executive Director at the Highlander Center.

She is a former staff member of Chicago SNCC and a past member of the United Students Against Sweatshops National Coordinating committee. Ash-Lee is a long-time activist and organizer working on mountaintop removal mining and environmental racism in central and southern Appalachia. She is active in the Movement for Black Lives and on the governance council of the Southern Movement Assembly.

For more information about the Chamberlin Lectureship, please contact Hilary Martin Himan, Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Life.

 

Past speakers:
Past Chamberlin Lectureship Speakers