吃瓜网

In May, we said goodbye to Adam Kirtley, our longtime Interfaith Chaplain of 18 years and beloved colleague. After an extensive search this summer that connected us to a highly competitive pool of candidates across the country, we returned again and again to the candidate who struck us as the embodiment—in the Rev. Thurman’s words—of “the sound of the genuine.”

We are pleased to announce the rev. seigen johnson as the next Interfaith Chaplain and Director of Religious and Spiritual 吃瓜网 College. We will welcome the rev. johnson—in the process of relocating from Madison, Wisconsin—to campus at the end of the month.

the rev. johnson’s academic background is rooted in English Language and Literature graduate studies in African American Studies and Literary Criticism. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Boston University School of Theology where she focused on Interfaith Leadership and Religious Conflict Transformation. Her research interests are interreligious spiritual formation; identification, repair and prevention of injury in spiritual congregations; and Buddhist womanist hermeneutics.

Recognized by Interfaith America as an Emerging Leader and BRAID Mentor (Building Relationships Across Interfaith Differences), the rev. johnson comes to Whitman with a broad experience in interfaith work and dialogue across difference, having served as the Program Coordinator for the Center for Interfaith Dialogue at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and as the Associate Director of Building Interfaith Leadership Initiative (BILI) Fellowship at Hebrew College.

the rev. johnson is an ordained Soto Zen priest who has been practicing Soto Zen Buddhism for over two decades, including more than six years in residence at San Francisco Zen Center, which has grounded their commitment to compassionate presence and contemplative practice. She remains deeply connected to the spiritual lineage of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in which she was raised. 

“Every one of us navigates the boundaries of multiple communities in one way or another,” says the rev. johnson, “Honoring the place of both of these communities [the Black community and the Buddhist community] in my life is what makes me come alive. It’s what makes me feel whole.”

the rev. johnson aspires to continue the conversation about cultural contexts through which practitioners relate to Buddhist practice: “I believe wholeness is a way of life. I also think that this is the essence of wholeness. Something constant—and fluid—that we experience moment to moment and also carry with us as our lives change, and we look for opportunities of meaning making.”

A Personal Note From the rev. johnson:

Dear Beloved Community,

Greetings from the Midwest! As I prepare for my arrival, like many students, I am filled with joyful anticipation for my ”freshman” semester in a new community. I feel honored to begin this new chapter with you at Whitman as Interfaith Chaplain and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life. My commitment is to honor the richness of diverse traditions and lived experiences we each bring with us to Whitman’s campus. My creativity is sparked by envisioning spaces where compassion, curiosity and courage can flourish together. I look forward to journeying with you in cultivating such spaces together here at Whitman. Join me for a walk, a cup of tea or coffee, and let me know how I may be of service to you. Should you need soft space to land, discerning space to query, open space to shout–I am here for all of it.

Whether faculty, staff or student, I hope that seasoned Whitties will stop by and share some of your favorite things as I get to know life in Washington. I invite newbies like myself to clue me in to any gems you find as you are peeking around town. Extra points for kayaking and hiking locales, ‘round the way diners, vinyl record shops, quality yarn purveyors and used bookstores.

In closing, I offer words from bell hooks: 

“All of us in the academy and in the culture as a whole are called to renew our minds if we are to transform educational institutions—and society—so that the way we live, teach and work can reflect our joy in cultural diversity, our passion for justice, and our love of freedom.”
—Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom (1994)

“Dominator culture has tried to keep us all afraid, to make us choose safety instead of risk, sameness instead of diversity. Moving through that fear, finding out what connects us, revelling in our differences; this is the process that brings us closer, that gives us a world of shared values, of meaningful community.”
—Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope (2003)

In care and connection,

rev. seigen

the rev. seigen johnson wearing a Kesa (also known as an Okesa), which is a rectangular, patched robe made and worn as monks have done since the Buddha's time. It encircles the body and is draped over the left shoulder. She is also wearing robes made by her mother—sitting robes—from fabric that her mother received from a minister who visited Ghana. “These are tangible symbols, tangible reminders of what makes me alive,” says the rev. johnson, “what makes me whole.”

This article was written from a framework from incoming Interfaith Chaplain and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life seigen johnson, and American author, philosopher, theologian, Christian mystic, educator, and civil rights leader, Rev. Howard Thurman (1899–1981), from the rev. johnson’s 2023 Tedx talk, “Sacred Source, True Flourishing.”

The full transcript of The Sound of the Genuine (meditation/sermon) delivered by the Rev. Howard Thurman at the First Congregational Church, San Francisco on May 1, 1977, is available through the .

the rev. johnson’s Tedx talk, is available online.