Speaker: Minister Yohance Whitaker

Minister Yohance David Whitaker is a budding religious, political, and cultural intellectual. He is a M.Div. student at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University. He was recently named a John H. Foster Scholar, Barry T. Young Scholar, Jeremiah & Mary Wright Scholar, and received an academic scholarship from the Dean’s Office. His research focuses on utilizing both Biblical and Black diaspora traditions as guides to transform create a free society and world for all God’s people.

Yohance Whitaker earned a bachelor\’s degree in government from William & Mary, where he served as student body/student government president and student representative to the Board of Visitors. As president he expanded open educational resources, created a sustainable student government webpage, re‐envisioned the Charter Day celebration, and advocated for the removal of Confederate iconography on campus. In 2016, Yohance Whitaker was a recipient of the Benjamin Stoddert Ewell Award in recognition of his campus leadership and academic record. Following graduation, he taught English in Khe Sanh, Quang Tri province, Vietnam.

In short, Yohance Whitaker has a passion to communicate the message proclaimed by Jesus of Nazareth and to keep
alive the prophetic tradition of the Black church—a faith of freedom, resistance, justice, and radical love.