Introduction

Donna's journey began with her parents' deep desire that one or all of their four children would proclaim the Gospel—centered on the life and teachings of Jesus—as a way to uplift the Black community and strengthen faith. Growing up Black in a Christian household, they faced challenges—racial injustice, financial strain, unstable housing, underfunded schools, and poor healthcare access. Her parents had little, but gave sacrificially. Often, they “robbed Peter to pay Paul,” juggling bills with hope and prayer.

One Christmas morning in 1968, they gave her three gifts: a box of chalk, a reversible chalkboard, and a Scofield Study Bible. To the world, these may have seemed insignificant. But to the Divine, they were tools of purpose—seeds for a life of radical education and ministry.

She became the first in my family to graduate high school, then college, eventually earning degrees in School Leadership and Divinity. With over 30 years in public education and countless experiences at the intersection of the Black church and learning, her mission has remained clear: to empower, uplift, and transform lives through faith and education.

The chalk, chalkboard, and Bible—symbols of her calling—remain powerful instruments of change. These gifts continue to shape her life, her family, and every community she serves.

Theology of Educational Ministry

Born Black; born a Black woman, her religious education in the Black Church unfolded alongside the Civil Rights Movement, and the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional, and opened white educational spaces to students of color like her. She has since earned two master’s degrees and spent over 30 years teaching and leading in public education. She cannot—nor does she wish to—erase any part of her journey, which birthed her theology of educational ministry.

Ezra 7:10 affirms her path: “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord... and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.”

Donna is devoted to the Black Church and the African Diaspora, where ministry and education, through God’s sustaining kindness, shapes her faith, resilience, and pursuit of justice and liberation for all. Education is a gift—an expression of God’s loving care and a sacred connection to Scripture, purpose, and community.

Donna's call to theological educational ministry was birthed at the crossroads of the Black church, the struggles and triumphs of Black life during the Civil Rights Movement, and the lived realities of Black women’s health disparities, education, social systems, gender, and age. These visceral intersections have shaped a theological belief system— she calls “EACH” a model of theological education. It is a vision that remembers the church not only as a place of worship but as an educational stronghold for our people—spiritually, socially, and politically. She affirms that this is our inheritance, though one we have not yet fully embraced.

“EACH” is rooted in a deep kinship with God, with self, and with the world, and woven through with the gifts of educational ministry. EACH stands for “E” Empowerment, “A” Application, “C” Civic Engagement, and “H” Harmonious Community. 

It is both a framework and a calling—a way of doing educational ministry that uplifts, equips, and restores.

 Almeda M. Wright, Teaching to Live, Oxford University Press Academic US, 2024, 143.

Donna is currently pursuing a Doctor of Educational Ministry at Columbia Theological Seminary.

   Donna Y. Lawson, M.Div., M.A.