Aitken Lecture

Aitken Lecture: Historic Negro Spirituals in Culture, Activism, and Liturgy

Speaker: Dr. Kim R. Harris
June 23, 2026 | 6.30 p.m.
St. Columba Chapel, AST Campus

Dr. Kim R. Harris is the Associate Professor of African American Thought and Practice in the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University. In addition to teaching courses on Black liberation and Womanist theologies, Harris leads music in a variety of liturgical and academic settings. She is a liturgist, composer, and recording artist, presenting lectures on the music of the Black Catholic experience, the spirituals of the Underground Railroad, and the freedom song of the modern Civil Rights Movement. 

Harris is a member of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium and the North American Academy of Liturgy. She is an academic member of the African American Catholic Centre for Evangelization in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, as well as a liturgical consultant for the Archdiocese of New York Office of Black Ministry.

A gifted cantor, leader of song, and passionate cultural advocate, Harris earned a PhD in worship and the arts from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. In fulfillment of her degree, she composed Welcome Table: A Mass of Spirituals, one of the complete Mass settings included in the Lead Me Guide Black Catholic hymnal, second edition (GIA Publications Inc.).

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 23, 6:30pm (Atlantic)

Format: Hybrid (in-person and online)

Location: AST Chapel

Cost: Free (supported by Pine Hill Divinity Hall)