STAND UP! REACH OUT!
"CTS is committed to developing leaders who
take a stand for all those oppressed in our society."
- Rev. Monique Crain Spells, M. Div
Director of Recruiting
Christian Theological Seminary
Christian Theological Seminary has a long and involved history with social justice;
so in the aftermath of Ferguson, this community responded to action, both near and far.
In macro & micro ways...
Photo Credit Above: Rev. Monique Crain Spells
Some students and faculty united in protest throughout the city of Indianapolis
and on the grounds of the Nation's Capitol.



Some fought back  with their words, cries, and prayers around campus.
Photo Credit Above: Rev. Monique Crain Spells
The Wall of Lament provided a space for conversation & contemplation for the CTS community.
A space to mourn the injustices which continue to plague our world in very real and systemic ways.
  A confessional to reflect in what ways we ourselves personally contribute to these injustices. 
On diverse flesh-tone paper cutouts of hands,
individuals inscribed what was on their hearts & minds.
Taking these written laments into the broader Indianapolis community,
I asked people to hold a hand of a stranger
- to express their solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement,
and perhaps, select an expression which might also resonate with feelings of their own.

The faces of individuals have been blurred for this reason: the writing exposed is not their own. This project celebrates this shared hope:
that among the multiplicity of diversity, and multiplicity of experiences, many of us share in the grieving, and share in the passion for peace and justice for us all-
especially for all black lives.
These expressions
will unite and become encapsulated into one Contemplatively [re]Purposed piece-
a resurrected
Wall of Lament
-which will travel the halls
of the Seminary,
to remind us of
the shared pain of racism
and shared hope for justice.

Have Laments of Your Own?








Photography and Color Adjustments by: Bre A. Domescik 
Photoshop Editing courtesy of a Magical Unicorn!
Camera Equipment Provided by: Jeremy Prather