In-person November Annual Meeting 2025 Program Book

All time are listed in Eastern Time Zone.

Please note that this schedule is subject to change and is currently being updated. Please excuse our appearance as we finalize the schedule. If you have any questions, please contact annualmeeting@aarweb.org.
Sunday, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Sheraton, Independence East (Second… Session ID: A23-501
Roundtable Session
Hosted by: Films

Zavobe Oyen’ike (The Wise Womb Deserves Honor and Care) highlights the largely unseen work of African-descended women and wombed Spiritual Activists/healers in Atlanta, GA and their comrades. It follows their journeys from the murder of Rayshard Brooks to the current Stop Cop City movement. The collective of healers share intimate insights into the personal, spiritual, and real costs of community activism. Black wombed Spiritual Activists have a strong, although underrepresented, lineage as foundational supporters of Liberatory freedom movements throughout the diaspora. This documentary offers solidarity and wisdom from seasoned Spiritual Activists and elders to support other healers on their journeys. Responsive to this year’s Presidential call to “chart pathways for understanding and ensuring a distant but visible and viable horizon of freedom for all,” Zavobe Oyen’ke is a powerful and unapologetic call to support these luminaries and imaginaries of freedom they open. 

Sunday, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Marriott Copley Place, Grand Ballroom F… Session ID: M23-507
Roundtable Session
Receptions/Breakfasts/Luncheons

The Catholic Biblical Association of America invites all members and friends to a special evening reception to celebrate our shared commitment to biblical scholarship and fellowship. Please join us for refreshments, collegial conversation, and the opportunity to connect with fellow scholars. A brief presentation will announce upcoming events, publications, and grant opportunities.

Sunday, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Sheraton, Republic A (Second Floor) Session ID: A23-500
Roundtable Session
Hosted by: Films

Screening and Discussion: ABRAHAM’S BRIDGE (2024, short documentary)

The short film ABRAHAM’S BRIDGE documents an experiment in intentional proximity in the American Midwest. On 38 acres in Omaha, Nebraska, a mosque, synagogue, church, and interfaith center have built side-by-side: they are connected by a circular wooden bridge, a vast organic donation garden, and a quietly disruptive vision. Yet as the Tri-Faith co-location project takes shape, they must confront difficult questions about the limits of the Abrahamic model, declining religious affiliation, and rising currents of division. After October 7, 2023, the communities can no longer avoid the topic of Israel/Palestine and must find a way forward together. Production on this film was completed in November 2024. The total running time of the film is 36 minutes. 

Sunday, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Marriott Copley Place, Grand Ballroom… Session ID: M23-508
Other Event
Receptions/Breakfasts/Luncheons

The Department of Religion at Columbia University and the Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life (IRCPL) invite alumni, faculty, friends, and current and prospective graduate students to join us for a reception. All are welcome.

Sunday, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Marriott Copley Place, Grand Ballroom E… Session ID: M23-517
Other Event
Receptions/Breakfasts/Luncheons

Rice University Boniuk Institute and Department of Religion Reception. Reception for Rice University faculty, alumni, affiliates as well as anyone interested in learning more about the Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance, and Department of Religion. Light Appetizers and open bar.

Sunday, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Sheraton, Liberty A (Second Floor) Session ID: A23-502
Roundtable Session
Hosted by: Films

The Psalm of Howard Thurman is a feature-length documentary that renders the life and wisdom of the spiritual and religious giant, Howard Thurman. In the film, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Arleigh Prelow retraces Thurman’s journey and reflects on the significance of his story and words in her journey and for us all.

The Psalm of Howard Thurman skillfully combines on-camera remembrances, evocative nature scenes, and rare archival images. Interwoven are audio recordings of Howard Thurman himself, with the reflections voiced by Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe, and Emmy Award-winning actor Sterling K. Brown, and the narrative voice of filmmaker  Arleigh Prelow. 

The film, in essence, is a meditation on the power of love, the power of faith, and the power of a dream.

Co-sponsored by African American Religious History Unit, Liberation Theologies Unit, and Religion and Cities Unit.

Panelist

Sunday, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Marriott Copley Place, Third Floor… Session ID: M23-532
Roundtable Session
Receptions/Breakfasts/Luncheons

Join us on Sunday, November 23, 2025, 8–10 PM EST for Union’s Alumni & Friends Reception during the 2025 SBL & AAR Annual Meetings. Gather with alumni, friends, and faculty as President Serene Jones and Dean Su Yon Pak share updates on Union’s latest initiatives.