Presbyterian & Pluralist Week

Muslim Student Association Film Screening – Unseen Muslim Heroes: A film screening and discussion of Enemy of the Reich – The Noor Inayat Khan Story.
6:30-8:30 p.m. | Duke Auditorium, Rogers Hall

The Muslim Student Association will host a free film screening of Enemy of the Reich: The Noor Inayat Khan Story, a documentary that centers on Khan’s role and intervention to protect lives during World War II. Born to an American mother and Indian Muslim father, Khan served as a British agent in Nazi-occupied France. Following the screening, there will be a discussion featuring MSA officers, who will share their own experiences with interfaith understanding, faith-based action, and challenging common narratives.

Sheelove Knowles: Religion, Coexistence, and Haiti’s Global Image
12:00-1:00 p.m. | Chapel Rotunda

This lunch & learn invites you into an open and honest conversation about religion in Haiti. We’ll explore how Vodou and Christianity coexist, how faith has been shaped by history, and how misunderstanding has influenced the way Haiti is often viewed. Through both history and lived experience, this session highlights resilience, respect across difference, and the importance of seeing beyond stereotypes.

Food will be provided.

Davies Fellows Presentations
10:40-11:40 a.m. | DICE Lounge

• • Maggie Sweeney – ‘Nature and Spirituality’: Exploring the connection between nature and spirituality reveals how experiences in nature deepen self-awareness. These moments often inspire reflection and personal growth.
  • Tracy Mwananawe – ‘When the Church Remained: Survival, Silence, Healing, and Memory in Rwanda After 1994’

Come and learn more about the fascinating research being conducted by two of our current Davies Fellows, Maggie Sweeney and Tracy Mwananawe. This is also an opportunity for students interested in applying to become Davies Fellows for the 2026-27 academic year, a prestigious fellowship for select students interested in the intersection of faith and religious pluralism. Successful applicants will receive a $2,000 honorarium and have the opportunity to work closely with the spiritual life team at Queens. For more information, please contact Chaplain Adrian (birda@queens.edu). We look forward to seeing you during Presbyterian & Pluralist week.

Mimi’s Matzah Ball Soup Giveaway
10:40-11:40 a.m. | Trexler Courtyard

Enjoy free and delicious matzah ball soup! Join Queens Hillel in the Trexler Courtyard to hang out during our matzah ball soup giveaway!

RSVP in advance; Walk-ins welcome!

Stories from the Chicago Interfaith America Leadership Summit
12:00-1:00 p.m. | DICE Lounge

During this lunch n’ learn we will hear impactful stories from Queens students who participated in the Interfaith America Leadership Summit in Chicago 2025. All are welcome!

Food will be provided.

Greece’s Blue Zone: Orthodox Christianity and the Science of Longevity
6:30-8:30 p.m. | Claudia Belk Room, Levine Health & Wellness

Join us for a wonderful evening of learning about Orthodox Christianity in honor of Pluralist week. We will dive into how Orthodoxy has influenced cultural practices in the island of Ikaria that have research-proven benefits contributing to a long, healthy lifestyle! Vasiliki (Vicky) Koukoutsis will be presenting her further research upon her JBIP experience focusing on the Blue Zones. Enjoy some delicious Greek food, then get up to dance! A local dance instructor will teach us a dance the locals of Ikarian love. We hope to see you there!

Davies Fellows Presentations
10:40-11:40 a.m. | Queens Hall

• • Zeina Zeena – ‘Negotiated Belonging: What the Archive Doesn’t Say’: Negotiated Belonging explores the evolving narrative of faith and identity at Queens University, revealing the untold story of how belonging has been shaped through quiet negotiation, often outside the official records. Tracing Queens’ shift from a Presbyterian foundation to a more pluralistic campus culture, the project follows the visible and invisible labor of interfaith work and the silent emergence of diverse faith communities. Belonging is a perpetual push-and-pull; it is a relationship that all deserve to have. This film tells the story of building belonging at Queens – how it has been done, how it continues to be done, and how the Muslim Student Association (MSA) has played a crucial role in shaping and redefining this relationship. Through archival research and personal stories, the film highlights the MSA’s impact, from its formation to its ongoing work, while examining the gap between institutional archive collections and lived experiences. In doing so, it sheds light on the ongoing journey toward true inclusion and the complexities of faith-based belonging at Queens.
  • Emily Allison – ‘The Shared Light Library; An Interfaith Little Library’: Come and learn more about this new initiative on the Queens campus, including a ribbon ceremony to unveil the Shared Light interfaith little library.

Come and learn more about the fascinating research being conducted by two of our current Davies Fellows, Zeina Zeena and Emily Allison. This is also an opportunity for students interested in applying to become Davies Fellows for the 2026-27 academic year, a prestigious fellowship for select students interested in the intersection of faith and religious pluralism. Successful applicants will receive a $2,000 honorarium and have the opportunity to work closely with the spiritual life team at Queens. For more information, please contact Chaplain Adrian (birda@queens.edu). We look forward to seeing you during Presbyterian & Pluralist week.

Soul Food Shabbat: Celebrating Jewish & Black Hip Hop Music
6:00-7:30 p.m. | Claudia Belk Room, Levine Health & Wellness

Cost:

• Free for Queens & JCSU students, staff, and faculty
• $25/person for community members

RSVP Today

Deadline for registration: Monday, February 9

Ten years ago, a Queens University tradition started and ever since, it has grown in popularity. Year after year, Queens students have sponsored a Soul Food Shabbat bringing together the Black Student Union and Hillel/Jewish Life for a celebration of Shabbat and an exploration of commonalities as we explore our past and present struggles. In recent years, we opened the experience up to the broader Charlotte community and it has been sold-out event and resounding success.

This year’s theme is “Black and Jewish Hip Hop” featuring artist-educator Antar “Juda” Davidson and Charlotte creative leader Dae-Lee Arrington. We will share a soul food Shabbat dinner with traditional Jewish and African American foods – challah (the traditional Sabbath bread), collard greens, corn bread, fried chicken, baked chicken, and kugel (sweet noodle casserole).

Sponsored by BSU, Hillel, the Music Therapy Club, DICE, the Greenspon Center, and the Belk Chapel.

Davies Fellows Presentations
10:40-11:40 a.m. | DICE Lounge

• • Gianna Mars – ‘Nostra Aetate: A Brief Lesson, a Call to Dialogue’
  • Alex Guerra-Cordon – ‘Soccer, Christianity and Guatemalan Spirituality’

Come and learn more about the fascinating research being conducted by two of our current Davies Fellows, Gianna Mars and Alex Guerra-Cordon. This is also an opportunity for students interested in applying to become Davies Fellows for the 2026-27 academic year, a prestigious fellowship for select students interested in the intersection of faith and religious pluralism. Successful applicants will receive a $2,000 honorarium and have the opportunity to work closely with the spiritual life team at Queens. For more information, please contact Chaplain Adrian (birda@queens.edu). We look forward to seeing you during Presbyterian & Pluralist week.