Over 350 students, faculty, staff, and alumni attended the “All Are Neighbors” event on Wednesday, April 22. The student-organized event featured several speakers who advocated for LGBTQ+ affirmation, opposed the Trump administration’s immigration policies, and lauded religious diversity.
More than a third of attendees were Baylor faculty and staff, and Baylor alumni also made a strong showing at the event. Speakers ranged from high-profile LGBTQ+ advocates to Baylor faculty to undergraduate students.
Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, viewed his identities as a Baptist and as a gay man as compatible and divinely bestowed. “My faith teaches that each one of our lives—in all of our complexity and diversity—are divinely and beautifully created,” Raushenbush said.
In contrast, the weaponization of faith and politics against people in vulnerable communities is the “blasphemy” and “sin” we must stop, Raushenbush said.
Rev. Susan Hayward, Minister for Justice Organizing and Adult Faith Formation at Creekside United Church of Christ in Minneapolis, Minnesota, emphasized human diversity as a reflection of God. “In learning and celebrating our differences, we can understand better a God who is bigger than any one race or culture or nation or religious tradition, a God who does not belong to any one of us, but to whom we all belong,” Hayward said.
Additionally, Hayward challenged the audience to stand in solidarity with immigrants. She recalled how she and her community in Minneapolis stood against Operation Metro Surge with nothing but their whistles and phone cameras, and how the community had helped feed and hide illegal immigrants.
Dr. Greg Garrett, the Carole Ann McDaniel Hanks Chair of Literature and Culture at Baylor’s English department, recalled being named to TPUSA’s Professor Watchlist 2 years ago. “They don’t comprehend my deep faith,” Garrett said.
Referencing Matthew 25, Garrett emphasized that what matters at the end is whether we have served “the least of these.” To then redirect attention away from those on the margins is an affront to the faith, Garrett said.
“I am a straight white Christian male, and I am not one of the least of these. Even though some white American Christians claim to be persecuted, or that Christianity is under siege, this is not reality,” Garrett said.
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said her faith is foundational to her work. As a queer person who grew up Catholic, Robinson said church taught her how to build community and to advocate for others. She challenged the audience to have a “civic faith” that “together we can bring forward a world that we all deserve.”
“One day, my kids will feel just as safe surrounded by the American flag as they do when they’re surrounded by pride flags,” Robinson said.
Robinson praised the All Are Neighbors organizers for offering an alternative to the TPUSA event. “This moment … exists because … the community decided that if harmful ideas were going to have a platform, then by God, the truth would have one, too,” Robinson said.
All Are Neighbors served as Robinson’s chance to remind listeners that “the power of the people is always greater than the people in power.”
Director for Pastoral Care and Associate Chaplain Dr. Sara Barton delivered the event’s benediction. She reminded students that the chaplains around Baylor’s campus offer care and support—whether that means sharing snacks or discussing the big questions. “I’m here on behalf of our office to say especially to the students who are here: we are here for you,” Barton said.
Finally, Barton concluded the formal portion of the event with a poem decrying global conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, and Iran. “And into this world of violent retribution … God explodes, not as a czar or hero of war, but as an infant weak and a servant poor,” Barton said.
She highlighted texts from various religions that echoed the idea of loving one’s neighbor. Baylor Spiritual Life has not responded to a request for comment.
After the formal portion of the event concluded, attendees moved to the Quadrangle to exchange stories about what neighborliness meant to them. People who were not able to attend the formal portion of All Are Neighbors joined attendees in swapping stories. Some held posterboards supporting All Are Neighbors.
Lauren W., a staff member in the Film and Digital Media department who wished to withhold her last name, held up a double-sided sign which read, “Baylor [hearts] Druski,” and, “Spew your LIES elsewhere, eriKa KirK.”
Lauren explained that Druski, an online comedian and influencer, had recently posted a skit poking fun at conservative women such as Erika Kirk. “She has not been very excited about that and wants him to not have free speech to continue in those activities. So, I wanted to support free speech,” Lauren said.
Lauren was heartened that Baylor had allowed both TPUSA and All Are Neighbors to have a platform, even if she personally aligned more closely with the views expressed at the latter.
“We’re allowed to say what we want and what we think in this country, and as long as we’re not hurting somebody else or inciting somebody else to hurt other people, then we deserve to be heard,” Lauren said.
Hanna Al-Hayek, a social work major from Houston and a Palestinian American, was one of the student speakers and student organizers of All Are Neighbors. While she supported free speech, Al-Hayek was troubled by speech that led to hatred or advocated for genocide.
Al-Hayek initially worried that Baylor’s acceptance of the TPUSA event on campus indicated Baylor’s support for its message. However, when it came to getting permission for All Are Neighbors, Al-Hayek said, “They approved it almost immediately. … And, we had a lot of faculty and staff on our side who showed up and helped make this happen.”
Both the All Are Neighbors event and the TPUSA event displayed official expressive activity signage from Baylor. Both events hung flyers around campus. The week prior to the events, some of the flyers from TPUSA at Baylor had been ripped up or graffitied.
