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Yolanda M. Santiago Correa is a doctoral candidate in Religion and Culture. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico and a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Duke Divinity School. Yolanda’s research delves into the intersection of Puerto Ricans' racial imagination and their religious practice. Using music, poetry, and fiction as sources, her work aims to unravel the ways in which Puerto Rico's history of racialization, coupled with its colonial past, has shaped a distinct system within Christian practice. Grounded in the experiences of Black Boricuas, Yolanda's work proposes a new understanding and religious practice that challenges Borikén’s colonial status and provides a new form of self-determination for Puerto Ricans in the archipelago and the diaspora.

Currently, Yolanda serves as the Program Coordinator for the Hispanic House of Studies at Duke Divinity School and is the Inaugural Director of the AfroLatine Theology Project.

Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Harold J. Recinos

Publications:

Pastor’s Panel, Insights: The Faculty Journal of Austin Seminary, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, vol. 139, no. 2 (Spring 2024).

"A Look into the World Premiere of Faith in Blackness: An Exploration of Afro-Latine Spirituality," Smithsonian Folklife Festival Blog, The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, October 2, 2023.

"Buscando (a) América," Baptist Peacemaker, vol. 42 no.1, BPFNA – Bautistas por la Paz, 2022.

Presentations:

"Faith in Blackness: An Exploration of AfroLatine Spirituality," World Premiere & Panel, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution, July 1, 2023.

"Mentoring and the Professionalization of Scholars of Religion: Latina/o/x Perspectives," American Academy of Religion Southwest Region (AAR-SW), Irving, Texas, March 2022.

"Cueste Lo Que Cueste": A Conversation on Puerto Rico and the Decolonization of Ethnography, Second Annual Womanist Ethnography and Black Women’s Vocation Conference, Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Nashville, Tennessee, October 2019.

"¿Qué Será de Puerto Rico Cuando Venga El Temporal?": A Liberationist Response to The Question Academia Has Yet to Answer, American Academy of Religion Southwest Region (AAR-SW), Dallas, Texas, March 2019.

Fellowships, Awards, and Service to the Profession:

2023-2024, Fellowship for Latino/a, Asian and First Nations Doctoral Students, Forum for Theological Exploration

2022, HTI/Lilly Dissertation Fellowship, Hispanic Theological Initiative

2021-2022, The Schubert M. Ogden Fellowship for Academic Excellence in Theology, 51²è¹Ý

2020 and 2018, Angela Current-Felder Women of Color Scholars, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, The United Methodist Church