Dr. Eboni Marshall Turman
The Reverend Eboni Marshall Turman, Ph.D. is the associate professor of theology and African American religion at Yale University Divinity School in New Haven, Conn. A first-career concert dancer and ordained National Baptist preacher, her research interests span the varieties of 20th century US theological liberalisms, most especially Black and womanist theological, social ethical, and theo-aesthetic traditions. She co-chairs the Black Theology unit of the American Academy of Religion, serves on the executive committee of the Society for the Study of Black Religion, and is a founding member of the Black Church Collective for which she served as lead author of “On Black Lives Matter: A Theological Statement from the Black Churches.”
An author, minister, professor, and public theologian, the Reverend Dr. Turman is a refreshing addition to our most pressing national discussions of faith, race and gender. With a decidedly womanist point of view, hers stands out as one of very few scholarly millennial voices offering moral perspective on issues facing the Black community.
At a time in our history when the Black church and Black lives are once again under constant siege, Dr. Turman has committed her research, scholarship and platform to a nuanced exploration of the most marginalized among us.
A trailblazer in the church and academy, her pioneering spirit has earned her many rare distinctions. She is the youngest woman to be named assistant mnister of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City (2002-2012), and the second woman to preside over the ordinances in its 212-year history. She formerly served as director of Black Church sudies at Duke University Divinity School (2013-2016).
She is the only womanist theological ethicist on faculty at Yale Divinity School, the recipient of the 2018 Yale University Bouchet Faculty Excellence award for research and teaching; the 2018 Inspiring Yale award; a 2017-18 Yale Public Voices fellow; one of Ebony Magazine’s Young Faith Leaders in the Black Community; included on the Network Journal’s prestigious 40 Under 40 List; named as one of the “Top 5 Young Preachers in America” by ROHO; and Auburn Theological Seminary’s 2017 “Lives of Commitment” honoree.
In 2014, Dr. Turman was inducted into the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegium of Scholars. Her opinions on race, faith, and gender have been published by the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, the Huffington Post, and Dallas Morning News among others.
Through her research and scholarship, Dr. Turman is transforming the way we frame the Black experience, the contemporary movement for Black lives, and the moral significance of the Black community specifically the 21st century black church.
Beyond academia, Dr. Turman is passionate about helping Black women rise above and function through systemic gender bias, racism and exploitation. She offers women tools for vocational, professional, and personal success, empowering them to step into leadership and assert themselves more fully in male dominant environments.
Dr. Turman’s unapologetic passion for the Black community is perhaps matched only by her passion for young minds. As the face of womanist theological ethics at Yale University Divinity School, she is pushing the boundaries of scholarship, while training the next generation of moral leaders and expanding their vision for what is possible in church and society.
Dr. Turman holds degrees in philosophy, theology, and Christian ethics from Fordham University and the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, respectively. Her favorite scripture is found in Luke 1:45, “And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” She lives in New York City and suburban Connecticut with her wonderful spouse, Rossie E. Turman III, Esq., and their beautiful daughters, Haarlem and Kroux.
Follow Dr. Turman on Twitter and Instagram @ebonithoughts.