Rev. Dr. Kenia Vanessa Mendoza, Esq. will present her theoretical and practical approach to mujerista aliviar ethics, drawing on the foundational pillars of mujerista theology. She will explore the complex dynamics of resistance that Latinas encounter in everyday life (lo cotidiano), examining how these experiences shape their identities, their relationships with others, and their understanding of the divine.
About Rev. Kenia Vanessa Mendoza, Esq.
Born in La Paz, Bolivia, Mendoza was raised in the D.C. metropolitan area, and now resides in New Jersey, where she attends Drew Theological School. After some years of practicing immigration law in the area of deportation defense within the Latino community, she was baptized in a U.S. Protestant church. Together, these experiences propel her doctoral studies of coloniality in church histories and social ethics (particularly concerning the lived experience of Latinas). She uses a mujerista hermeneutic to critique and liberate Latinas’ identities to self, others, and the divine. Having been a hospital chaplain for many years, she is also interested in bioethics, liberation theologies, decolonial feminist theory, Latina feminist thought, Christian social ethics, and critical race theory.
Supporters of Charter Oak’s Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz Justice Institute include CT Humanities; The Dodd Center for Human Rights at UCONN; Drew University Theological School; Hartford International University; The Raices Latinas Program at Boston University School of Theology; Graciella Isasi, William Isasi, Mari Isasi-Diaz, Gloria Ysasi-Diaz, Maria Ysasi-Diaz, and Luly Nicosia.