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Xan WestXan West considers herself a street theologian, a messy mystic, radical ritual holder, and a spiritual trauma healer. She is mostly a black queer femme troublemaker.
Xan is Director of Student Ministry at Trinity United Methodist Church where she enjoys inspiring resilience, preaching liberation and decolonizing scripture. She holds a Certificate of Spirituality & Social Change from the Pacific School of Religion, and was a 2016 Black Theology & Leadership Institute Fellow at Princeton Theological Seminary. In 2017, Xan facilitated a workshop on liturgical direct action for the Millennial Leadership Program at Union Theological Seminary. She is currently a member of the Young Leaders Cohort for the Mystic Soul Project, which is aimed at diversifying and reclaiming ancestral contemplative practice. She is also a member of Second Acts, a direct action group of Jesus followers and 'feral Christians'. Xan can be found teaching direct action trainings, often from a liturgical perspective; preaching around the Bay Area about Black Lives Matter movements and millennial black liberation theologies or tossing money changers out of temples. Proud to have been born & raised in Oakland, Xan has over 20 years of experience in social justice movement work, mostly related to police accountability, queer rights and community healing. Lately, she just spends as much time as possible with her young son, Glory. |