Photo of Nekeisha Alayna Alexis

Nekeisha Alayna Alexis

Intercultural Competence and Undoing Racism coordinator

About Nekeisha

Nekeisha Alayna Alexis brings practical, administrative and intellectual gifts to her work at AMBS. As Intercultural Competence and Undoing Racism (ICUR) coordinator, she leads a team of teaching faculty, administrators and students in the ongoing work of AMBS’s strategic priority of undoing racism and building intercultural competence throughout the institution. As an independent scholar focused on issues of human and other animal oppression, she writes and speaks extensively in the areas of Christian theology and ethics, critical animal studies and related issues.

What experiences do you bring to your role as Intercultural Competenced and Undoing Racism coordinator?

I navigate a variety of social landscape in my personal, work and scholarly life. I am a Trinidadian immigrant living as a Black woman in the U.S.; a theological Anabaptist with meaningful experiences in Catholic, non-denominational and African Methodist Episcopal (AME) traditions; and an academic-activist who has worked on a number of issues affecting marginalized communities, from anti-war organizing in New York City to the ongoing efforts to restore a local community center here in Elkhart.

I write, publish and speak on racism and White supremacy; intersectionality; animal liberation in its own right and as it relates to struggles for human freedom from violence and domination. My graduate work at AMBS, which introduced me to womanist and other Black theologies, and my undergraduate study in Africana Studies with a focus on Pan-Africanism continue to influence me, even as I pursue research in areas like the connections between the social constructs of race and species.

Finally, I am certified as a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), which is integral to my work with students, faculty and administrators in our learning community. My work has also extended beyond the AMBS campus, giving me substantial experience outside of academic settings.
Degrees
  • Master of Arts: Theological Studies, AMBS
  • Bachelor of Arts, New York University
Recent related experience
  • Center for Community Justice Mediation Training (2017)
  • Race and Animals Institute, Wesleyan University (2016)
  • IDI Qualified Administrator Training (2015)
  • Damascus Road Antiracism Analysis Training (2009)
Memberships and associations