Baylor Libraries Author Series Remembers Antônia Teixeira
The Baylor Libraries Author Series will highlight Baylor faculty authors Dr. João Chaves and Dr. Mikeal Parsons and their publication, “Remembering Antônia Teixeira: A Story of Missions, Violence, and Institutional Hypocrisy” (Eerdmans, 2023). This author series session will take place on Tuesday, September 24, at 3:00 p.m. in the Schumacher Flex Commons on the main floor of Moody Memorial Library, as well as online via Zoom Webinar. Dr. Beth Allison Barr, the James Vardaman Endowed Professor of History at Baylor, will interview the authors.
“Remembering Antônia Teixeira” exposes the truth behind the rape of a young Baylor student from Brazil in 1894 and unmasks attempts by the university to bury the story. Teixeira was raped by Steen Morris, the brother of President Rufus Burleson’s son-in-law, in the president’s backyard. After being assaulted several times, Teixeria became pregnant. In an attempt to preserve Baylor’s reputation, Burleson and Baptist leaders in Texas downplayed the assaults and attempted to place the blame on Teixeira.
As noted in the publisher’s summary, “‘Remembering Antônia Teixeira’ calls attention to how religious institutions have used selective memory to maintain power. In doing so, this book takes a first step toward dismantling those structures of oppression.”
Dr. João Chaves is the Assistant Professor of the History of Religion in the Américas and Co-Director of the Baptist Scholars International Roundtable at Baylor. An award-winning author, he is known for his seminal work, “Migrational Religion: Context and Creativity in the Latinx Diaspora.” Dr. Mikeal Parsons is a University Distinguished Professor at Baylor and the Kidd L. & Buna Hitchcock Macon Professor of Religion. He is a prolific writer whose books include “The Departure of Jesus in Luke-Acts: The Ascension Narratives in Context,” “Body and Character in Luke and Acts: The Subversion of Physiognomy in Early Christianity,” and several commentaries on Luke and Acts.
This event is free and open to the public. The conversation will be followed by a book signing with the authors and a reception with light refreshments. Copies of “Remembering Antônia Teixeira” will be available for purchase.
This Baylor Libraries Author Series selection details the sexual assault of a Baylor student in 1894 through summaries and quotations as given by Antônia in trial testimony and interviews as well as medical experts. Her assault will be discussed during the conversation. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (800) 656-4673.
Visitor parking for the event will be located along University Parks Drive near the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center and Rogers Engineering and Computer Science building. Handicapped parking is located next to Moody Memorial Library near Castellaw Communications Center.
To learn more visit library.web.baylor.edu/authorseries or contact Janell Wellbaum by email at Janell_Wellbaum@baylor.edu or by phone at (254) 710-3590.