Student Organizations and Leadership

A writers' group centered around rhythm, practice and community. Each member of the collective is asked to commit to writing 300 words daily — any form, any subject, any structure. We gather once a week and each share one of the 300 word segments aloud. Depending on the writer and what they're comfortable with, the collective will respond — with praise, love, and prodding. The collective also runs the publication Suture Magazine.

Known as the “middle way,” Anglicanism is both reformed and catholic. The Episcopal Church is descended from both the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church. It remains connected to the traditions of the Early Church through confession of the historic creeds, bishops in the apostolic succession, and our worship, which retains ancient Christian liturgical forms. The Episcopal Church is the only U.S. based member of the global Anglican Communion and also includes dioceses in 22 countries worldwide.

APIDA at HDS seeks to provide an inclusive space for affinity, community, and solidarity amongst people from Asia and its diaspora. Asian-American encompasses various racial/ethnic identities, colonial histories, immigration histories, class statuses, cultures, religious/spiritual traditions, and languages. Due to the expansiveness of the label APIDA, we acknowledge that we will not always fully capture the diverse cultures, traditions, and experiences of all Asian-Americans. Therefore, we always invite our members to contribute to our conversations, events, etc.

From ritual foot-washing in Christianity, ablution in Islam, barefoot pilgrimage in Buddhism to feet reverence in Hinduism, our bodies’ most humble ends carry a profound spiritual, historical, and cultural significance. The practice of going barefoot invites us into embodiment, reminding us of our connection to the earth and to one another. At HDS Barefoot Club, we are a community committed to honoring where our feet have taken us and where they will continue to bring us. We meet to experiment with practices of embodiment and decolonizing the notion of feet through barefoot walks, foot-based rituals, shoe donations, and interfaith explorations of what feet mean across traditions. 👣

This affinity-based collective at Harvard Divinity School operates as a site of multicultural epistemological exchange, deploying alimentary artifacts as entry points for dialogic engagement and identity negotiation. Through the periodic curation and consumption of gustatory items representative of diverse ethnocultural histories, participants investigate the interplay between memory, affect, and belonging within the community.

The Burning Refuge Collective mobilizes leaders, organizers, and community members across the Buddhist and Buddhist-adjacent global diaspora towards social-spiritual liberation. We uniquely center queer/trans, Asian diaspora & BIPOC, and youth leadership in predominantly white-centered Buddhist institutions and discourses. To that end, our work spans practiced spiritual innovation, deep intellectual reflection, and multimodal spiritual kinship building. 

The HDS Creative Writers and Editors Student Group is a vibrant community of students passionate about the written word in all its forms. Rooted in the diverse spiritual, cultural, and intellectual traditions of HDS, our group provides a space for creative expression, thoughtful editing, and collaborative growth. We welcome all levels of experience and genres. Through workshops, peer review sessions, and publishing opportunities, we aim to support the development of meaningful, impactful writing. Join us to write, edit, reflect, and connect.

HDS Ecologians are a community of students who are committed to reorienting our theological frameworks around an ecological ethic to confront our current environmental crisis. If you are interested in being part of a community centered around praxis for the planet, whether that be through organizing efforts, fostering dialogue, and collaborating with organizations across the Harvard community who also care about advocating for people, animals, and the planet...join us!

Feminists Making Midrash is a community that gathers weekly for deep conversation and exploration grounded in the study, (re)interpretation, and (re)imagination of Jewish texts. We encourage people of all faith backgrounds and practices to bring their experience and perspective to our discussions; you can come to as many or as few sessions as you would like!

Feminists Making Midrash is a community that gathers weekly for deep conversation and exploration grounded in the study, (re)interpretation, and (re)imagination of Jewish texts. We encourage people of all faith backgrounds and practices to bring their experience and perspective to our discussions; you can come to as many or as few sessions as you would like!

HDS Fiber Arts is a community of crafters and creators who enjoy the whimsically sacred practices including but not limited to knitting, crochet, sewing, mending, and embroidery. From knitting critters for pediatric cancer patients to teaching introductory sewing skills this group strives to weave connections and strengthen community.

HDS Ganga is a space at HDS for both Hindu and South Asian students and for students interested in exploring Hinduism. The group seeks to encourage open dialogue, critical reflection, and vibrant practice around the spiritual, philosophical, and cultural traditions of Hinduism.

The HDS Garden grows organic vegetables and flowers for the community and serves as a space for quiet reflection, communal celebration, and hands getting dirty.

The Graduate Journal of Harvard Divinity School is an academic publication dedicated to publishing papers within the multifaceted world of the study of religion. The Journal is staffed entirely by HDS students who work to create a yearly print publication.

Harambee's purpose is to build an intentional community and celebrate Black cultural and historical matters, to look to interdisciplinary scholarship and engagement for training in ethical leadership to address the world’s most pressing issues. We strive to celebrate all forms of Blackness and all parts of the African diaspora. We also intentionally honor and invoke our ancestors as descendants of formerly enslaved persons. Symbolically, we collectively embody the Sankofa. In doing so, the HDS Harambee Community reintegrates all aspects of the African diaspora while unrooting the seen and unseen violence of whiteness and other oppressive hegemonies and histories that prohibit Black flourishing.

The HDS Jewish Ritual Chavurah is a community for Jewish students to join together to observe and celebrate Jewish rituals and holidays. This is a space for people excited about sharing in ritual creation and spiritual practice, or interested in learning more. Each semester we will host several shabbats, havdallahs, and other holiday celebrations together in tune with the Jewish calendar. The Ritual Chavurah is a non-denominational, pluralistic space; all Jewish backgrounds, experience, and knowledge welcome!

HDS Jews for Liberation (aka J4L) is a warm, creative, spiritual and political home for anti-Zionist, non-Zionist, and diasporist Jews, as well as Jews questioning their relationship with Zionism.

HDS Latine and Caribbean Students Association provides an affinity space for students of Latin American and Caribbean diasporas to connect, celebrate cultures, and build community. Through regular gatherings and cultural events, we seek to foster belonging across the HDS student community and are open to all students.

You do not need to be a lawyer or an aspiring lawyer to join HDS Law. HDS Law is a nonpartisan student organization dedicated to fostering academic research, critical dialogue, and rigorous analysis of the dynamic interplay between religion and historical, social, political, and legal contexts. The organization explores how these intersections shape power structures, societal norms, systemic disparities, and the legal frameworks that govern communities. Through faculty-led discussions and speaker events featuring distinguished theologians, attorneys, renowned scholars, political leaders, and thought-provoking experts, HDS Law serves as a vibrant platform for examining the profound influence of religion on legal systems and societal norms. Whether you are an aspiring lawyer, a religious scholar, or a student intrigued by the broader implications of law and faith, HDS Law invites you to engage in critical discourse on the complex forces that shape our world.

HDS Magick Paths is dedicated to creating a welcoming and supportive community where seekers and practitioners of all magickal traditions can gather, learn, and share their journeys.

HDS Queer Rites is a group of students who have come together to foster dialogue and to explore ritual around what it means to be queer, what it means to be spiritual, and where those two intersect and interact. We are a space for investigation of the meaning of being queer at HDS.

We are a group of advocates, doulas and academics working at the intersection of religion, spirituality and reproductive justice.

We are a group of advocates, doulas and academics working at the intersection of religion, spirituality and reproductive justice.

HDS Students for Justice in Palestine stands in solidarity with Palestinians living under occupation and in the diaspora through educational programming, organizing, and more. With a fundamental belief in the dignity and rights of all human beings, we protest the conditions of the Israeli apartheid state and advocate for a world without occupation, systemic racism, genocide, and colonialism of all kinds.

Taylor Swift: Faith & Folklore is a club dedicated to exploring the religious, spiritual, and literature references in Taylor Swift’s work as a community. As an entertainment phenomena, Swift has become a cultural zeitgeist. This club examines the deep societal commentary of Swift’s lyricism.

HDS Transgressive Arts (HDS TARTS) is a group dedicated to exploring the intersection of contemporary art and contemplative practice. We investigate how engagement with non-traditional and transgressive media, as an audience and as creators, can be transformed into genuine Buddhist insight, drawing on the concept of upāya (skillful means). Our project provides a space to discuss the evolving landscape of spiritual practice and the surprising places the sacred can be found.

We are a very relaxed group for playing the best sport ever, ultimate frisbee! We host casual and sometimes spontaneous throws on the green, a few bigger scrimmages per semester, and some of us may occasionally play with the Harvard Ultimate teams in their weekly Sunday mini tourneys. We’re a home for anyone at HDS who loves playing frisbee outside with cool people! No experience necessary.