Dr. Sabrina Dent

Adjunct Faculty

Biography

Sabrina E. Dent, D. Min., is a life-long advocate for human rights and social justice. As an interfaith leader, Dr. Dent developed a strong passion for religious freedom as a 2015 BJC Fellow with the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Her public scholarship addresses the complexities of religious freedom, religion and public policy, and race, religion, and American public life.

Prior to assuming the presidency of Center for Faith, Justice, and Reconciliation, Dr. Dent served as director of programs and partnerships for the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute and, most recently, as senior faith advisor for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. At Americans United, Dr. Dent served as a member of the Faith for Equality working group where she mobilized religious leaders to amplify faith voices on legislative issues such as the Equality Act to ensure and expand federal legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, women, and religious minority groups.

Dr. Dent’s faith outreach and advocacy efforts were recognized by the Center for American Progress when she was named one of 21 Faith Leaders to Watch in 2021. Dr. Dent led the charge in organizing the Washington Interfaith Staff Communities “Interfaith Rally and March: A Call for Justice and Healing” calling on elected officials to address police reform and public policies that target historically marginalized communities.

A much sought after speaker, Dr. Dent has lectured widely at universities, seminaries, and conferences across the nation. In 2020, she was nominated for the American Academy of Religion’s Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. Dr. Dent co-hosts the Sister Act Podcast with Hurunnessa Fariad and Rabbi Sue Shankman. The podcast is dedicated to women of faith from different religious traditions and engages various topics around life, faith, and resilience.

Dr. Dent is the editor and contributing author of the book African Americans and Religious Freedom: New Perspectives for Congregations and Communities and her articles have appeared in Religion News Service, Freedom Forum, Christian Citizen, and Americans United. Dr. Dent received her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech, Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.