| Description | Join Associate Director of the UW Tacoma Library Justin Wadland to discuss this little-known story of service, immigration, and cultural exchange. On April 23, 1936, Reverend Sunya Pratt was ordained as a minister at the Tacoma Buddhist Temple. Local and national newspapers described the ceremony, calling Rev. Pratt the “First White Buddhist Priestess,” a label that later scholars have called into question. Yet at a time when few Westerners converted to Buddhism, let alone became teachers, Rev. Pratt joined a sangha--or spiritual community--of Japanese Americans. Over the next 50 years, she devoted herself to the community and became an important leader for Jodo Shinshu Buddhists in Tacoma and the Puget Sound region. This talk will share a research project in process that explores the life and legacy of Rev. Pratt within the context of the wider history of Tacoma and American Buddhism. Part of UW Tacoma's School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences Scholarly Selections Lecture Series at the Washington State History Museum.
This event is FREE and open to everyone. |
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