YEAR OF THE BLACK WOMAN 2026

Which course is right for you?

Are you experienced in giving spiritual care and want to deepen your effectiveness in caring for Black women? COURSE 1 (YBW-SD01) is for you.

Do you have formal religious leadership training, and would like to become a certified spiritual director? COURSE 2 (YBW-SDCC02) is for you.

In traditional, spiritual direction courses, students are taught how to listen for the presence of the spirit as understood through the teachings of Jesus. These programs tend to teach spiritual direction as support for connection and transcendence, but without emphasis on what it means to be a Black woman living in the U.S.
Year of the Black Woman (YBW) recognizes that although most Black women in the U.S. identify as Christian, spiritual directors for Black women should be prepared to support Black women of a variety of religious and spiritual paths that are not separate from African-American culture, womanist and feminist influences, African thought and practice, in a national context of invalidation.
In this course, we will explore Black women’s spirituality and culture in the U.S. with respect to being targets of systemic and structural dehumanization and violence. We will also use the data gathered in the 2025 YBW survey to understand Black women’s spiritual needs at this time. This course is unlike traditional spiritual direction courses because we will focus on spirituality and power, and how to use them in conjunction with one another. We will use music and lyrics created and performed by Black women, especially the music of India.Arie. It is a method I call theolyricology. This course is inspired by the work of Black women mayors who held and hold their cities down, and the opportunities for Black women leaders to engage more with Black women’s spirituality, and vice versa.
Students will meet for class every other week. In addition to improving listening skills, students will study religion and spirituality as expressed by Black women in various traditions, as well as activists, and others.
There will be assigned reading, but no written work required. If this course is taken for continuing education credit (C.E.), a certificate can be issued for an additional $100.
Course 1 will be held every other Monday from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. CENTRAL time, beginning January 5, 2026 and ending March 30th
Tuition: $850 includes course syllabus and classroom instruction.
Registration period: October 15 - December 15, 2026 (or until all slots are filled)
Registration Policy: We register on a first-come, first-served basis. You are considered registered when we have received your online registration and payment.
This course is open to anyone who provides or has provided spiritual support to Black women. Consequently, the students in this course may come from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, body types, political opinions, worldviews, religions, and identities. We welcome diversity and students who can respect differences.
Students must be experienced in providing spiritual support to Black women and will apply what they know in examining what it means to listen deeply to Black women and their spiritual/religious lives
Dr. Ayo (Pamela Ayo Yetunde, J.D., Th.D.) is a spiritual director and pastoral counselor in private practice. She is a Community Dharma Leader trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. After earning her law degree at Indiana University, Ayo earned a Masters in Culture and Spirituality at Holy Names University and her Th.D. at Columbia Theological Seminary. She holds a certificate in spiritual direction from Mercy Center in Burlingame, California and completed post-doctoral studies at Harvard Divinity School.
Ayo is the author of Casting Indra’s Net: Fostering Spiritual Kinship and Community (2023), two womanist books, Object Relations, Buddhism, and Relationality in Womanist Practical Theology (2018) and Buddhist-Christian Dialogue, U.S. Law, and Womanist Theology for Transgender Spiritual Care (2020), and other writings. She began educating Black women in 1997 when she was a financial advisor.
Ayo has taught at the University of the West and United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. She is an instructor with the Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy program offered through the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) https://acpe.edu/programs/spiritual-integrated-psychotherapy .

Register for Course 1

In this year-long course, we will explore everything being explored in Course One, but the work will be more intense, personalized and intimate.
Often with traditional, spiritual direction courses, students are taught how to listen for the presence of the spirit as understood through the teachings of Jesus. These programs tend to teach spiritual direction as support for connection and transcendence, but without emphasis on what it means to be a Black woman living in the U.S.
Year of the Black Woman (YBW) recognizes that although most Black women in the U.S. may identify as Christian, spiritual directors for Black women should be prepared to support Black women of a variety of religious and spiritual paths that are not separate from African-American culture, womanist and feminist influences, African thought and practice, in a national context of invalidation.
Students will meet for class every other week. In addition to improving listening skills, students will study religion and spirituality as expressed by Black women in various traditions, as well as activists, and others.
Students will be expected to meet with three directees monthly for the entire year, and write one verbatim per month. Students will also be expected to review their verbatim with Dr. Ayo on a monthly basis. Successful completion of the course will result in earning a spiritual direction certificate, and may qualify students for an invitation to a course to become a YBW instructor, if such a course is offered.
Please note: Students are in training and are responsible for finding their own directees who must be informed that you are in training. Informed consent forms must be signed and submitted to the instructor.
Course 2 will be held every other Monday from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. CENTRAL time, beginning January 12, 2026 and ending December 28th
Tuition: $3,000 (less an application fee of $100) includes syllabus, classroom instruction, monthly one-on-one coaching/supervision, and review of verbatims.
Registration period: October 15 - December 15, 2026 (or until all slots are filled)
Registration Policy: If your application is accepted, we will invoice the balance of tuition due. You are considered registered when we have received your online payment for full tuition.
This course is open to anyone who provides or has provided spiritual support especially to Black women. Consequently, the students in this course may come from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, body types, political opinions, worldviews, religions, and identities. We welcome diversity and students who can respect differences.
In this year-long certificate course, students should have an educational background in religion and/or spirituality, and will apply what they know in examining what it means to listen deeply to Black women. Examples of educational background include certificates, degrees, ordination or endorsement by a religious and/or spiritual organization.
Dr. Ayo (Pamela Ayo Yetunde, J.D., Th.D.) is a spiritual director and pastoral counselor in private practice. She is a Community Dharma Leader trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. After earning her law degree at Indiana University, Ayo earned a Masters in Culture and Spirituality at Holy Names University and her Th.D. at Columbia Theological Seminary. She holds a certificate in spiritual direction from Mercy Center in Burlingame, California and completed post-doctoral studies at Harvard Divinity School.
Ayo is the author of Casting Indra’s Net: Fostering Spiritual Kinship and Community (2023), two womanist books, Object Relations, Buddhism, and Relationality in Womanist Practical Theology (2018) and Buddhist-Christian Dialogue, U.S. Law, and Womanist Theology for Transgender Spiritual Care (2020), and other writings. She began educating Black women in 1997 when she was a financial advisor.
Ayo has taught at the University of the West and United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. She is an instructor with the Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy program offered through the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) https://acpe.edu/programs/spiritual-integrated-psychotherapy .

Apply for Course 2

Pamela Ayo Yetunde