Dr. Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America, delivered Our Sacred Union as part of the Ira Andrews Lecture Series inside Blackwell Auditorium at the Center for the Performing Arts on April 23, 2026. The talk was part of a week of events celebrating the Inauguration of RMC President Michael Hill, where Patel served as the introductory speaker.

In his remarks, Patel, the first speaker in the Ira Andrews Lecture series outside of the Christian faith, told parallel stories of interfaith unions. Native tribes sheltering Roger Williams after he was cast out by the Puritan theocracy. A Christian monk recognizing the prophet Muhammad as the beginning of Islamic civilization. James Madison, not an especially devout man, crafting the foundation of United States with religious freedom as a priority, influenced by the jailing and beating of Baptists.

“This is the prologue to American greatness,” Patel said. “To be a heritage American means to embrace the diversity of our sacred union.”

Patel expanded on these themes in a Q&A session moderated by President Hill. When asked who we should be looking to for moral leadership in modern times, Patel earnestly answered: those who volunteer to coach youth sports.

“If you want your kid to benefit from Little League baseball or cheerleading or Pop Warner football, you have to do something for other people’s kids, too. And then you realize these nine year olds, they really do look to you for things,” Patel explained. “The people who give up their time to form young people in a situation that requires cooperation across difference, I think that that’s a profound form of moral leadership.”

Patel described the United States as the world’s first attempt at a diverse democracy, then detailed his philosophy on how diversity can be a strength in societies and communities.

“Tell me what you love about your identity…how do we relate positively to each other?” Patel said. “It’s diversity work as a potluck supper, not as a melting pot and not as a battlefield.”

The Ira Andrews Lecture Series

The Ira Andrew Lecture Series honors Ira L. Andrews III ’59, a cherished member of the RMC community for more than 50 years. After graduating from RMC and earning a Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Andrews returned to his alma mater as a professor of Religious Studies and was later appointed to serve as Dean of Students, a role that he held for 35 years.

The purpose of the Ira Andrews Lecture is to bring highly respected ministers or religious experts, without restriction as to denominational affiliation, to speak to the Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church congregation, Randolph-Macon students, and the community on topics that interested Andrews, such as the intersection of faith and society.

Rev. David Hindman ’72 gave a tribute to Andrews at the beginning of the program, describing him as “the embodiment of the best of Randolph-Macon.”