“ The work I started at Brown is very much related to the work I ’ m doing today . I ’ ve always wanted to cultivate a holistic community , where everyone has an equal opportunity .”
Ministries just north of Austin , “ but , when I was at Brown , I really got involved with a campus ministry and some predominantly black Bible studies , so I was growing not just academically , but spiritually .”
It was divine intervention , Cumberbatch insists , that led him and his soon-to-be wife , Jennifer Rousseau ’ 79 , to Austin : “ I didn ’ t know anything about Austin or the University of Texas ,” he admits . “ For me , the earth stopped south of Virginia .” Then a chance conversation changed everything .
“ One day I was in Robinson Hall talking to a friend who said he was going to apply to all the good law schools except for the University of
Texas , because it didn ’ t have a medical school , and his fiancée wanted to go to medical school . And right then ,” says Cumberbatch , “ the Lord spoke to me and said : ‘ That ’ s where I ’ m sending you — Austin , Texas .’”
After completing law school , Cumberbatch became a prosecutor . He then progressed to leading the trial division in the Travis County District Attorney ’ s office and was appointed as police monitor for the city . He also made partner at a local law firm . At the same time , Jen worked as a pastor , vocalist , playwright , and entrepreneur — her delicious Sweet Tater Torte is an Austin favorite .
Cumberbatch has always combined getting ahead with giving back . Today , he is executive director of Seton Foundations , the fundraising arm of a major Catholic healthcare network in central Texas , a position he holds while “ on loan ” to Austin mayor Steve Adler ’ s office as a policy adviser .
One of Cumberbatch ’ s projects , the Spirit of East Austin , helps bring “ equitable , sustainable , transformative , and holistic development ” to the east side of Interstate 35 , an historically underdeveloped and underrepresented area of town . Cumberbatch also serves on the mayor ’ s task force opposing institutional racism in Austin , which ranks as the most economically segregated metropolitan area in the United States .
Whether fighting for social and
“ The work I started at Brown is very much related to the work I ’ m doing today . I ’ ve always wanted to cultivate a holistic community , where everyone has an equal opportunity .”
racial parity as a member of the Austin Independent School District ’ s Citizen ’ s Bond Board , promoting economic development as chair of the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce , or sponsoring civic engagement with the Austin Bridge Builders Alliance , Cumberbatch has taken his message from God and applied it to a life of service . | cu b r o w n n e w s - i n - b r i e f
Allen ’ s 1817 Oration Celebrated Religious Freedom
Two hundred years ago , students at Brown University listened to an oration highlighting the privilege of religious freedom during a commemoration of the anniversary of American independence .
On July 4 , 1817 in the chapel , Benjamin F . Allen equated “ liberty of conscience ” to one of the “ dearest of all earthly blessings .” Allen reminded students that their colonial forefathers “ toiled and suffered and bled ” to guarantee that practice . With the adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1791 , specifically the free exercise of religion clause , U . S . Congressmen bestowed a precious freedom on the people of America . “ It remains with you to preserve it ,” he said .
Allen was a member of Brown ’ s Federal Adelphi , an organization of degree holders , educated professionals , and college upperclassmen .
Students for Life
Students for Life at Brown continues to engage the campus community and further the pro-life cause .
In January , the organization attended the annual March for Life in Washington , D . C . with a group from Providence College . Over the past academic year , the leadership of Students for Life at Brown invited speakers from Students for Life of America to instruct members on common pro-abortion arguments and how to respond to them . By encouraging and teaching young , pro-life advocates , Students for Life at Brown hopes to initiate civilized , thought-provoking conversations on campus . s u m m e r 2 0 1 7 : : c h r i s t i a n u n i o n . o r g
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