Dr. Howard Thurman: A Disciple of Peaceful Conflict Resolution
Preparing to teach a three-day retreat on the Life, Teachings, and Spirit of Dr. Howard Thurman, I am reminded of the extensive time spent with him while researching and writing my dissertation.
What is most memorable is how his thoughts and words touched my personal life. Thurman’s life is an example of rising above poverty and racial segregation to elevate the self above the circumstances of his surrounding and its story is inspiring. His longing and commitment to elevate the human condition above the grip and grind of pervasive deep-rooted conflicts offer a beacon of hope to all who experience his teachings.
Born in 1900, 27 years after President Lincoln ended slavery, and in the midst of the resurgence of slavery through draconian Jim Crow laws, young Thurman developed his intellect by extensive reading, and his spiritual life though religious training. As great as his mental intelligence was his spiritual intelligence, cultivated through a life of seeking to confront and embrace the mysteries of life and the mysteries inside himself. Out of this search came a reckoning with his connection with all people, thus his assertion that “when I go down deep inside of myself, I come up in every other person." This revelation was essential to overcoming the “walls” that uphold hatred, fear, and deceptions based on race, religion, social, and economic differences. These walls uphold artificial separation and the rejection of humanity between individuals and groups of people. It was also important to what became a lifetime commitment to non-violence. The search also fortified his embracing the natural world that sustains us all. He felt deeply his connection with trees, the seas, and birds, especially penguins.
Few know of Thurman’s pivotal role in improving race relations and spearheading the early civil rights movement. Civil rights giants such as James Farmer, Bayard Rustin, and Martin Luther King, Jr. learned under his tutelage. His work with A.J. Muste, leader of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), led to formation of the first Race Relations Committee in the U.S., which became the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). He supported labor leader A. Phillip Randolph in organizing what was to be the first civil rights march in 1943 and laid the groundwork for the heralded civil rights march of 1963 where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his I Have A Dream Speech.
As significant as Thurman’s work in formation of the modern civil rights movement was his rejection of religious intolerance. The first African American to meet with the Hindu spiritual and political leader, Gandhi, this Protestant minister embraced people of all religions understanding that beneath all creeds and doctrines is the human Spirit. In this spirit exists a deep yearning to understand how to connect with the source of life, and through that connection, not only survive, but thrive individually and collectively. His leadership in organizing the first interracial, interreligious church in California sealed his commitment to elevate the human being, human relations, and the human experience.