The soul of the Civil Rights Movement
“The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s is religious-based … is birthed out of the Black church, is birthed out of Black religious spaces.”
In this episode of Books & Bridges, Rev. Teddy Reeves, curator of religion at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture, explores the man and meaning of Howard Thurman—a spiritual anchor of the civil rights movement.
As theologian, philosopher, and mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurman helped build the practice of non-violence in America. While leading a delegation of African-Americans to India, Thurman met with Mahatma Gandhi and, inspired by that encounter, developed a method for social justice that would influence world history. Dr. Reeves addresses the ethical foundations of this movement and what it means for us today.
Watch the video as Reeves focuses on Thurman as a bright light among the minds and voices who brought nonviolent resistance to bear on a society that needed his moral vision.
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