A new collection of philosophical biographies of key figures in Black Southern American social and political thought Frederick Douglass, Booker Washington and Ida Wells. Thurgood Marshall and Martin King are focused upon, together with Howard Thurman, Richard Wright, Fred Gray and Barbara Jordan. All are important in various ways to the movements this book seeks out. From the perspective of liberation, the two high points in the African-American Odyssey are marked by Emancipation in the nineteenth century and Desegregation in the twentieth. Douglass bestriding the first, King and Marshall the second. The thread of resistance runs through most of these philosophical profiles, and the thread of non-violence, with greater or less force, also runs throughout. This volume assumes a distinction between (a) an earlier period when Afro-America was more cohesive and collectively committed to self-improvement despite the odds, and (b) the contemporary period, beyond desegregation, marked by rates never previously rivaled of suicide, joblessness, imprisonment, despair and alienation, especially among black poor. The life stories and philosophies presented here make fascinating reading. This book is a Special Issue of the leading journal, Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy.

Honorable Mention, Theology and Religious Studies PROSE Award A powerful insight into the historical and cultural roles of the black church If we are in a post-racial era, then what is the future of the Black Church? If the US will at some time in the future be free from discrimination and prejudices that are based on race how will that affect the church's very identity? In The Ground Has Shifted, Walter Earl Fluker passionately and thoroughly discusses the historical and current role of the black church and argues that the older race-based language and metaphors of religious discourse have outlived their utility. He offers instead a larger, global vision for the black church that focuses on young black men and other disenfranchised groups who have been left behind in a world of globalized capital. Lyrically written with an emphasis on the dynamic and fluid movement of life itself, Fluker argues that the church must find new ways to use race as an emancipatory instrument if it is to remain central in black life, and he points the way for a new generation of church leaders, scholars and activists to reclaim the black church's historical identity and to turn to the task of infusing character, civility, and a sense of community among its congregants.

Synopsis: The contributors to this book address the theme of educating ethical leaders for the twenty-first century. They represent a wide range of fields, including philosophy, theology, law, science, and medicine. They all share the belief, however, that ethical leadership education is necessary in order to provide the next generation of leaders with the tools that they will need to successfully navigate the challenges of today and of the coming decades. These essays identify significant issues and challenges confronting leaders, students, and educators from many different backgrounds, cultures, and communities, who must negotiate the difficult matters of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of difference; and the development of ethical student leaders and educators within specific environments, who will promote habits and practices that create communities of discourse and practice that address the challenges of diversity and culture. Contributors: Derek Bell Walter Earl Fluker Shirley Ann Jackson James A. Joseph Melvinia King Preston King Bryant Marks Walter E. Massey David Satcher Tavis Smiley Endorsements: "Educating Ethical Leaders for the Twenty-First Century is a prescient collection of essays written by distinguished leaders in academia, law, medicine, and contemporary culture. The essayists provide thoughtful and challenging examples of ethical dilemmas facing leaders and communities in the decades ahead. It is fascinating and a privilege to watch as these notable leaders grapple with the 'issues of integrity, empathy, and hope as moral indices for ethical leadership.' A must-read for anyone preparing for or exercising leadership in the twenty-first century." --Debra Harden, Professional Development Director, Georgia School Superintendents Association Author Biography: Walter Earl Fluker is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Ethical Leadership and the editor of The Howard Thurman Papers Project at Boston University School of Theology. He is author of Ethical Leadership: The Quest for Character, Civility, and Community (2009) and editor of The Papers of Howard Washington Thurman, Volume 1: My People Need Me (2009) and Volume 2, "Christian, Who Calls Me Christian?" (2012).

The Papers of Howard Washington Thurman is a four-volume, chronologically arranged documen tary edition spanning the long and productive career of the Reverend Howard Thurman, one of the most significant leaders in the history of intellectual and religious life in the mid-twentieth-century United States. As the first to lead a delegation of African Americans to meet personally with Mahatma Gandhi, in 1936, Thurman would become one of the principal architects of the modern nonviolent Civil Rights Movement and a key mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1953 Life magazine named Thurman as one of the twelve greatest preachers of the century.
The four volumes of this collection, culled from over 58,000 documents from public and private sources, will feature more than 850 selections of Thurman's sermons, letters, essays, and other writings--most published here for the first time. Each volume will open with an editorial state ment, followed by a thematic introductory essay to guide the reader through the dominant themes in Thurman's thought: his understanding of spirituality and social transformations, his creative ecclesiology, and his conception of civic character and the national democratic experi ment. Detailed annotations to each document illumine Thurman's personal, professional, and in tellectual development and place the texts into their historical context. The volumes are further augmented with detailed chronologies and representative illustrations.
Volume 2 (April 1936-August 1943) documents Thurman's years after his return from South Asia and his final years as a professor of philosophy and religion and dean of Rankin Chapel at Howard University. The texts, images, and editorial commentary presented here reveal the maturation of Thurman's theological and social vision, formed by his memories of his time in Asia, his meeting with Gandhi, and his growing commitment to radical nonviolence. His writing also reflects the context of his time, responding to the great events of the day: the Depression, the Great Migration, the birth of the modern Civil Rights Movement, and the coming of World War II. This volume ends immediately prior to Thurman's decision in late 1944 to leave the security of Howard University to copastor a fledgling church in San Francisco, the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, one of the first churches in the United States to be organized on an explicitly interracial basis. Critical to understanding the full scope of Thurman's career, the myriad writings gathered in volume 2 also illustrate the early germination of ideas central to the twenty-three books Thurman subsequently authored. Their publication here gives new opportunity to understand these pieces in the context of his life and the genesis of his vision.
This documentary edition is made possible through the efforts of the Howard Thurman Papers Project, a division of the Leadership Center at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and is supported by the Lilly Endowment, Inc.; the Henry Luce Foundation; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Pew Charitable Trusts, Inc.; and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Honorable Mention, Theology and Religious Studies PROSE Award A powerful insight into the historical and cultural roles of the black church If we are in a post-racial era, then what is the future of the Black Church? If the US will at some time in the future be free from discrimination and prejudices that are based on race how will that affect the church's very identity? In The Ground Has Shifted, Walter Earl Fluker passionately and thoroughly discusses the historical and current role of the black church and argues that the older race-based language and metaphors of religious discourse have outlived their utility. He offers instead a larger, global vision for the black church that focuses on young black men and other disenfranchised groups who have been left behind in a world of globalized capital. Lyrically written with an emphasis on the dynamic and fluid movement of life itself, Fluker argues that the church must find new ways to use race as an emancipatory instrument if it is to remain central in black life, and he points the way for a new generation of church leaders, scholars and activists to reclaim the black church's historical identity and to turn to the task of infusing character, civility, and a sense of community among its congregants.

This is the landmark publication of the early writings of this pioneering voice for social justice. The ""Papers of Howard Washington Thurman"" is a four-volume, chronologically arranged documentary edition spanning the long and productive career of the Reverend Howard Thurman, one of the most significant leaders in the history of intellectual and religious life in the mid-twentieth-century United States. The first to lead a delegation of African Americans to meet personally with Mahatma Gandhi, in 1936, Thurman later became one of the principal architects of the modern, nonviolent civil rights movement and a key mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1953 ""Life"" magazine named Thurman as one of the twelve greatest preachers of the century. The four volumes of this collection, culled from more than 58,000 documents from public and private sources, will feature more than 850 selections of Thurman's sermons, letters, essays, and other writings - many published here for the first time. Each volume will open with an editorial statement, followed by an introductory essay to guide the reader through the dominant themes in Thurman's thought: his understanding of spirituality and social transformations, his creative ecclesiology, and his conception of civic character and the national democratic experiment. Precise annotations to each document illumine Thurman's personal, professional, and intellectual development and place the texts into their historical context. The volumes are further augmented with detailed chronologies and representative illustrations. Volume I (June 1918 - March 1936) documents Thurman's early years in his native Daytona, Florida, his formal education and his leadership in the student movement, and his years at Howard University as a professor of philosophy and religion and dean of Rankin Chapel as well as his historic trip to India and meeting with Mahatma Gandhi in 1936. The texts, images, and editorial commentary presented here reveal the early development of the vision that drove Thurman's career as an educator, theologian, minister, and advocate for social justice and informed the twenty-three books that he began publishing in the mid-1940s. This volume provides rich insights into Thurman's thinking and spiritual growth and offers a window onto the landscape of the defining issues, events, movements, institutions, and individuals that shaped his formative years. The texts presented here make for compelling reading, as Thurman's dialogue with the world of public theology is the story of a nation that was taking stock of its political and religious heritage. The historic publication of his collected papers will make an invaluable contribution not only to American intellectual history and to the history of religion, but to 'America in Search of a Soul', as Thurman titled one of his sermons. This documentary edition is made possible through the efforts of the Howard Thurman Papers Project, a division of the Leadership Center at Morehouse College in Atlanta. This project is funded through support from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.; the Henry Luce Foundation; the Pew Charitable Trusts, Inc.; and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

We live in a leadership crisis. "In an age when incompatible worlds collide and when scandals rock formerly stable institutions," says Walter Fluker, "what counts most is ethical leadership and the qualities of personal integrity, spiritual discipline, intellectual openness, and moral anchoring." Fluker finds these characteristics exemplified in the work and thought of black-church giants Martin Luther King Jr. and Howard Thurman. This volume, for leaders and emergent leaders in religious and other settings, sets forth the context and principles for ethical leadership, particularly for ministries and other professions whose mission directly advances the common good. Fluker's volume grounds leadership in story, the appropriation of one's roots, as a basis for personal and social transformation. He then explores the key values of character, civility, and community for ethical action on the personal, public, and spiritual realms. From these considerations he develops a model of the specific virtues that embody each realm of ethical leadership before applying them to the practical aspects of leadership and decisionmaking.

The Papers of Howard Washington Thurman is a multivolume, chronologically arranged documentary edition spanning the long and productive career of the Reverend Howard Thurman, one of the most significant leaders in the intellectual and religious life of the United States in the mid-twentieth century. The first to lead a delegation of African Americans to meet with Mahatma Gandhi in 1936, Thurman later became one of the principal architects of the modern nonviolent civil rights movement and a key mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others involved in the movement. In 1953 Life magazine named Thurman one of the twelve greatest preachers of the century. In volume 4 (June 1949-December 1962), Walter Earl Fluker covers Thurman's final years at the Fellowship Church in San Francisco and his years as the dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University and professor of spiritual resources at Boston University School of Theology. In taking on these positions, Thurman became the first African American dean of chapel at a majority-white college or university in the United States and the first tenured African American professor at Boston University School of Theology. During his time at Boston University, Thurman tirelessly advocated for dialogue and understanding between faiths. Although charged with serving the university's Protestant community, Thurman preferred to pursue a broader ministry. He sought to use his status as dean of the chapel to bring people together, always acting out of a profound belief that no religion holds a monopoly on truth or holiness. Thurman sought to make Marsh Chapel a place where Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and all others could learn from each other as they shared a universal search for meaning and purpose, each drawing strength and insights from his or her own religious tradition. He sought to make the university a place where people who had found safety and comfort in "keeping to their own" would come to understand that intellectual, spiritual, and ethical progress can take place only when barriers between groups are broken down. His vision of interreligious cooperation is as timely as ever, as people of many faiths work to build bridges of understanding and hope to carry us through the challenges of the twenty-first century.

This book contains a succession of philosophical biographies. The subjects, located in the period 1850-2000, and even if later exiled, were chosen by virtue of birth and life in the American South on the assumption of the distinctiveness of Southern conditions. The 'foundational' figures in Black Southern social and political thought are represented as Frederick Douglass, Booker Washington and Ida Wells. Thurgood Marshall adn Martin King are viewed as 'indispensable', though not 'foundational'. The remaining figures - Howard Thurman, Richard Wright, Fred Gray and Barbara Jordan - are important in various ways and are seen as 'illustrative'. From the perspective of liberation, the two high points in the African-American Odyssey are marked by Emancipation in the nineteenth century and Desegregation in the twentieth. Douglass bestriding the first, King and Marshall the second. resistance runs through most (but not Washington); and the thread of non-violence, with greater or less force, also runs through most (but not Wright). This volume assumes a distinction between (a) an earlier period when Afro-America was more cohesive and collectively committed to self-improvement despite the odds, and (b) the contemporary period, beyond desegregation, marked by rates never previously rivaled of suicide, joblessness, imprisonment, despair and alienation, especially among black poor. The life stories and philosophies presented here are adjuncts to that earlier period; a volume properly reflecting the second is still to be rolled into place. and Political Philosophy.