CONGREGATIONAL UCC MARKS AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH WITH SCREENING OF
BACKS AGAINST THE WALL: THE HOWARD THURMAN STORY
Wednesday, February 19, at 7:00 p.m. in Rockwood Hall
This film explores the extraordinary life and legacy of Howard Thurman, one of the most important religious figures of the 20th century.
Born the grandson of slaves, Thurman became a “spiritual foundation” for the Civil Rights Movement, inspiring many of its leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr, Jesse Jackson, and Congressman John Lewis. His book Jesus and the Disinherited is considered a spiritual classic.
In the mid-1930s, Thurman was the first Black American invited to meet Mohandas Gandhi who shared his strategy of non-violent resistance. Gandhi suggested it would be through the African American experience that the non-violence resistance movement could take on global significance. When Thurman returned to America, his writings and speeches planted the early seeds for the non-violent Civil Rights Movement.
This film is free and open to the public.