Howard Thurman was born in 1899. Along the shores of the Halifax River in Daytona, Florida, he began a life-long quest for the "scent of his God" and an oneness among all humankind. Over the next eighty years, impelled by a deeply rooted faith, he spoke, taught, preached, and wrote. The well known—including Eleanor Roosevelt—and the little known sought his spiritual insight and counsel.
But the insights Thurman acquired along his visionary journey came at a cost. His young wife died, seemingly much too soon and much too unfairly. He contended against a church and nation that condoned separation between the races and intolerance towards another’s faith. Many criticized and few understood his vision of genuine Christian faith and practice. He endured affronts against his race and personhood that caused him to "die daily.” Young social activists deemed him irrelevant.
And yet, in his quest, Thurman broke ground. In the 1930s, he led a delegation to India on a historic pilgrimage of friendship and met with Mahatma Gandhi. In the 1940s, amidst a racially and religiously divided America, he pioneered the nation's first interracial, intercultural, and interfaith congregation. He extended his work in his racial trailblazing role as Dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University. In the 1950s and 1960s, he inspired the Civil Rights Movement that changed America and the world.
As a young boy, Howard Thurman cried on a railroad platform because there was no money to take him or his belongings to school. As a man, he re-interpreted Christianity for "those with their backs against the wall.”
Howard Thurman brings forth a voice that is vital for today's discussions on the increasing divisions of race and faith in our nation and world. The documentary also provides a vital resource in the spiritual formation of seekers of all faiths. Most of all, Howard Thurman heartens the visionary and dreamer within those of us who dare the deed and commit to accomplishing it.
The Program
This is a story about a man who deeply loves his God. It’s about a man’s pursuit of truth and of the divine. Howard Thurman’s story will inspire seekers and those who quest to build a whole and beloved community. At heart, it will touch those who aspire to live a life that matters, and cultivate a spirit that refuses to die.
Rationale
Post 9/11, discussions permeate our lives about finding common ground, building community, and seeking religious and racial reconciliation. We converse both outside and inside worship spaces about a faltering and conflicted faith. On the rise are those who consider themselves spiritual seekers. Howard Thurman heartens and inspires those who wish to transform and build community among disparate races, faiths, and communities. The documentary is a compelling resource for those who pursue personal meaning and insight in their spiritual journeys.
When most people think of major African American religious leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and perhaps Jesse Jackson are the only names that come to mind. Despite his profound universal influence, particularly across race, faith, and cultural divides, there is little awareness of Howard Thurman.
The BBC produced an on-camera interview with Thurman in 1976. However, Howard Thurman is the first American made documentary about him, For both public television viewers and a wider audience, Howard Thurman will enrich their understanding of the wide-ranging impact that African Americans like Howard Thurman had—and continue to have—on the spiritual life of the nation and the world.
There is a significant audience for matters of religion and spirituality as well as a growing resurgence of interest in Howard Thurman. Beacon Press re-released Thurman's seminal books, Jesus and the Disinherited and Meditations of the Heart, and has released a Thurman anthology entitled, A Strange Freedom: The Best of Howard Thurman on Religious Experience and Public Life. Amazon.com reports that they have difficulty in fulfilling Thurman book orders. Beacon Press plans to print additional releases because of an upsurge in requests for Howard Thurman titles.
Production Status
The production team has completed research, pre-production, and initial production for Howard Thurman. This includes eyewitness interviews with Thurman's widow, the late Mrs. Sue Bailey Thurman; Thurman's daughter, Olive Thurman Wong; Boston University colleague and friend, George Makechnie; historians, Vincent Harding and Sudarshan Kapur; scholar, Mozella Mitchell; and Ray Woolam of Vancouver, an eyewitness to Thurman’s memorable address before the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Chiefs in Canada. We have identified archival footage, audio, stills, and documents from various national and international archives and stock footage houses, principally the Thurman Family Archives, the Howard Thurman Archives, Boston University, the National Archives, and the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. We are currently identifying eyewitnesses in India.
We have edited an assembly cut of the film. Concurrently, we are raising money for completion expenses, which include shooting additional interviews and locations; voice over and narration record, edit cuts--including the rough and final edits, music scoring, sound editing and post production; and securing usage rights for archival images and audio.
Intended Audiences and Distribution Plan
We will offer Howard Thurman to the Public Broadcasting Service for national and regional airing. We will also offer the documentary for international public broadcast. Included are the BBC and Canadian, Indian, and South African public televisions because of Thurman’s noted work in those countries. The producers are also committed to strong audience involvement and use of Howard Thurman beyond the PBS broadcast. We will use the documentary, both nationally and locally, in special educational programs and workshops of community and faith based groups. We are discussing an outreach partnership with Auburn Media for impact within religious circles. In addition, we will distribute Howard Thurman to institutional, educational and home video markets. We are discussing institutional distribution with national distributors, including California Newsreel, a leading distributor of documentaries on African American life and history.
We will make Howard Thurman available for use at educational institutions including Boston University and Boston University School of Theology, Harvard University and Harvard Divinity School, Emory University and the Candler School of Theology, Morehouse and Spelman Colleges, the University of California, the Graduate Theological Union the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), Atlanta, and Union and Auburn Theological Seminaries.
We will distribute Howard Thurman theatrically and enter it into select local, national, and international film and video festivals, including the San Francisco International Film Festival, Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival, Sundance, Atlantic Film and Video Festival, the DoubleTake Documentary Film Festival in Durham, N.C, Berlin Film Festival, and INPUT (International Public Television).
Promotion and Publicity
Howard Thurman strives to engage the attention of our audiences throughout the course of both the production and post-production phases. We are developing this website to promote the Howard Thurman project and to serve as a resource for Thurman-related information. We will disseminate updates through the project website and through print and email newsletters. Updates and press releases will include information on the documentary, its advisors, interviewees, locations, and production team.
We will distribute press releases and newsletters to select global, national, and local organizations; individuals and media outlets, including Boston University’s Bostonia magazine and Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, Washington Post, Atlanta Voice and Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspapers. We are also discussing partnering in using the documentary in outreach activities with institutions and groups including the Leadership Center, Morehouse College, Boston University, the San Francisco Theological Union, Union and Auburn Theological Seminaries, Agape International Spiritual Center, Bethel AME Church Boston, Trinity Church Boston, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Riverside Church, and Fellowship Church, San Francisco.
Funding Support
We are proud of our diverse base of contributors including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s National Black Programming Consortium; the Southern Humanities Media Fund; the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C; the California Council for the Humanities; Georgia Public Television; the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities; the New England Film and Video Foundation; Boston University; the Ruth M. Batson Educational Foundation; the LEF Foundation; the Kendrick Foundation; Trinity Church in the City of Boston; the Greeley Foundation; Bethel AME Church, Boston; the Bay Area Video Coalition; Hartford Seminary; the Joseph Henry Edmondson Foundation; Agape International Spiritual Center, Los Angeles; the Swartz Foundation; Carver Federal Savings Bank, New York; the Hartley Film Foundation; and individual contributors.
We are currently seeking completion funding from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
Timeline to completion ~ Please click here.
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