Black theologian Howard Thurman has been widely credited with being a mentor to civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Bayard Rustin, and Pauli Murray. But Reverend Thurman also played a key role in shaping Vassar’s human rights journey, delivering more than a dozen sermons in the Chapel, many of them before the College had knowingly accepted a single Black student.

As part of Vassar’s Inclusive History Initiative, students in a Vassar Intensive presented research relating to the influential religious and civil rights leader.

Student Panelists:

Croix Horsley ’26: A Video Reflection on Howard Thurman’s Activism at Vassar College
Jarod Hudson ’26: What's the Matter with Vassar? Navigating Class Difference at an “Elite” Institution
Katie Varon ’24: Olive Thurman’s Life and Legacy as one of Vassar’s First Black Students
Maya Winter ’26: Uncovering Inequity: A Look into Vassar’s Past through the Black Press