The Nonviolence Tradition and Interfaith Activism

From left to right: Howard Thurman, Sue Bailey Thurman, Phenola Carroll and Edward Carroll pictured in their travels to India, known as the Pilgrimage of Friendship, 1935.

In doing preliminary research on the desegregation of Gwynn Oak Park, I found that I had a pretty comprehensive understanding of the various themes that were prevalent in its story: Baltimore civil rights history, the connection between recreation access and equal citizenship, youth activism, etc. However, one gap in knowledge that remained was most things pertaining to religion. This posed a significant problem for me especially since that’s the one aspect of this event that seems to haven’t already been studied in depth, therefore being an obvious gap in the scholarly conversation to fill. At the very least, I was aware of the significance of the Black church in influencing the civil rights movement, with this institution providing spiritual refuge from racial discrimination, as well as serving as a foundation for developing many prominent activists. However, there was a strong presence of white clergymen of Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish faith who participated in the Gwynn Oak protests as well. How did their faith guide their dedication to advocating for civil rights alongside African American clergymen? And how was it possible for this group of protesters from such diverse racial and religious backgrounds to come together on a common moral ground and participate in an interfaith cause like the Gwynn Oak desegregation demonstrations?

These very questions influenced my desire to pursue an internship with The Gathering Space, who were coincidentally hiring around the time I was facing this dilemma! Admittedly, I had some reservations about the prospect of working there, primarily in regards to where I would fit in such a space as someone who identifies as non-religious. I knew I had academic motivations for wanting to be an intern, but would I come off as an invasive presence to those who have a significantly more personal relationship with religion? Luckily, this ended up not being the case—everyone thus far has been extremely welcoming and willing to engage in conversations with me about their respective faith traditions, which has been an incredibly enriching experience. My advisor, Matt Hoffman, has been particularly helpful when it comes to expanding my knowledge on basic religious concepts and interfaith activism. For this internship, he assigned some interesting readings that have contributed greatly to my thesis research.

The first book we read was Visions of a Better World, which details the life of theologian and civil rights leader Howard Thurman, and specifically explores his pilgrimage to India in pursuit of knowledge on the practice of nonviolence. One of the most compelling aspects of the book was how the globalization of white supremacy and connection of a shared struggle was established. Both parties learned of each others’ experiences with oppression (i.e., African Americans with racism and Indians with imperialism), which served as the catalyst for the transmission of nonviolent philosophy and tactics from India to the United States. This book also encouraged me to be more of a critical reader. Usually when I read any type of text, I find it difficult to pinpoint where I can challenge the authors’ argument and formulate my own counterpoints. However, one of my favorite discussions of this book had to be when dissecting Thurman’s projections of whether African Americans or Indians could attain equality easier, in which he asserted that it would be more feasible for the former due to the comparatively homogeneous religious and political culture of the United States. Though, this ended up not being the case, as India has managed to gain independence from British rule, while African Americans still experience racism many decades after Thurman posited his argument. So I really had to dive deeper into his theory and life experiences that shaped his point of view, and be able to think of how he arrived at this conclusion and factors that could oppose it. Overall, this book showed me how influential, yet underrated, of a philosopher Thurman is when it comes to his contribution of nonviolence to the civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (center) and Abraham Joshua Heschel (2nd from front right), march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, March 21, 1965.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was another theologian I was able to learn a great deal about. In his speech “No Religion is an Island,” he establishes his position on religious pluralism and interfaith activism, arguing that religions can not exist in isolation from one another and that it is imperative for individuals to understand one another’s faith traditions and use that understanding to fight against the ills of society. Being a survivor of the Holocaust, in which he lost his mother and three sisters, the reason for Heschel’s dedication to religious unity and civic engagement is evident. Through studying his career, I learned of how he put this into practice by participating in the civil rights movement and anti war efforts, as well as being instrumental to shaping Catholic-Jewish relations in a positive direction during the development of the Nostra aetate. Clergymen, like any other group of people, possess diverse views when it comes to social action. Some choose to refrain from speaking on such matters, whether it be because they don't want to garner backlash, or possibly because they support injustice and use religion as a vehicle to perpetuate it. Others take a moderate approach, disavowing social evils like oppression and violence in theory, but do not apply their thought to transformative action. Learning about figures like Thurman and Heschel, who translated their philosophy into direct action, was a great experience and gave me plenty of foundational knowledge I needed for what I’m studying in my thesis research.