Howard Thurman – Pitts Theology Library

This week, Pitts left the library to consult Candler Admissions Advisor, Emily Miles for her top summer reading resources! A Candler alum herself, Emily helps recruit students to Emory’s School of Theology, assisting students and families through the application process, explaining potential career paths for each concentration and degree program, and providing information about financial aid options.

One book that Emily discovered in seminary and has since read several times is With Head and Heart: The Autobiography of Howard Thurman (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979). She explains that “This autobiography not only gives the powerful history of the life and works of Thurman, but also provides readers with an opportunity to connect to their own minds, spirits, and hearts. The way Thurman recounts his life makes every moment, every encounter, every life event seem crucially important. From his relationships, to books he read, to letters he mailed to his special connection to an old oak tree, Howard Thurman is a man that pays attention to life’s details, appreciating the various circumstances that have led to his success. This book has changed the way I think about the doctrine of hope and how I now practice my faith. It has pushed me to see myself in a new light and to discover that there is a whole world inside of me just waiting to be uncovered.” Grab a copy of Thurman’s autobiography for yourself at Emory Libraries or a library near you!

Another book that comes highly recommended from Emily is Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement by Tarana Burke (London: Headline, 2022). This New York Times Bestseller is a memoir of Tarana Burkes’ own journey in the “me too” movement. Emily notes that “Tarana’s words are raw and powerful. She shares honestly and openly about her own struggles with sexual assault and shame and guides readers to one of her biggest realizations: we can only love others if we love ourselves. If you want an inspirational book to read this summer, it is this one!” Interested? Check out a copy from Emory Libraries, or your local lending institution!

If you are looking for a podcast and are interested in the practice and philosophy of yoga, Emily encourages you to check out the “Let’s Talk Yoga” podcast by Arundhati! Arundhati is an immigrant yoga teacher that talks about topics such as cultural appropriation, teaching skills, and how to merge yoga with business. The conversations you will find on this podcast are intended to educate listeners on the roots and history of yoga and how to practically honor that history today. This podcast has made Emily a more conscious consumer in the yoga world and “certainly a more responsible and informed teacher for [her] students!”

Emily’s final recommendation comes from the wellness platform, Peloton! While Peloton is probably best known for its stationary bike equipment and classes, it offers much more, including a new podcast called “Fitness Flipped.” This podcast literally “flips the script” on what we think we know about fitness and helps listeners connect their minds to their bodies. Topics of these podcasts include body image, rest, endurance, and so much more! “What is even better,” Emily explains, “is that they incorporate a bit of coaching so you can train while you listen to these wonderful episodes! Most of the episodes are 10-30 minutes and length and great for a short lunch time walk (ps. you can get a Peloton membership free for your first month!).”

Need more recommendations? Tune in next week for some highlights in the digital scholarship world from Head of Digital Initiatives and Technology, Spencer Roberts!

For the first time in two years, Pitts Theology Library is opening a new gallery exhibition! Pitts’ 22-case gallery was temporarily closed during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the staff cannot wait to reopen the space as a window into the library’s world-renowned Special Collections and Archival Holdings.

This Spring, the library invites visitors to experience To Make the Voice Heard: Howard Thurman’s Prophetic Spirituality and Recordings During the Long Sixties. Curated by Dr. Timothy M. Rainey II (St. Olaf College) with support from Dr. Spencer Roberts (Head of Digital Initiatives and Technology), this exhibition invites visitors to listen to Pitts’ digitized Howard Thurman audio collection (thurman.pitts.emory.edu) while viewing items from the Bailey and Thurman Family Papers held by Emory’s Stuart A. Rose Library.

Howard and Sue Bailey Thurman spent nearly fifty years traveling the world, building interfaith networks, and expanding how scholars and activists imagined the democratic community. A prolific writer and speaker, Howard Thurman’s influence extended beyond the audiences he captivated in the flesh and included the millions who would enter the room by way of his recordings. To Make the Voice Heard: Howard Thurman’s Prophetic Spirituality and Recordings During the Long Sixties illuminates how the sonorous tenor of Thurman’s voice cultivated meditative encounters among audiences within whom he aspired to awaken a radical pursuit for common ground during the mid-twentieth-century era of profound social transformation.

Reflecting on the curation process, Dr. Rainey explains, “As Pitts Theology Library prepared to launch The Howard Thurman Digital Archive in 2019, I accepted an incredible opportunity to author the first round of metadata that would accompany Thurman’s recordings. Still completing my dissertation, the breaks I took from writing to work on the digital archive did not feel like work. Each assignment offered a reflective interruption amid the rapid pace of daily life. A few years later, when Bo Adams proposed that I take the role of lead curator for an exhibition on Howard Thurman, I didn’t hesitate to accept. To Make the Voice Heard invites audiences to pause, observe, and attempt a meditative encounter with the figure’s sonorous speech. Through recordings, photographs, and artifacts – highlighting years of global ministry shared with his partner Sue Bailey Thurman – visitors will find a Howard Thurman profoundly impacted by injustices in the world and committed to thinking broadly about the work of love and democratic hope. A teacher, minister, writer, advisor, and civil and human rights advocate, Thurman introduced Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence to civil rights discourse in the United States and was a constant resource for prominent leaders during the mid-twentieth century. He often encouraged activists to rest and achieve ‘healing detachment.’ We hope that all who attend the exhibit adopt this wisdom and find within the woven fragments of Thurman’s life inspiration to relate to the world in fresh and meaningful ways.”

This exhibition is open during library hours to Emory students, faculty, and staff, in addition to the general public. Please note that Emory cards are required, or visitors can make a reservation at pitts.emory.edu/reservations to visit the gallery. Find parking information and directions to the library at pitts.emory.edu/parking.

Pitts Theology Library

Tag: Howard Thurman

Summer Reading No. 3: Emily Miles

Exhibition Opening: To Make the Voice Heard