Digital Edition of The Papers of Howard Washington Thurman Now Available
Collection includes transcriptions of materials held at Boston University
A digital version of the five-volume documentary edition, The Papers of Howard Washington Thurman, edited by Walter Earl Fluker, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor Emeritus, is now publicly available online. This comprehensive online resource, developed by The Howard Thurman Papers Project in collaboration with The Center for Digital Editing at the University of Virginia, makes accessible Dr. Thurman’s extensive archives, which span 63 years, and contain approximately 58,000 items of correspondence, sermons, unpublished writings, and speeches. Researchers and the public can now freely access this collection at thurmanpapersproject.org, which features materials documenting Thurman’s influential work as a theologian, philosopher, and a key mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I am delighted that my alma mater, Boston University, through the auspices of the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, has announced that the digital version of our five-volume documentary edition, The Papers of Howard Washington Thurman, is now open and accessible to the public,” Dr. Fluker said. “Without the support of the director and staff at HGARC over 40 years, my dream of making Howard Thurman’s vast documentary record, which spans 63 years and consists of approximately 58,000 items of correspondence, sermons, unpublished writings, and speeches would not have been possible.”
The digital collection includes transcriptions of many documents preserved in the extensive Howard and Sue Bailey Thurman archival collections housed at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University Libraries. These physical collections include manuscripts of Thurman’s books such as Deep River (1945) and With Head and Heart (1980), correspondence with notable figures including Langston Hughes and Coretta Scott King, subject files, audio recordings of sermons dating from 1951 to 1978, and Sue Bailey Thurman’s manuscripts, correspondence, and personal memorabilia—including a piece of cloth woven by Mahatma Gandhi and presented to her during their 1936 meeting.
The launch of The Papers of Howard Washington Thurman edited by Dr. Fluker coincides with the recent launch of the Boston University Digital Library featuring digitized versions of Howard Thurman’s sermons at Boston University . The sermons are part of the Howard Thurman Collection, available for use at Boston University. For more information, please visit the detailed Finding Aid to the Howard Thurman Collection.
The Gotlieb Center, is part of the University’s Special Collections preserving archives, personal papers, and rare books and making them available for use. Those interested in exploring these physical collections can contact the Center via email at archives@bu.edu or by visiting bu.edu/library/gotlieb-center.
Dr. Thurman’s legacy continues at Boston University not only through these scholarly resources but also through the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground. Students and community members can learn more about the Center’s programs at bu.edu/thurman or by emailing thurman@bu.edu.