Four students will present their original research on the legacy at Vassar College of the Black theologian the Reverend Howard Thurman, and offer their perspectives on the role that Thurman played in shaping the Vassar of the past, present, and future. The students developed their research in their Fall 2023 Intensive on Reverend Thurman. Reverend Thurman, who was a mentor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Bayard Rustin, and Pauli Murray, gave over a dozen sermons at Vassar College between 1928 and 1952. His daughter, Olive Thurman ’48, was one of the first Black students to graduate from Vassar.  The student panel will be moderated by Professor Jonathon Kahn.

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

Schedule:

5:00–6:15 p.m. 
Student Panel + Discussion + Q&A
6:30–7:30 p.m. 
Reception in the CCMPR

Please register to attend this event via Zoom. 

If you plan to attend in person in the Villard Room, no registration is necessary.