Named after a national icon who promoted the idea that out of religious faith emerges social responsibility, the Howard Thurman Center expands our efforts to create social change by empowering change agents who can become effective advocates for their own communities. The Center, launched in 2022, is the home of the Black Ministries Program (BMP), which began in 1982.
HTC will work both within its cultural community and beyond it to:
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Bring together like-minded individuals to learn both from sacred text and secular techniques for building partnerships to better society at large
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Address the social, intellectual, spiritual, and economic development of all people and meet the community's needs
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Provide academic preparation of participants for service to the community and to participate in the transformation of oppressive conditions that increase the reality of social justice
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Partner and be in tandem with Hartford International University for Religion and Peace
YOUR DONATION WILL HELP US ACHIEVE THESE GOALS
HTC Initiatives
HTC will partner with Hartford International University to equip the church, non-profit leadership, and community members at large to transform injustice and inequity. Possible future HTC initiatives include:
- Continue and grow the Black Ministries Program
- Sponsor John Lewis Leadership Institute (Summer Program)
- Sponsor Health and Wellness Programs
- Sponsor Community Empowerment Programs for Economic Development
- Sponsor Programs for Mediation Skill Development
- Sponsor Programs for Mental Health Awareness and the Destigmatization of Support Services
Upcoming Events
HTC Leadership Team
Benjamin Watts
Executive Minister of the Howard Thurman Center for Justice and Transformational Ministry, Director of the Black Ministries Program, Faculty Associate in Religion and Community Life
Bishop Dr. Benjamin K. Watts is a 1995 graduate of Hartford International University (then Hartford Seminary) where he received the Doctor of Ministry degree with distinction upon submission of the project entitled, “Understanding & Using Africentrism in Strengthening & Revitalizing the Mission of the Black Church: Analysis & Models.”
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Cheryl Townsend Gilkes
Distinguished Professor, Community Liaison, and Research Consultant for the Howard Thurman Center
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About the Black Ministries Program
Director, Bishop Dr. Benjamin K. Watts