Howard Thurman
Too often Thurman is overlooked in this century. Thurman co-founded the first integrated inter-faith congregation in 1953, he studied with both the Quakers and Ghandi and was a mentor to Martin Luther King on non-violence as Thurman was a close friend of King's father. Raised by his Grandmother, an ex-slave, his writings are a foundational block in our understanding of racial conflict and a way forward.