Vincent Harding facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vincent Harding
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Vincent Gordon Harding
July 25, 1931 New York City, New York, US
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| Died | May 19, 2014 (aged 82) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
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| Movement | Civil rights movement | ||
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| Doctoral advisor | Martin E. Marty | ||
Vincent Gordon Harding (1931–2014) was an African-American pastor, historian, and activist. He studied American religion and society. Vincent Harding was well-known for his work with and writings about Martin Luther King Jr., who was a close friend.
Harding wrote many books, including There Is A River and Hope and History. He also helped lead the Veterans of Hope Project. This group focused on social unity. He was a professor at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. Vincent Harding passed away on May 19, 2014.
Early Life and Education
Vincent Harding was born in Harlem, New York, on July 25, 1931. He went to public schools in New York City. He graduated from Morris High School in the Bronx in 1948.
After high school, he attended the City College of New York. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1952. The next year, he got a Master of Science degree in journalism from Columbia University.
Harding served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955. He continued his studies at the University of Chicago. There, he earned a Master of Arts degree in history in 1956. He later received his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in history from the University of Chicago in 1965.
Career and Activism
In 1960, Vincent Harding and his wife, Rosemarie Freeney Harding, moved to Atlanta, Georgia. They wanted to join the Southern Freedom Movement. They represented the Mennonite Church in this important effort.
The Hardings started Mennonite House in Atlanta. It was a place where people of different races could work together. It also served as a meeting spot for civil rights activists. They traveled across the South in the early 1960s. They helped anti-segregation campaigns. These campaigns were led by groups like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
Vincent Harding sometimes wrote speeches for Martin Luther King Jr.. One famous speech he helped with was "A Time to Break Silence". King gave this speech on April 4, 1967, in New York City. This was exactly one year before King was assassinated.
Harding taught at several universities. These included the University of Pennsylvania and Spelman College. After King's death in 1968, Harding worked with Coretta Scott King. They helped create the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. Harding was its first director.
In 1968, he also helped start the Institute of the Black World in Atlanta. He later became a senior advisor for the PBS television series Eyes on the Prize. This series told the story of the Civil Rights Movement.
Harding led the Veterans of Hope Project. This center focused on religion and democracy. It was located at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. He taught there as a professor from 1981 to 2004.
Beliefs and Writings
Vincent Harding was a strong Christian. He believed deeply in achieving fairness for all people in the United States. He wanted to see racial and economic equality. Harding was a Seventh-day Adventist pastor before becoming a Mennonite pastor.
In 2005, Harding shared an important message at Goshen College. He said that people should not keep Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideas "locked up." He believed King's message was still important for today's challenges. Harding encouraged everyone to "do something for somebody." He felt that people should work towards a better world, even if it seems difficult.
Vincent Harding wrote many books and essays. Here are some of his notable works:
- African-American Christianity: Essays in History
- Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero
- Hope and History: Why We Must Share the Story of the Movement
- There Is a River: The Black Struggle for Freedom in America
- We Changed the World: African Americans, 1945–1970
He also wrote introductions and forewords for other important books. These included How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney. He also wrote for Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman.
See also
