Very few people take the time to see the similarities and differences between two leaders who may be considered significant figures in the movement toward a community for human society that embodies peace, empowerment, and justice. Two individuals that have made significant differences in our community were Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and one of his influences Dr. Howard Thurman. The question is, how did Dr. Thurman influence Dr. King’s leadership and social change. First and foremost, leadership was a key reason we know of these societal giants, one more renowned than the other. What is leadership? Leadership is a skill that a person possesses and uses it as an influence toward ethics. He or she has to have the courage to make a difference…show more content… Martin Luther King Jr. that we are able to strive to live a life that is in continuous pursuit of social and racial integration of society. Without the bravery and courage of the many individuals who have impacted our society, the country may still have been under the weight of racial discrimination and social oppression we once faced in the past. Many influential leaders, including Dr. King and Dr. Howard Thurman, strived to eradicate these community issues not only for our present time but also for our future generations in America and around the world. We are now able to realize how much of a contribution each race or group of people can bring to our diverse society. Many leaders in America and around the world embrace diversity as a way to create a harmonious community. Although many believe that minority or ethnic races still face discrimination in today's society to a certain level, it is not considered to be to the extent in which it was in the past. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is recognized as one of the most influential individuals in the civil rights movement because he brought forth the need to challenge the community’s treatment of its citizens of different ethnicity or minority status. When communities face hard situations, leaders usually arise and navigate those impacted to a place of acceptability of a positive…show more content… King and Mahatma Gandhi, one is able to find that Dr. King shares similar ideologies with Howard Thurman who actually introduced him to Gandhi (Cartwright). Older than Dr. King, Dr. Howard Thurman was born on November 18, 1899 and started his campaign to help others see the benefit of pursuing harmony within his presentations earlier than Dr. King. He viewed a community as a whole, integrated and harmonious environment for everyone to grow to their potential of what God intended for them (Giles). Thurman was always on the search for common ground for those who were involved within a community and believed that it was our human responsibility to treat each other equally and respectfully (Giles). Dr. Howard Thurman was not given as much recognition for his accomplishments such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had received. There are still many people who do not even know the accomplishments of Dr. Thurman, or even know who he is to this very day in our society. His many accomplishments include becoming the first black dean at an all-white university, Marsh Chapel at Boston University (Cartwright). As a child, he was cared for by his grandmother and was sent to fend for himself early on when his parents sent him on a train with minimum money from Dayton to Jacksonville (“Dedication”). They did not have enough money to ship luggage with him so he felt helpless. He believed that the way to change an individual was