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