James Farmer Beliefs

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James Farmer Jr. was born in Marshall, Texas on January 12th 1920. His Mother was a school teacher while his father, James Farmer Sr., was a Methodist minister and was among the first African American men in the entire state to earn a PhD. Farmer was accepted at the early age of 14, skipping grades to Wiley College which resided in his home town. In 1938, his intellectual talent would lead to his graduation and move to Howard University in Washington, DC, where he would go on to study religion. His master's thesis examined a unity of economics, religion, and race. During his time there, he joined a debate team and became an exceptional part of it. Farmer would soon briefly consider following in his father's footsteps and take up ministerial work, earning his degree in divinity from Howard University in 1941. Having closely studying the nonviolent teachings of Gandhi along the way, and although he would ultimate not take this route, he would apply his philosophies to the nonviolent civil resistance to U.S. racial desegregation. Farmer was an active objector during World War II and worked with the Fellowship of Reconciliation in the early 1940s. By then he moved to Chicago, Illinois, he had also become a TV screenwriter and magazine scribe at this point. Farmer was married in 1949 to Lula A. …show more content…

and these verses in mind. Keeping these things close to our hearts and minds will produce people who are focused on working for the greater good rather than themselves. These would be the ideal individuals to be in power, uncorrupted by selfish intent and humbly serving despite undesirable circumstances. Farmer didn’t let his position of power get to his head and even though he knew his illegal Freedom Rides led to his jail time, his work would ultimately serve the greater good. A servant leader like him is without doubt an invaluable asset wherever they may find

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