Explorations in Black Leadership

Co-Directed by Phyllis Leffler & Julian Bond

Mays, Benjamin (1894–1984)

Mays influenced a generation of African American leaders and was himself an important scholar, educator, and civil rights activist. Educated at Bates College, he started as a pastor before joining Morehouse University as faculty. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, he became dean of the School of Religion at Howard University. In 1940, he was elected president of Morehouse College. Throughout, he remained a scholar of African American Christianity, publishing nine books, including Seeking to Be Christian in Race Relations, and nearly 2,000 articles. See also Morehouse College.