The Moral Courage Project

"Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those  who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. And I believe that in this generation those with the courage to enter the moral conflict will find themselves with companions in every corner of the globe." -Robert F. Kennedy

If Bobby Kennedy was right that champions of moral courage can be found in every corner of the globe, how much more true must that be in our increasingly wired and interdependent age. And yet, we also live in an age that promotes conformity on multiple levels: economic, political and cultural. This is true for people who find themselves in movements, private corporations, and public sector organizations. Thus, the courage to incur wrath from one's tribe for the sake of the greater good is increasingly rare - and necessary. That's why I have founded the Moral Courage Project, based at New York University's Wagner School of Public Service.

The Moral Courage Project comes at a time in which society promotes conformity on various levels: cultural, economic or intellectual. Either you're a liberal or a neo-conservative, either you blindly buy into the dogma of your ethnic or religious group - or you're a sellout. This ideology of absolutes breeds fundamentalisms and simplistic responses to complex human issues.

Click the graphic above to read about the Moral Courage Project in New York University's  NYU Today.

Where is the hope?

The good news is that young people in particular know that the world isn't black or white. Neither are they. While many have the hunger to defy orthodoxy, not enough feel the permission and confidence to do so. Emerging leaders need the courage to speak their truths to their tribes - and risk backlash from ther own. The Moral Courage Project will embolden young leaders by exploring with them how, why, and when to break silences for the sake of a greater good.

How does the Moral Courage Project work?

I'm teaching a graduate course entitled "Public Leadership and Moral Courage" - and it is the cornerstone of the Moral Courage Project. In this course, students will learn to resist political correctness and self-censorship. The trials and triumphs of moral courage will be considered from various perspectives: philosophical, political, literary and psychological. Students will explore the work of people from Henry David Thoreau to Emma Goldman, Mahatma Gandhi, Lillian Smith, James Baldwin and Nelson Mandela, to name a few.

As students discuss these ideas in class, they will also be engaged with the local and global community via public conversations with current champions of moral courage. Students will use readings and lecture, as well as personal and community experiences, to help make the course a proactive part of their own development as leaders. 

Click the graphic above to learn more about how New York University, as a "sanctuary of free thought", will bring the message of the Moral Courage Project global.

Students will confront their own fears, their relationships to authority, community, ethics and morality - and leave with a plan for fostering moral courage in their own leadership endeavors. Students must apply what they've learned through the creation and real-world testing of a "personal manifesto for moral courage". Think you've got what it takes to submit your own manifesto for moral courage? Read on, then send me your manifesto. I might (with your permission!) feature it here on my website, and/or use it as an example with my students.

Who are "agents of moral courage"?

Agents of moral courage are those who brave the disapproval of their own communities for the sake of a greater good. Some examples include Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was accused by his own community of creating "needless tension" in his quest for civil rights. Or take Mahatma Gandhi, who criticized the Indian caste system, gender apartheid and the treatment of "untouchables" within his own society. Both men faced significant opposition from communities who now revere them for their ethical leadership.

Contemporary people of all ages, religions, races and cultures are agents of moral courage too. Take Deeyah, a young Muslim musician whose choice to speak out has resulted in death threats from her fellow faithful.

Moral courage can be as seemingly small as contesting a policy or practice you believe marginalizes a faction of your own community, yourself included. Deciding what makes one morally courageous means exploring what makes us afraid - is it losing our lives? Our families, careers, honor and reputation? Every day people have the capacity for greatness. That is what the Moral Courage Project is all about.

I'm not a student at New York University. How can I be involved?

Engaging the global community is key to my work as director of the Moral Courage Project. It is also a large component of the course I'm teaching. I'd love to hear what you have to say about leadership, ethics, morality, fear and courage.

Here are a few concrete ways in which you can participate:

* Send me your personal manifesto for moral courage;

* Create and submit a YouTube video in which you discuss your personal story of moral courage - whether it be about you or someone else, and -

* Nominate someone, either a historical or contemporary figure, as an agent of moral courage. I just might teach about the person in my class.

With your permission, I may post your videos and manifestos here on my website. I may also use them in my classroom.

Finally, be sure to check this site regularly. I'll be posting recommended readings, media items and case studies for you whenever I can. Consider this your virtual classroom - a space where we all learn from one another.

Salaam and thank you,