Mwalimu Imara

Mwalimu Imara

Mwalimu Imara (April 21, 1930 – October 6, 2015) was an American clergyman, bioethicist, psychotherapist, and educator. He served as a prominent minister within the Unitarian Universalist Association, established key pastoral counseling initiatives in Boston, and served as Chairman of the Department of Counseling Services and Director of the Human Values in Medicine Program at Morehouse School of Medicine.

​Early Life and Education

​Imara was born on April 21, 1930, to Blanche Irene Allen and Cyril Gomez. He pursued higher education in Ohio and Illinois, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1964. He later completed graduate theological studies at the Meadville Theological School in Chicago, obtaining a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree in 1968.

​Academic and Pastoral Career

​Ministry and Pastoral Care

​Imara was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister and served in several pastoral and counseling roles throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1974, he established the Boston Center for Religion and Psychotherapy. He also provided counseling services at Brandeis University and worked extensively in thanatology, focusing on grief, loss, and hospice care.

​From 1978 to 2009, Imara served as a faculty member at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, leading post-graduate training, organizational development programs, and workshops on death and grieving.

​Morehouse School of Medicine

​In 1983, Imara joined the faculty of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1983 to 1988, he served as:

  • ​Chairman, Department of Counseling Services

  • ​Director, Human Values in Medicine Program

  • ​Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry (with a cross-appointment in Family Medicine)

  • ​Institutional Chaplain

​His curriculum integrated bioethics, human values, and pastoral perspectives into medical training, particularly regarding end-of-life decision-making, coma, and brain death.

​Cultural Leadership

​Imara advocated for integrating cultural identity into pastoral and community practices, including incorporating the principles of the Nguzo Saba (the seven principles of Kwanzaa) into community leadership and family programs.

​Personal Life and Death

​Imara was married to Saburi Imara. He had three children: Sala, Hiari, and Akosua.

​He died on October 6, 2015, at the age of 85 in Atlanta, Georgia. Services were held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta.

​References

  1. ​UU Ministers Association. In memory of Mwalimu Imara (1930–2015). (2016).
  2. ​Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Mwalimu Imara Obituary." October 11, 2015.
  3. ​Case Western Reserve University Alumni Records.
  4. ​Meadville Lombard Theological School Archives.

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