The passing of Joseph Lowery, civil rights leader and former aid to Martin Luther King Jr., was confirmed by Imara Canady, a representative of the family.
The Early Years
Joseph Echols Lowery was born on October 6, 1921 in Huntsville, Alabama. His father was a small shop owner and his mother worked as a teacher part-time. In his hometown, racism was not uncommon. The Ku Klux Klan was known to use various scare tactics like burning crosses against the African Americans in the town. These clear racial divides attritbuted to Lowery’s future involvement in the Civil Rights Movement.
Lowery stated that when he was about 12 or 13-years-old, an encounter with a police officer at his father’s sweets shop fueled his desire to take a stand. In a interview with the Atlanta Tribune, Lowery stated that “a big white policeman was coming in, and he punched me in the stomach with his night stick. He said ‘get back n****r, don’t you see a white man comig in the door?'”
Lowery attended both Knoxville College and Alabama A&M University. After graduating from Paine College, Lowery made the decision to study at Payne Theological Seminary to become an ordained Methodist minister. He served in congregations in both Alabama and Georgia. He served as a pastor for nearly 50 years. Much of that time was spent with Central United Methodist and Cascade United Methodist in Atlanta , Georgia.
Life As An Activist
Though he was serving as a pastor, Lowery also became a peace activist and joined the fight against segregation. Lowery played a part in organizing marches in Selma and Birmingham, Alabama. He also aided in organizing the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. In 1957, Lowery helped to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights organization, with Martin Luther King Jr. In a 1994 interview, Lowery recounted the dedication he put in during the Civil Rights Movement. “We had been through sit-ins and kneel-ins where we had been beat up and lcoked up and cussed out and locked out. It was a milestone, a watershed. It helped America take off the cloak of official segregation.” Lowery’s work with Dr. King helped lead to President Lyndon Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Lowery made the decision not to run for political office, like some of his fellow activists, because it was his belief that he could do more for the civil rights movement from among the people. Despite this, he is famously known for personally delivering protesters’ demands to the state’s segregationist governor, Geroge Wallace, while being protected by the Natonal Guard from supporters of Wallace.
Following the Civil Rights Movement, Lowery served as president of the SCLC for more than 20 years. During this time, he led civil rights protests for South Africa and protests for peace in the Middle East. Despite his retirement in 1992, he continued working as an activist in the fight for gay rights and election reform and against capital punishment.
Remembering Lowery
Lowery received various honors throughout his life. He was given the honor of delivering the benediction at the January 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama. Six months later, Obama presented Lowery with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Lowery will always be remembered for the hardwork he put into fighting for the rights of many. The King Center paid tribute to Lowery in a Twitter post on Friday with a photo of him with Martin Luther King Jr and Wyatt Tee Walker. It was captioned: “He was a champion for civil rights, a challenger of injustice, a dear friend to the King famiy. Thank you, sir.”
Tonight, the great Reverend Joseph E. Lowery transitioned from earth to eternity. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. He was a champion for civil rights, a challenger of injustice, a dear friend to the King family.
Thank you, sir.
[📸: MLK, Lowery, Wyatt Tee Walker] pic.twitter.com/PGHpBJJjNm
— The King Center (@TheKingCenter) March 28, 2020
Several others also posted about the “dean” of the civil rights movement including former-President Barack Obama.
Rev. Joseph Lowery was a giant who let so many of us stand on his shoulders. With boundless generosity, patience, and moral courage, he encouraged a new generation of activists and leaders. Michelle and I remember him fondly today, and our love and prayers are with his family. pic.twitter.com/xxjY2habOm
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 28, 2020
When thinking about the lasting imact Lowery made, Stanford University history professor Clayborne Carson said it best: “There are long distance runners in this struggle and he was certainly one of those.”
