Revered Joseph E. Lowery

When Ebony magazine named Joseph Lowery one of the nation’s 15 greatest black preachers, they described him as “the consummate voice of biblical social relevancy, a focused voice, speaking truth to power.” When the NAACP gave him an award at its 1997 convention, he was called the “dean of the civil rights movement.” He is a co-founder with Martin Luther King, Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and served as president and chief executive officer from 1977 to January 15, 1998.

Dr. King named Dr. Lowery chairman of the delegation delivering the demands of the Selma to Montgomery March (1965) to Governor Wallace, who had ordered troopers to beat the marches (Bloody Sunday). Wallace apologized to Lowery in 1995 as Lowery led the 30th Anniversary reenactment.

Dr. Lowery was among the first five African Americans arrested at the South African Embassy in D.C. in the Free South Africa movement. Dr. Lowery led protests and was twice arrested in Warren, N.C. against the dumping of toxic waste, which led to the environmental justice movement.

He is also a founder of the Black Leadership Forum, a consortium of major national advocacy organizations, and is serving his third term as chairman. In addition, Dr. Lowery served as pastor of Atlanta’s oldest predominantly black United Methodist congregation – Central – for 18 years, where he added thousands of members and built a 240-unit housing development for low and moderate income residents – Central Methodist Gardens. He served as pastor of Cascade United Methodist Church from 1986 to 1992, adding over a thousand members; retiring in 1992 and leaving the church with ten acres of land, $1 million, and blueprints for a new edifice.

Dr. Lowery served on the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority board of directors from 1975 to 1998, as chairman in 1995, 1996, and 1997; instrumental in awarding millions in contracts to minority owned businesses. He helped black farmers secure a $2 billion Federal court decree repairing damage by Department of Agriculture discriminatory policies.

He studied at Alabama A&M; Knoxville College; Payne Theological Seminary, and Chicago Ecumenical Institute. He has been awarded honorary doctorates by several universities, including Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Central State, Alabama State, and Beloit University.

As convener of the Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda, he is a strong force for election reform, criminal justice system reform, and improving the quality of governance.