Wyatt Tee Walker
Encyclopedia
Wyatt Tee Walker is a United States
black pastor, national civil rights
leader, theologian, and cultural historian. He was a Chief of Staff for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
, and in 1958 became an early board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC). He helped found the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) in 1958. As executive director of the SCLC from 1960 to 1964, Walker helped to bring the group to national prominence.
Walker started as pastor at historic Gillfield Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia
, where he entered the Civil Rights Movement
. For 37 years Dr. Walker was Senior Pastor at Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem, New York, where he also co-founded the Religious Action Network of Africa Action
to oppose apartheid in South Africa
, and chaired the Central Harlem Local Development Corporation.
and one of the oldest in the nation. In his leadership for social justice and against desegregation, he was arrested numerous times, the first for leading an African-American group into the "white" library in Petersburg. His "flamboyant" and cheeky style was shown as he "caused a stir" by trying to "check out Douglas Southall Freeman's admiring biography of Robert E. Lee." In 1953 Walker worked with citizens who filed suit in Federal court for access to a public pool in Lee Park. The city closed the park in 1954 rather than integrate. The park later reopened, but the city never operated the pool again.
Walker's leadership extended to two major civil rights organizations in Virginia: he served as president for five years of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) and as state director of the Congress of Racial Equality
(CORE), which he co-founded in 1958. Walker was also a founder of the Petersburg Improvement Association (PIA), modeled after the Montgomery Improvement Association
(MIA) in Alabama
. It worked to develop strategies against segregation and to ensure publicity for its activities. By May 1960 the PIA had 3,000 members. By conducting sit-ins in 1960 at the Trailways bus terminal, Walker and PIA members gained agreement by the president of the Bus Terminal Restaurants to desegregate lunch counters in Petersburg and several other Virginia cities. This was achieved before Freedom Riders arrived in 1961.
Through these years Walker became increasingly close to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
in the Civil Rights Movement
. He later served as his Chief of Staff. In 1957 Walker helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC). In 1958 King chose Walker for the board of SCLC. Walker spent the next two years building the organization in Virginia by capitalizing on his network of relationships with clergy throughout the state from his activities with NAACP and CORE. He also worked on continuing demonstrations and actions intended to highlight, challenge and end segregation.
"According to historian Taylor Branch
, Walker preached 'dazzling sermons' in support of the student sit-ins that sparked the second phase of civil rights organizing after 1960." In addition, Walker was the chief strategist and tactician for "Project C". He developed the detailed plan for confrontation with local police and city officials that was the heart of the Birmingham Campaign
in 1963. Assisted by local movement secretary Lola Hendricks
, Walker meticulously researched protest targets, timed the walking distance from the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, headquarters for the campaign, to the downtown area; surveyed the segregated lunch counters of department stores; and listed federal buildings as secondary targets should police block the protesters' entrance into primary targets such as stores, libraries, and all-white churches. He ensured the campaign would receive national attention and build support for the cause. The events captured important national media attention and coverage. This was critical for gaining national support among American citizens and the Kennedy administration for the movement and its goals. Walker also helped organize and participated in the 1963 March on Washington. In 1964 and 1965 he could celebrate the movement's successes when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act
and Voting Rights Act
.
From 1964-1966 Walker worked with a new publishing venture, the Negro Heritage Library, which he headed as president in 1966. He worked with school boards and systems to expand curricula to improve coverage of African-American history and literature, and to add appropriate books to school libraries.
of South Africa
, who were active in struggles against colonialism and apartheid.
During the 1970s Walker served as Urban Affairs Specialist to Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller, helping advise in a volatile social environment. In 1975 he managed to complete his doctorate at Colgate Rochester Divinity School. In his graduate studies and research, Walker also studied at the University of Ife in Nigeria
and the University of Ghana
. During these years in Harlem, he wrote and published books on the relation of music and social movements, and community development.
Walker was increasingly active in the anti-apartheid movement, which had a strong base in the African-American community. In 1978 he founded the International Freedom Mobilization to draw attention to the abuses of apartheid in South Africa. He served on the National Committee on the American Committee on Africa (ACOA) (since 2001 called Africa Action
). In the 1980s he served on the ACOA Board, including as President.
In 1988 Walker was co-founder of the Religious Action Network (RAN) of the ACOA, together with Canon Frederick B. Williams
of the Church of the Intercession in Harlem. This was during the height of the anti-apartheid struggle. RAN is a network of over 300 congregations throughout the U.S.
Walker also used the church's leadership in local economic and community development. He wrote about that in The Harvard Paper: The African-American Church and Economic Development (1994). He was chair of the Central Harlem Local Development Corporation, to generate affordable housing units in Harlem to fill a critical need.
Because of Walker's leading role in the Civil Rights Movement
, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library
collected his papers from the period of 1963-1982. They include both personal and official correspondece, papers and lectures on a wide variety of topics, and are available for research.
Since college, Walker has been a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity.
in Richmond.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
black pastor, national civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
leader, theologian, and cultural historian. He was a Chief of Staff for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, and in 1958 became an early board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
(SCLC). He helped found the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) in 1958. As executive director of the SCLC from 1960 to 1964, Walker helped to bring the group to national prominence.
Walker started as pastor at historic Gillfield Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
, where he entered the Civil Rights Movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
. For 37 years Dr. Walker was Senior Pastor at Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem, New York, where he also co-founded the Religious Action Network of Africa Action
Africa Action
Africa Action is a national human rights nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, working to change U.S.-Africa relations to promote political, economic and social justice in nations of Africa. They provide accessible information and analysis, and mobilize popular support for campaigns to...
to oppose apartheid in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and chaired the Central Harlem Local Development Corporation.
Virginia
After earning his degree, in 1953 Walker was called as pastor at historic Gillfield Baptist Church, the second oldest black church in Petersburg, VirginiaPetersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
and one of the oldest in the nation. In his leadership for social justice and against desegregation, he was arrested numerous times, the first for leading an African-American group into the "white" library in Petersburg. His "flamboyant" and cheeky style was shown as he "caused a stir" by trying to "check out Douglas Southall Freeman's admiring biography of Robert E. Lee." In 1953 Walker worked with citizens who filed suit in Federal court for access to a public pool in Lee Park. The city closed the park in 1954 rather than integrate. The park later reopened, but the city never operated the pool again.
Walker's leadership extended to two major civil rights organizations in Virginia: he served as president for five years of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP) and as state director of the Congress of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
(CORE), which he co-founded in 1958. Walker was also a founder of the Petersburg Improvement Association (PIA), modeled after the Montgomery Improvement Association
Montgomery Improvement Association
The Montgomery Improvement Association was formed on December 5, 1955 by black ministers and community leaders in Montgomery, Alabama. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr...
(MIA) in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. It worked to develop strategies against segregation and to ensure publicity for its activities. By May 1960 the PIA had 3,000 members. By conducting sit-ins in 1960 at the Trailways bus terminal, Walker and PIA members gained agreement by the president of the Bus Terminal Restaurants to desegregate lunch counters in Petersburg and several other Virginia cities. This was achieved before Freedom Riders arrived in 1961.
Through these years Walker became increasingly close to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
in the Civil Rights Movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
. He later served as his Chief of Staff. In 1957 Walker helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
(SCLC). In 1958 King chose Walker for the board of SCLC. Walker spent the next two years building the organization in Virginia by capitalizing on his network of relationships with clergy throughout the state from his activities with NAACP and CORE. He also worked on continuing demonstrations and actions intended to highlight, challenge and end segregation.
Atlanta, Georgia
At King's invitation, Walker moved to Atlanta as the first full-time Executive Director of the SCLC. During his leadership of 1960-1964, he brought the organization to "national power" in its efforts to bring about an end to legal segregation of African Americans. He used his management strengths to improve administration and fundraising, and coordinated the far-ranging activities of the staff. Walker was aided by two close assistants whom he brought from the PIA, Dorothy Cotton and James Wood."According to historian Taylor Branch
Taylor Branch
Taylor Branch is an American author and historian best known for his award-winning trilogy of books chronicling the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and some of the history of the American civil rights movement...
, Walker preached 'dazzling sermons' in support of the student sit-ins that sparked the second phase of civil rights organizing after 1960." In addition, Walker was the chief strategist and tactician for "Project C". He developed the detailed plan for confrontation with local police and city officials that was the heart of the Birmingham Campaign
Birmingham campaign
The Birmingham campaign was a strategic movement organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to bring attention to the unequal treatment that black Americans endured in Birmingham, Alabama...
in 1963. Assisted by local movement secretary Lola Hendricks
Lola Hendricks
Lola Mae Hendricks was corresponding secretary for Fred Shuttlesworth's Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights from 1956 to 1963. She assisted Wyatt Walker in planning the early portions of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's involvement in the 1963 Birmingham Campaign during the...
, Walker meticulously researched protest targets, timed the walking distance from the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, headquarters for the campaign, to the downtown area; surveyed the segregated lunch counters of department stores; and listed federal buildings as secondary targets should police block the protesters' entrance into primary targets such as stores, libraries, and all-white churches. He ensured the campaign would receive national attention and build support for the cause. The events captured important national media attention and coverage. This was critical for gaining national support among American citizens and the Kennedy administration for the movement and its goals. Walker also helped organize and participated in the 1963 March on Washington. In 1964 and 1965 he could celebrate the movement's successes when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation...
and Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
.
From 1964-1966 Walker worked with a new publishing venture, the Negro Heritage Library, which he headed as president in 1966. He worked with school boards and systems to expand curricula to improve coverage of African-American history and literature, and to add appropriate books to school libraries.
Harlem, New York
In 1967 Walker was called as Senior Pastor of the influential Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem, New York, where he commanded a major pulpit in the struggle for tolerance and social justice. He also continued to compose sacred music. He connected his studies of other traditions to the use of music in the black church and social movements. Walker helped teach people about the relationship between movements around the world. During the years in which Africans sought independence, Walker hosted numerous leaders from the continent, including Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, who were active in struggles against colonialism and apartheid.
During the 1970s Walker served as Urban Affairs Specialist to Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller, helping advise in a volatile social environment. In 1975 he managed to complete his doctorate at Colgate Rochester Divinity School. In his graduate studies and research, Walker also studied at the University of Ife in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and the University of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. During these years in Harlem, he wrote and published books on the relation of music and social movements, and community development.
Walker was increasingly active in the anti-apartheid movement, which had a strong base in the African-American community. In 1978 he founded the International Freedom Mobilization to draw attention to the abuses of apartheid in South Africa. He served on the National Committee on the American Committee on Africa (ACOA) (since 2001 called Africa Action
Africa Action
Africa Action is a national human rights nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, working to change U.S.-Africa relations to promote political, economic and social justice in nations of Africa. They provide accessible information and analysis, and mobilize popular support for campaigns to...
). In the 1980s he served on the ACOA Board, including as President.
In 1988 Walker was co-founder of the Religious Action Network (RAN) of the ACOA, together with Canon Frederick B. Williams
Frederick B. Williams
Frederick Boyd Williams was a religious leader of national importance in the United States. As Canon of the Church of the Intercession in Harlem, New York from 1971 to 2005, he led an influential congregation, the first in the nation to establish a programmatic response to AIDS. A patron of the...
of the Church of the Intercession in Harlem. This was during the height of the anti-apartheid struggle. RAN is a network of over 300 congregations throughout the U.S.
Walker also used the church's leadership in local economic and community development. He wrote about that in The Harvard Paper: The African-American Church and Economic Development (1994). He was chair of the Central Harlem Local Development Corporation, to generate affordable housing units in Harlem to fill a critical need.
Because of Walker's leading role in the Civil Rights Movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
collected his papers from the period of 1963-1982. They include both personal and official correspondece, papers and lectures on a wide variety of topics, and are available for research.
Since college, Walker has been a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
fraternity.
Return to Virginia
After 37 years as Senior Pastor, Walker retired in 2004 with the title of Pastor Emeritus of Canaan Baptist Church. He lives in Virginia and teaches at the School of Theology at his alma mater Virginia Union UniversityVirginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...
in Richmond.
Marriage and family
He married Theresa Ann Walker before 1963. They had four children together. And two Grandchildren.Selected books
Walker has long been interested in the relationship between music, the black religious tradition, and social change, and published several books on this topic. This topic was also the center of his doctoral work for his PhD in 1975. These include:- 1979 - Somebody’s Calling My Name: Black Sacred Music and Social Change (Judson Press)
- 1984 - The Soul of Black Worship: A Trilogy - Preaching, Praying, Singing (Self-published)
- 1985 - Road to Damascus: A Journey of Faith, New York: Martin Luther King Fellows Press
- 1986 - Common Thieves: A Tithing Manual for Christians and Others, New York: Martin Luther King Fellows Press
- 1991 - Gospel in the Land of the Rising Sun, New York: Martin Luther King Fellows Press
- 1994 - The Harvard Paper: The African-American Church and Economic Development, New York: Martin Luther King Fellows Press
- 1997 - A Prophet from Harlem Speaks: Sermons & Essays, New York: Martin Luther King Fellows Press
Legacy and honors
- Honorary doctorates from Virginia Union University and Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
- 1993 - Ebony magazine named Rev. Dr. Walker as one of "The 15 Greatest Black Preachers".
- 2005 - The Sisulu Children’s Academy—Harlem Public Charter School was renamed the Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem, in honor of Rev. Dr. Walker’s community leadership.
- In 2007, students in Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, VirginiaNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
produced and performed a show entitled "Walking with Walker". - In 2008 Walker was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic SiteMartin Luther King, Jr. National Historic SiteMartin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site established on October 10, 1980, consists of several buildings surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr.'s boyhood home on Auburn Avenue in the Sweet Auburn historic district of Atlanta, Georgia. The original Ebenezer Baptist Church, the church where King...
.
Additional reading
- Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988
- Charles D. Lowery and John F. Marszalek, eds. Encyclopedia of African-American Civil Rights: From Emancipation to the Present, New York: Greenwood Press, 1992
External links
- "Wyatt Tee Walker", King Encyclopedia, Stanford University
- Wyatt Walker's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project