A life well lived would be a huge understatement when you talk about one of the greats of the Civil Rights Movement, Rev. Joseph Lowery. Famously referred to as the “Dean” of the movement, Rev. Lowery was one of the main people along with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Andrew Young, and Jesse Jackson, who helped shaped the movement into one of the most impactful eras in history.

Rev. Lowery co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957 with Dr. King. He served as president of the organization for over 20 years and remained an activist for human and civil rights into the 2010s. For his decades of work toward the efforts of civil rights and social justice, former President Barack Obama honored Rev. Lowery with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Rev. Lowery did not actually start out wanting to be a preacher like his great-grandfather Rev. Green Echols, who happened to be the first African-American pastor of Huntsville’s Lakeside Methodist Church. He started out wanting to be an attorney and he earned his undergraduate degree from Paine College. He also moved to Birmingham, Alabama in the mid-1940s and worked as an editor for the “Birmingham Informer,” a weekly publication, to save money for law school.

However, law school just wasn’t in the plans for this future civil rights advocate. Rev. Lowery ended up studying religion at a number of institutions including Payne Theological Seminary and Wayne State University. About a year after marrying his wife, Evelyn, he started his preaching career at East Thomas United Methodist Church in Birmingham. In 1953, he took over as pastor of the Warren Street Methodist Church which was where his work in the Civil Rights Movement began.

No matter what church he preached at or what city he was in, Rev. Lowery always championed the efforts of nonviolence and civil rights. In Atlanta, Rev. Lowery was the pastor of Cascade United Methodist Church for 14 years and in 1997, he retired. Retirement did not slow down Rev. Lowery as he spoke out against apartheid in South Africa, the war in Iraq, and many other civil rights issues. He was never afraid to speak up and fight for what he truly believed in.

Rev. Lowery lived a life of service to others, regardless of race or background, and truly wanted to make the world a better place for everyone. We here at AccordingToLariah.com are grateful for all of his hard work and dedication. We know that what he and so many others fought through so many years ago is the very reason that we are able to exist today. Rev. Lowery certainly understood the importance of working hard and being determined to realize the dream of improving not only his community, but the world as a whole.

Thank you, Rev. Lowery, for showing us your entire life how we can dream big and how we should do the work to make it happen.