The “Dean of the Civil Rights Movement”, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Dies at 98

One of the most famous members of the core of the Civil Rights Movements has passed away. Dr. Joseph Echols Lowery died last night of natural causes (not related to the coronavirus). Lowery etched his name into the history books with his tireless commitment to social justice, beginning in Alabama when he was a pastor at Warren Street Methodist Church in Mobile and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King lived in Montgomery.

The King Center tweeted, “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.”

Rev. Jesse Jackson referred to Lowery as his “Brother Beloved” on Twitter. Jackson and Lowery were among a handful of the surviving veterans of the Civil Rights Movement. They comprised a courageous leadership team led by Dr. King and credited with changing the trajectory of America, altering the expectations and challenging the limitations of the country’s Black Americans.

Lowery co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with King. Over the years, he guided the organization in several capacities: Vice-President, Chairman of the Board, and President/CEO. With an optimistic eye on the future, Lowery established the Joseph E. Lowery Institute for Justice & Human Rights at Clark Atlanta University in 2002. When his wife, Dr. Evelyn Lowery passed away, after 67 years of marriage, the Institute was renamed to include and honor her.

President Barack Obama awarded Lowery the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009; it was one year after Lowery delivered the benediction at the Inauguration of the nation’s first African-American President, a sure sign of the change the work Lowery and others had so valiantly fought to create. Joseph Lowery was 98 years old. He is survived by his three daughters.