Witnesses Against Injustice

Unitarian Universalist Ministers Return to Alabama thirty-seven years after the beating death of one of their own

From March 6-10, 2002, more than 450 Unitarian Universalist ministers gathered in convocation in Birmingham, Alabama to deepen and share their faith. They recalled the beating death, 37 years earlier, of the Rev. James Reeb when he responded to Martin Luther King's call for help in winning civil rights for African Americans. Reeb sacrificed his life in the struggle for civil rights along with Jimmy Lee Jackson and Viola Liuzzo, and the three have been remembered by Unitarian Universalists for their ultimate commitment to that cause.

But this is a new day in Alabama, and the ministers gathered in convocation in 2002 faced new challenges. Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Supreme Court of Alabama had released a statement in which he attacked gays and lesbians. The UUA has long affirmed the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, and the UU ministers gathered found themselves called to witness for the civil rights of those facing oppression in 2002. Recalling the words written by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King in 1963 in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," ("Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"), the ministers spoke out, denouncing Judge Moore's actions.

Revs Sinkford, Miller, Olsen in front of Selma Memorial

Recalling the marches for civil rights which took place 37 years earlier, a bus of fifty ministers traveled on March 10 to Selma, AL, revisiting the places where some had stood for civil rights for African Americans. Present were the Revs. Clark Olsen and Orloff Miller, who had been with James Reeb when he was attacked, and the Rev. Richard Leonard, whose participation in the Selma to Montgomery march is chronicled in his new book, Call to Selma.

This convocation of ministers, their recollection of the civil rights struggles of another age and their support of those ongoing in the state of Alabama, were chronicled by the press and are recorded in the ministers' public statements below.

Selma Voting Rights Mural Photo by Morris Hudgins

Media Coverage:

Selma Times-Journal, March 10, 2002: "Universalists make trek back to Selma"
"Reeb was in Selma with Rev. Clark Olsen and Orloff Miller when they were attacked by four or five white men as they walked by the Silver Moon Cafe on March 9, 1965. Reeb died two days later in a Birmingham hospital. Ministers and local community leaders will visit the site of Reeb's murder, then assemble at Brown Chapel Church and meet with Mayor James Perkins Jr. at he National Voting Rights Museum. The pilgrimage to Selma will conclude with a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Rev. Olson and Miller will participate in the pilgrimage…"

Montgomery Advertiser, March 12, 2002: "Ministers remember deadly attack":
"To have been connected to that change in American history through almost happenstance was an enormous..." said Olsen, who couldn't finish his sentence. Tears welled in his eyes, and his voice was choked with emotion. Olsen took a few seconds to gather his thoughts and completed the sentence, along with an opinion of what he and Miller were able to accomplish. "Every time you choose to stand for something that's right, enormous good could come from it," he said. "Perhaps, something profound, deep and wonderful could happen."

Viola Liuzzo Memorial Selma, AL Photo by Morris Hudgins

Statements from the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association:

Petition for Peace in the Middle East; From the Convocation of UU Ministers, Birmingham, AL, 3/10/02

UUMA statement on actions and statements made by Chief Justice Roy Moore, Supreme Court of Alabama, released March 9, 2002

UUMA petition in support of US House Bills 3499 and 3500 to name Alabama Post Offices in honor of James Reeb and Jimmy Lee Jackson

Press Releases:

March 7, 2002 - Unitarian Universalist Ministers Return to Scene of Brutal Civil Rights Murder

March 11, 2002 - Unitarian Universalist Ministers Voice Opposition to Justice Moore's Comments

Resources:

View the Photo Album!

Photo Album: Renewing the Struggle: Unitarian Universalist Ministers Return to Alabama

Martin Luther King's eulogy of James Reeb, as published in UU World Magazine: http://www.uua.org/world/2001/02/feature2.pdf

Read Richard Leonard's personal account of his Call to Selma: http://www.uua.org/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=429

US House of Representative Bill introduced by Rep. Earl F. Hilliard to designate Post Office in memory of Jimmy Lee Jackson:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.03849:

US House of Representatives Bill by Rep. Earl F. Hilliard to designate Post Office in memory of James Reeb: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.03850

UUMA petition in support of post office naming after Jackson and Reeb:
http://www.uua.org/news/2002/alabama/020309al.html

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