Samuel McKinney, civil rights pioneer, community leader and longest serving pastor of Seattle’s Mount Zion Baptist Church passed away April 7th at the age of 91.
We remember McKinney and his tireless activism to make Seattle a more equitable home for all.
As pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church the congregation tripled under his leadership and he established numerous programs and projects transforming the community.
McKinney, one of the founding members of Byrd Barr Place, formally Central Area Motivation Program (C.A.M.P.), collaborated with other community leaders to also found Liberty Bank, the first black-owned bank West of the Mississippi, he was an original member of the Seattle Human Rights Commission, which successfully passed the legislation of the city’s first fair-housing act. He founded and served as president and CEO of the Seattle Opportunity Industrialization Center and was the first black president of the Church Council of Greater Seattle.
“While Seattle has made undeniable progress during his life, in death Dr. McKinney will serve as a constant reminder that securing gains on human rights and civil rights, and when confronting issues of race and social justice, requires constant vigilance, not complacency.”
– Seattle Council President Bruce A. Harrell
Photo Courtesy of King5.com
