Civil Rights Leader, Rev. C.T. Vivian Dies At 95
The civil rights veteran who worked alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and later led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference has sadly passed away. According to The Guardian, Rev C.T. Vivian died Friday at his home in Atlanta. He was 95-years-old.
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While Vivian’s friend and business partner Don Rivers confirmed the news to The Associated Press, Vivian’s daughter, Denise Morse, also talked about her dad’s passing to Atlanta’s NBC affiliate WXIA. She remembered him, as was “one of the most wonderful men who ever walked the earth.”
According to NBC News, the civil rights titan suffered a stroke two months ago. He seemed to be on the mend before “he just stopped eating” and died of natural causes, Don Rivers explained.
“He has always been one of the people who had the most insight, wisdom, integrity, and dedication,” former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, a contemporary of Vivian who also worked alongside King said.
Vivian Met Dr. King during the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott – a demonstration made famous by Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat to a white rider. Vivian went on to become an active early member of the group that eventually became the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the news site reports.
In 2013, President Barack Obama honored the great Vivian with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. The pastor remained an advocate for justice and equality well into his advanced years.
He will be missed.
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