Eugene Callender
American pastor and civil rights activist (1926–2013)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dr Eugene S. Callender (January 21, 1926 – November 2, 2013[1]) was an American pastor and activist in the civil rights movement.
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January 21, 1926
Eugene Callender | |
|---|---|
Callender in 1977 | |
| Born | Eugene St. Clair Callender January 21, 1926 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | November 2, 2013 (aged 87) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Cambridge Rindge and Latin School; Boston University; Westminster Theological Seminary; New York Law School |
| Occupations | Pastor and activist |
Biography
Eugene St. Clair Callender was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to parents who were immigrants from Barbados.[2] He studied at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and Boston University, before becoming the first African American to study at Westminster Theological Seminary.[3] He later studied at New York Law School.[2]
For most of his life, Callender lived and worked in Harlem. He was the first black ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA).[4] A past executive director of the New York Urban League and a former president of the New York Urban Coalition, he also served as deputy administrator of the New York City Housing and Development Administration.[2]
In 1970, Callender hosted (with Joan Harris, at its launch) the hour-long WNBC‐TV (Channel 4) series Positively Black, which aired weekly,[5] featuring Black artists, writers, actors, musicians, sports figures and activists, as well as news about life and culture in the community.[6]