James Reeb

James Reeb
Abernathy Family · Public domain · source
Name	James Reeb
Caption	James Reeb, c. 1965
Birth date	01 January 1927
Birth place	Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Death date	11 March 1965
Death place	Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Education	St. Olaf College (BA), Princeton Theological Seminary (BDiv)
Occupation	Unitarian Universalist minister, civil rights activist
Known for	Martyr in the Selma to Montgomery marches
Spouse	Marie Deason

James Reeb was a Unitarian Universalist minister and a white civil rights activist who was murdered in Selma, Alabama in 1965. His death, following his participation in the second Selma to Montgomery marches, became a pivotal moment in the American civil rights movement, galvanizing national support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Reeb is remembered as a martyr whose sacrifice underscored the violent resistance to racial equality in the American South.

Early life and education

James Joseph Reeb was born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Kansas. He served in the United States Army during World War II before pursuing higher education. Reeb earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College, a Lutheran institution in Minnesota. He then attended the Princeton Theological Seminary, graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity degree. Initially ordained as a Presbyterian minister, his theological views evolved, leading him to join the more liberal Unitarian Universalist Association.

Ministry and activism

Reeb served as a pastor at several churches, including All Souls Church in Washington, D.C.. His ministry was deeply influenced by the Social Gospel movement and a commitment to social justice. In 1965, he moved to Boston to work for the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization focused on peace and social reform. His activism was firmly rooted in his religious beliefs, which compelled him to confront systemic racism and economic inequality. He was an active participant in Boston's civil rights activities prior to his fateful journey to Alabama.

Selma to Montgomery marches

Following the violent events of Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, when Alabama State Troopers attacked peaceful marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Martin Luther King Jr. issued a national call for religious leaders to join a second march. Reeb heeded this call, traveling to Selma, Alabama with two other Unitarian Universalist ministers, Orloff Miller and Clark Olsen. On March 9, they participated in the symbolic Turnaround Tuesday march led by King. Reeb and his colleagues spent the day meeting with local activists and supporting the Selma voting rights movement organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Assault and death

On the evening of March 9, after eating dinner at Walker's Cafe, a Black-owned restaurant in Selma, Reeb, Miller, and Olsen were walking back to the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church when they were attacked by a group of four white men. The assailants, later identified as Elmer Cook, William Stanley Hoggle, Namon O'Neal Hoggle, and R.B. Kelley, beat the ministers with clubs. Reeb, who was struck in the head with a blunt object, suffered a severe skull fracture and cerebral hemorrhage. After initially receiving inadequate care at the segregated Selma Hospital, he was transferred to University Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. Despite two surgeries, James Reeb died on March 11, 1965.

Aftermath and legacy

Reeb's murder provoked national outrage. President Lyndon B. Johnson invoked his memory in a televised address to Congress, urging the swift passage of voting rights legislation. The public pressure contributed significantly to the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that August. Three of the four men charged with Reeb's murder were acquitted by an all-white jury in Dallas County; the fourth was never tried. Reeb's death is commemorated alongside other civil rights martyrs like Jimmie Lee Jackson and Viola Liuzzo. His name is inscribed on the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, and he was posthumously awarded the Maud Ballington Booth Award by the Volunteers of America.

Personal life

James Reeb was married to Marie Deason, and the couple had four children: Ann, Karen, John, and Stephen. His family supported his commitment to activism, though his decision to go to Selma was made quickly. Reeb was described as a deeply principled and compassionate man who believed in putting his faith into direct action. His personal correspondence and sermons reveal a profound concern for human dignity and a willingness to sacrifice his own safety for the cause of racial justice.