Ralph Lord Roy
Ralph Lord Roy (September 30, 1928 – 2020) was a Methodist pastor and author, as well as a Freedom Rider and activist in the Civil rights movement.[1]
Background[edit]
Ralph Lord Roy was born on September 30, 1928, in St. Albans, Vermont.[2] He was the son of Howard Allen and Olive Lydia (Corliss) Roy. He graduated from Swarthmore College in 1950.[2] After graduation, he began attending Columbia Law school. After a year, he felt called to attend Union Theological Seminary.[3]
He was ordained by bishop Garfield Bromley Oxnam.[4] After his ordination, he served several churches in New York City and Connecticut.[5]
Roy's first book, Apostles of Discord, began as his doctoral thesis. It discussed some of the racist elements hiding within American Protestantism and was the first published history of the emerging Christian Identity movement.[6][7]: 22
In 1953, he covered Oxnam's appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953. A copy of Roy's book, Apostles of Discord, was included with materials Oxnam used when testifying before the committee.[4]
In 2005, he received a Doctor of Humanitarian Services from Briarwood College.[8]
Civil rights movement[edit]
Roy was part of the Interfaith Freedom Ride from Washington, D.C. to Tallahassee, Florida June 13–16, 1961,[9] an act that resulted in jail time.[5]
After meeting with Martin Luther King Jr. in the summer of 1962, Roy and Israel Dresner organized a "prayer pilgrimage" on August 28, 1962, in Albany, Georgia.[9][10] The pilgrimage resulted in the largest jailing of clergy in American history.[5]
In 1994, he received the Unitarian Universalist Church Humanitarian of the Year award, recognizing his work with the civil rights movement, and his activism with MLK.[11]
Writer and author[edit]
Ralph Lord Roy was a writer and an author.
For 20 years, he was a columnist covering social, political, and religious topics for the Record Journal in Meriden, Connecticut.[1]
Books[edit]
- Apostles of Discord (1953)
- Communism and the Churches (1960)
References[edit]
- ^ a b Buchanan, Jesse (February 6, 2020). "Ralph Lord Roy, Freedom Rider and local reverend, dies at 91". Meriden Record-Journal. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ a b Tranquill, Betsy (2005). "Still Preaching Tolerance" (PDF). Swarthmore College Bulletin (published September 2005). p. 54. ISSN 0888-2126. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ Miller, Robert J. (July 4, 2002). "Pastor retires for 4th time". Harford Courant. pp. B3–B4.
- ^ a b Bergman, Vonda (July 24, 1953). "Vermonter in Washington". Rutland Daily Herald. p. 8.
- ^ a b c Roy, Ralph Lord (June 8, 2008). "Local Clergyman Scheduled to Offer S. Senate Invocation". Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ James, Rorty (November 1953). "Apostles of Discord Review". Commentary. New York: Commentary Inc. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ Barkun, Michael (2014). Religion and the Racist Right: The Origins of the Christian Identity Movement. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-4696-1111-2. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ "Briarwood holds 38th graduation". Record-Journal. Meriden, Conn. June 20, 1005. p. 26.
- ^ a b "Roy, Ralph Lord". Civil Rights Digital Library.
- ^ Roy, Ralph Lord (January 15, 2009). "In Summer of '62, Living King's Challenge". New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ "UU church to honor Roy". Record-Journal. Meriden, Conn. June 11, 1994. p. 17.