Little Known Black History Fact: Gardner C. Taylor

The Reverend Gardner C. Taylor was a towering figure among preachers and pastors, often regarded by his peers as the “world’s greatest preacher.” Though Rev. Taylor was too humble to claim such a distinction, the many people who loved and admired him are now mourning him after his death on Easter Sunday. Born on June 18, 1918, this grandson of former slaves grew up in the Jim Crow South.

As a young man, he found solace in religion and pursued that path at Oberlin College’s School of Theology.After leaving Oberlin in 1940, Rev. Taylor embarked on a path of preaching and civil rights activism.

In 1948, Taylor assumed leadership of the Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York at a time where racism and segregation was the order of the day. Taylor remained in that post until his retirement 42 years later in 1990.

In 1961, Taylor gained national prominence when he, his friend and ally the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other black clergy members broke with the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A. — America’s largest black Christian denomination — over its tepid support of civil rights and founded the Progressive National Baptist Convention, committed to social justice, desegregation and affirmative action. Mr. Taylor was its president from 1967 to 1969.

In 1980, TIME magazine called Taylor the “Dean of the Nation’s Black Preachers” and in 1996, Baylor University recognized his dynamic preaching ability as well. Various video clippings of Taylor’s sermons are viewed as masterpieces to this day. An author as well, Taylor wrote several books and authored over 2,000 sermons.

In 1993, Taylor preached a sermon at President Bill Clinton’s pre-inauguration event and in 2000, Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Taylor was 96. He is survived by his wife, Phillis, his daughter, Martha Taylor LaCroix and a step-grandson, Marcus LaCroix.

(Photo: Facebook)

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