The Leadership Conference Statement on the Passing of Reverend Joseph E. Lowery

Equal Opportunity News 03.28,20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shin Inouye, [email protected], 202.869.0398

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the passing of Reverend Joseph E. Lowery, founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Georgia People’s Agenda:

“The civil and human rights community has lost a giant. In the fight for civil rights, Rev. Lowery did not leave the battlefield. He never retired his fiery oratory, his rapier wit, or his outsized love for all people. Until the end, he deployed them in service to equality for all. It was the truth. And he was going to tell it.

“He was an unapologetic advocate who did not stand on ceremony and never allowed the presence of the powerful stop him from dispensing bitter truths. Even as our own movement shied away from full-throated advocacy for LGBTQ rights, Rev. Lowery was out front pushing for everyone’s rights and humanity. It was the truth. And he was going to tell it.

“As we celebrate Rev. Lowery’s life, we are reminded of our obligation to speak the unvarnished truth: to those in power, within our own movement, and on behalf of those left behind. It is our truth. And now we need to tell it.

“He was known for saying ‘There’s good crazy and there’s bad crazy – and sometimes you need a little bit of that good crazy to make the world a better place.’ We will miss his ‘good crazy’ in a world so dominated by ‘bad crazy.’ Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, and all those who have benefited from his dedication to justice.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.