(CNN) � Rev. William Lawson, a long-time civil rights advocate and founder of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, has died, according to an obituary posted on the church’s website.He was 95.
Lawsonwas known as “Houston’s Pastor;� atrusted voice in the community whoushered the city throughtimes of crisis and change.
In 1962, hethe Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church where he was the pastor for more than 40 years. He later joined thecivil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,whom he considered to be a close friend, the church’s obituary stated.
Lawson also set up a local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights organization that was instrumental during the civil rights movement.
“Lawson, in particular, was known to help build bridges between the powerful and the powerless, as a champion of social justice and community service,”thechurch posted.
Houston Mayor John Whitmirehelda moment of silence atHouston City Hall on Tuesdayto honor Lawson.He encouragedHoustonians to “strive for a fair, safe, and equal Houston in his honor and memory.�
“He is one of the reasons our city is so great,� Whitmire said. “He helped us during civil rights and social justice like probably no other individual in the country because Houston benefited from his leadership and character.�
“I, like so many Houstonians, I am deeply saddened by the passing of Rev. William Lawson-a Houstonian icon and pillar of our community,� Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said in aon X.
In a statement to CNN,Harris County Commissioner Rodney Elliscalled Lawson a “towering figure in our community.�
“He was a pioneering force in the Civil Rights movement, courageously hosting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at his church and supporting the brave Texas Southern University students during the sit-ins that spurred integration in our city. His commitment to justice and equality knew no bounds.�
Ellisalso noted that the cityrecently named a park in honor of Rev. Lawson and his late wife.
“The Reverend William and Audrey Lawson Park will serve as a lasting tribute to their shared commitment to uplifting every member of our community,� the statement read.
In 2021,Rice University honoredthe longtime pastorby naming part of its campus “The Reverend William A. Lawson Grove.�
“If there’s anything that I’d like for my legacy to be, it is for the different cultures of humankind to get to know each other, to respect each other and, if possible, to love each other,”Lawson said at the.
His daughter,Melanie Lawson, an anchorin Houston, was by his side at the ceremony.
“When it’s your Dad,you don’t really think how special they are. It’s only through the vision of other people that you realize what a difference he made,”she said at the event.
Rice University President Reginald DesRoches said Rev. Lawson’s legacy will resonate through generations.
“May future generations be reminded of his enduring impact as a beacon in the civil rights movement every time they walk through the grove named in his honor on the Rice campus,”President DesRoches said on the school’spage.
Rev. Lawson will lie in state at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Thursday.
The-CNN-Wire
� & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
