Rev. William Holmes Borders, Sr (24 February 1905 – 23 November 1993) was a civil rights activist and leader and pastor of

Wheat Street Baptist Church Wheat Street Baptist Church is a historic black Baptist church located in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1869, the current building was constructed in 1921 and is located adjacent to the Martin Luther King Jr. Na ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

from 1937 to 1988. Borders' influence in the black community was the trigger for a local radio station to offer him a weekly program in 1940. Listeners of both races tuned in to hear information about segregation, disfranchisement, patriotism (this was during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

), and black migration to the north. The program became the second-highest-rated broadcast in Atlanta. Borders had a significant influence on the life of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Borders's oral presentation and expression accompanied by bodily gesture and physical movement could be seen in the sermons of Dr. King. During bus desegregation in Atlanta, Borders sat in the front of a bus and was arrested. He formed the Wheat Street Credit Union to provide low-interest loans to blacks. Three times in the 1960s and 1970s, Borders ran for the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

but failed. Borders Sr. was the father of William Holmes Border, Jr., and the grandfather of

Lisa Borders Lisa Michelle Borders (born c. 1958) is the former president and chief executive officer of Time's Up and former president of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Early life and education Lisa Borders was born in Atlanta, Geor ...

, member of the

Atlanta City Council The Atlanta City Council is the main municipal legislative body for the city of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It consists of 16 members primarily elected from 12 districts within the city. The Atlanta City Government is divided into three bo ...

and one-time candidate for

mayor of Atlanta Here is a list of mayors of Atlanta, Georgia. The mayor is the highest elected official in Atlanta. Since its incorporation in 1847, the city has had 61 mayors. The current mayor is Andre Dickens who was elected in the 2021 election and took o ...

in the 2009 election.Obituary of William Holmes Borders, Jr.
at ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution''.

References

External links

* Activists for African-American civil rights Southern Baptist ministers African-American Baptist ministers People from Atlanta 1905 births 1993 deaths Burials at South-View Cemetery 20th-century African-American people 20th-century Baptist ministers from the United States {{civil-rights-movement-stub