Samuel Berry McKinney (December 28, 1926 – April 7, 2018) was an American Christian pastor and Civil Rights leader. He was the pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle for four decades. He attended the

Selma to Montgomery marches The Selma to Montgomery marches were three Demonstration (protest), protest marches, held in 1965, along the highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery. The marches were organized by Nonviolence, nonvi ...

in 1965, and he served on the Seattle Human Rights Commission.

Early life

Samuel B. McKinney was born on December 28, 1926, in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

. He grew up in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, where his father, Wade Hampton McKinney, was a pastor. McKinney graduated from

Morehouse College Morehouse College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Men's colleges in the United States, men's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, ...

in 1949. He earned a divinity degree from

Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School is a Baptist seminary in Rochester, New York. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History 1820s–1960: Early history Four Baptist institutions merged over the course of the 19th and ...

in 1952.

Career

McKinney began his ministry in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was the pastor of Olney Street Baptist Church from 1955 to 1958. He moved to Seattle, Washington, where he served as the pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church from 1958 to 1998, and from 2005 to 2008. McKinney invited Civil Rights leader

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

to Seattle in 1961, and he attended the

in 1965. He served on the Seattle Human Rights Commission. He was also a co-founder of Liberty Bank, "the first black-owned bank in Seattle." With Floyd Massey Jr., McKinney co-authored ''Church Administration in the Black Perspective''. According to ''The Los Angeles Times'', " The book outlined the need for strong, charismatic ministers in urban black churches and remains an important reference work in church organization."

Personal life and death

McKinney married Louise Jones; they had two daughters. McKinney died on April 7, 2018.

Works

References

1926 births 2018 deaths Writers from Flint, Michigan Writers from Seattle Morehouse College alumni Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School alumni Activists for African-American civil rights Selma to Montgomery marches {{US-Christian-clergy-stub